Faculty of Nursing Assuit University

NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY

1. SUPERVISED BY

Dr. Fatma Ragab

Dr. Samah Ashraf

PREPARED BY

1. Mohamed Fathy Fawzy.

2. Mohamed Ali Hassan.
3. Mohamed Ali Mohamed.
4. Mohamed Farag.
5. Mohamed Omera.

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 Outlines
1. Introduction.

2. Definition of nutrition.

3. Important of nutrition during pregnancy.

4. Element of nutrition during pregnancy.

5. Nutrition during stage of pregnancy.

6. Food to avoid during pregnancy.

7. Weight gain during pregnancy.

8. Effect of poor diet.

9. Reference.

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Introduction:

Nutrition is the basic for a healthy and balanced Life.

Efforts to improve maternal and fetal nutrition during pregnancy have

focused on achieving appropriate energy intake and ensuring that the intake
of specific nutrients is adequate to meet maternal and fetal requirements as
the body prepares for growth and development of the fetus and for lactation
process.

A pregnant women should inform the medical staff about her health condition
as well as about her special eating habits such as nutrients diet, food
allergies, digestive problems or special diet.

Definition of Nutrition:

Is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food

to support its life, it provides organism with nutrients, which can be
metabolized to create energy and chemical structures.

Another definition:

Eating a healthy and balanced diet so your body gets the nutrition that it
needs. Nutrition as are substances in food that our body need so they can
function and grow It includes: Carbohydrate, Fat, Protein, Vitamins, Minerals

and water. Importance of nutrition during Pregnancy:

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Good nutrition is an important component of a healthy lifestyle and a healthy
baby. Nutrition become more important than it ever has been and your needs
for both calories and nutrients will change as your body grows:

1. Eating a nutritious diet during Pregnancy is linked to brain

development and healthy birth weight.
2. Reduce the risk of many birth abnormalities.
3. A balanced diet will reduce the risk of anemia as well as other
unpleasant pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue and morning sickness.
4. Reduce the risk of developing conditions that can affect pregnancy
such as diabetes, pregnancy induced hypertension and obesity.
5. Increase immunity to prevent infectious diseases.
6. Helping to make milk for breastfeeding.
7. Help in development of Fetal bones and blood cells.

Elements of nutrition during pregnancy:

1. protein:

Importance of protein:

Protein is critical for ensuring the proper growth of baby's tissues and organs,
including the brain. it also helps with breast and uterine tissue growth during
pregnancy. It also plays a role in increasing blood supply allowing more
blood to be sent to the baby.

Source of Protein:

• Seafood.
• Eggs.
• Lean meat and Poultry.
• Chicken.

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 • Cheese.
• Nuts.
• Beans.

Daily requirement:

Pregnant women need to eat about 70% to 100 gm trusted Source of Protein a
day, depending on her weight and on which trimester she is.

Protein deficiency can lead to:

• Weak muscle tone.

• Edema.
• Thin, brittle hair.
• Skin lesions.
• Loss of muscle mass.
2. Carbohydrates:

Importance of Carbohydrate:

Carbohydrate Food provide essential fuel for Pregnant women and her baby
as they are broken down into simple Sugars like glucose. The brain need
glucose as the main source of energy. glucose easily moves through the
Placenta and is required for the development, growth and metabolism of
maternal and Fetus tissues.

Source of carbohydrate:

• Bread.
• Potatoes.
• Pasta.

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• Chips.
• Bananas.
• Sugars.
• Beans.
• Cereals.

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 •
Corns.
• Whole grain.

Deficiency of Carbohydrate leads to:

the level of sugar in your blood may drop to below the normal range (70-99
m/dl) causing hypoglycemia. Your body then starts to burn fat for energy
leading to ketosis.

Daily requirements:

Currently, the IOM recommends at least 175 g/d of Carbohydrate intake

during pregnancy.

3. Vitamins:

Importance of vitamins:

Help body maintain good health, vitamins help promote the development of
the baby's teeth and bones and making body function properly.

Vitamins like: Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K, B6 and B12.

Daily requirements of vitamins:

Pregnant woman needs 71 g/d vitamins.

Source of vitamins:

Fat soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, K) mainly found in animal fat,

vegetable oil, daily foods, liver and oily fish.

Water soluble vitamins (vitamin C, B, Folic acid) mainly found in:

• Fruit and vegetables.

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 •
• Grains.
Milk and dairy food.
4. Minerals:

Importance of minerals:

• Building strong bone and teeth.

• Turning the food, you eat into energy.
• Controlling body fluid inside and outside cells.

Source of minerals:

• Meat.
• Cereals.
• Fish.
• Milk and dairy food.
• Fruit and vegetables
• Nuts.
5. Calcium:

Importance of Calcium:

Calcium helps baby's teeth and bones strong.

Daily requirements of Calcium:

Pregnant woman needs 1000 mg of Calcium of trusted source.

Source of Calcium:

• Milk.
• Cheese.

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 •
• Yogurt.
• Leafy vegetables.
Orange juice.

Deficiency of calcium intake leads to:

1. Premature birth.
2. Low birth weight.
3. Numbness and tingling in Fingers.
4. Slow growth of bones.
5. Muscle and leg cramps.
6. Folic acid:

Importance of Folic acid:

Plays an important role in reducing the risk of neural tubal defects, these are
major birth defects that affect the baby's brain and spinal cord such as bifida
and anencephaly.

Daily requirements:

400 micrograms of folic acid every day from before you are pregnant until
you are 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Source of Folic acid:

• Nuts.
• Liver.
• Beans.
• Peas.
• Leafy green vegetables.

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•
• Orange and orange juice.

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 7. Iron:

Iron works with sodium, Potassium and water to increase blood flow, which
helps ensuring and baby enough oxygen is supplied to both mother and body.

Source of iron:

• Red meat.
• Fish .
• Poultry.
• Vegetables.

Daily requirements of iron:

Women need during pregnancy is 27 mg/day.

Iron deficiency leads to:

• Premature delivery.
• Maternal and child mortality.
• Law birth weight.
• Infectious disease.

8. Zinc:

Importance of zinc:

Getting enough zinc during pregnancy is important for cell growth and keep
women and baby healthy by frightening against illness.

Daily requirements:

Pregnant women need 11 mg per day.

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Source of zinc:

• Lentils.
• Peanuts.
• Yogurt.
• Lean beef.

Zinc deficiency Leads to:

It Causes dangerous and irreversible effects on the newborn such as growth

impairment, spontaneous abortion, Congenital malformation, low birth
weight, intrauterine growth retardation.

Nutrition during stage of Pregnancy:

• Dairy Products.
• legumes.
• Sweat potatoes.
• Eggs.
• Broccoli and dark, leafy greens.
• lean meat and proteins.
• Berries.
• whole grains.
• Avocados.
• Dried Fruit.
• fish liver oil.
• water.

First trimester diet:

To build your healthful pregnancy diet, choose a range of nutrient packed

foods from the following groups:

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 • Fruits: 3-4 Servings a day Choose Fresh, Frozen, Canned in natural
juice and dried fruit or 100 percent Fruit juice.
• Vegetables: 3-5 servings a day Choose vegetables that are dark green
(Kale, spinach), orange (carrots, Sweet Potatoes Pumpkin, winter
squash and red vegetables (tomatoes, red reppers).
• Dairy Food: 3 servings a day select dairy Food Provide Calcium that
your baby needs to grow and that you need to keep your bones strong.
To get sufficient calcium, drink milk and eat Yogurt and cheese.
• Protein: 2-3 servings a day Select Lean meats, Fish, Poultry and eggs
prepared with minimum amounts of fat.
• Whole grain: 3 servings a day.

Second Trimester diet:

• Calcium: Calcium helps build the baby's bones and teeth as well as
helping in the development of the baby's musculoskeletal, nervous and
circulatory system.
• Magnesium: Magnesium works in Calcium to increase absorption and
helps build healthy bones and nervous system for baby.
• Vitamin D: vitamin D helps in bone and skeletal development for
babies in utero. it's also important for mother's health as low vitamin D
have been associated with an increased risk for Preeclampsia, Low
infant birth weight and gestational Diabetes.
• Omega 3 fatty acid: it's important for baby development and plays a
critical role in his/her brain development and protects from
inflammation and damage.

Third trimester diet:

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Continue to take Prenatal vitamins:

• Fat a diet high in Fruits, vegetables, Low fat forms of Proteins and
Fiber.
• Drink Lots of water.
• Eat enough Calories (about 300 Calories more than normal per day).
• keep your teeth and gum healthy.
• Poor dental hygiene is linked to premature labor.

Food to avoid when pregnant:

1. High mercury fish:

Mercury is a highly toxic element. In higher amounts, it can be toxic to your

nervous system, immune system, and kidneys. It may also cause serious
developmental problems in children, with adverse effects even in lower
amounts .

Since it's found in polluted seas, large marine fish can accumulate high
amounts of mercury. Therefore, it's best to avoid high mercury fish while
pregnant and breastfeeding.

2. Under cooked or raw fish:

This one will be tough for your sushi fans, but it's an important one. Raw
fish, especially shellfish, can cause several infections. These can be viral,
bacterial, or parasitic infections, such as Norovirus, Vibrio, Salmonella, and
Listeria.

3. Undercooked, raw, and processed meat:

Some of the same issues with raw fish affect undercooked meat, too. Eating
undercooked or raw meat increases your risk of infection from several
bacteria or parasites, including Toxoplasma, E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.
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 4. Raw eggs:

Raw eggs can be contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria .

Symptoms of salmonella: infections include fever, nausea, vomiting,

stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

5. Organ meat:

Organ meat is a great source of a variety of nutrients.

These include iron, vitamin B12, vitamin A, zinc, selenium, and all of which
are good for you and baby .

6. Caffeine:

You may be one of the millions of folks who love their daily cups of coffee,
tea, soft drinks, or cocoa. You're definitely not alone when it comes to our
love of caffeine. Pregnant people are generally advised to limit their caffeine
intake to less than 200 milligrams (mg) per day.

7. Raw sprouts:

Your healthy salad choice may not be free from rogue ingredients, either.
Raw sprouts, including clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts, may be
contaminated with Salmonella. The humid environment required by seeds to
start sprouting is ideal for these kinds of bacteria, and they're almost
impossible to wash off.

8. Unwashed produce:

The surface of unwashed or unpeeled fruits and vegetables may be

contaminated with several bacteria and parasites.

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 9. Unpasteurized milk, cheese, and fruit juice:

Raw milk, unpasteurized cheese, and soft-ripened cheeses trusted Source can
contain an array of harmful bacteria, including Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli,
and Campylobacter. (These are probably sounding familiar by now.) The
same goes for unpasteurized

10. Processed junk foods:

There's no better time than pregnancy to start eating nutrient-dense foods to

help both you and your growing little one. You'll need increased amounts of
many essential nutrients, including protein, folate, choline, and iron.

Weight gain during pregnancy:

It is important to track your weight gain during pregnancy this help to make
sure that both you and your baby are healthy. women who gain too little
weight are at risk of having a small baby (less than 5,5 pounds). Yet women
who gain too much weight have a greater risk of having the baby early or
having a large baby Gaining too much weight during pregnancy may also
lead to other health problems. these may include gestational diabetes, high
blood pressure and varicose veins in the mother.

Most women should gain somewhere between 25, 35 pounds (11.5 to 16 kg)
during pregnancy most will gain 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kg) during the first
trimester, and then 1 pound (0,5 kg) a week for the rest of pregnancy, the
amount of weight gain depends on your situation.

Overweight women need to gain less 7 to 11 kg or less depend on their

prepregnancy weight.

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Underweight women will need to gain more 13 - 18 kg You should gain more
weight if you are having more than 1 baby. Women having twins need to gain
37 to 54 pounds (16,5 - 24,5 kg).

The effect of bad diet on pregnant women:

The diet of pregnant women during pregnancy and lactation. Women's needs
for energy and nutrients increase. the diet of a pregnant women Currently
contains a limited number of fruits, vegetables, dairy products fish meat.
During pregnancy, a poor diet that lacks essential nutrients such as iodine,
iron, Calcium and others... this can cause the following:

• Increase risk of premature birth.

• Anemia due to iron deficiency.
• Low birth weight.
• Disorders in the nervous system of the fetus.
• Poor fetal bone growth due to vitamin D deficiency.

References

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1. Health Line: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-foods-to-eat-
when-pregnant
2. Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-
weekbyweek/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844
3. CDC Center for disease Control:
https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pregnanc
yweight-gain.htm
4. Mayoclinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-
deficiencyanemia/symptoms-causes/syc-
20355034#:~:text=Iron%20deficiency%20anemia%20is%20a,is
%20due %20to%20insufficient%20iron.
5. Mayoclinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-
byweek/in-depth/anemia-during-pregnancy/art-20114455#:~:text-
During%20pregnancy%2C%20you%20need%2027,vegetables%2C
%20d ried%20beans%20and%20peas.

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