Starla 307 Midwife

You are not eating for  two during pregnancy.  Guidelines state that you need 300 extra calories per day.  If you are pregnant with multiples, consult your healthcare provider for further information

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Planning healthy meals during pregnancy is not hard. Visit the website WWW.choosemyplate.gov for easy meal planning options for anyone from children to pregnant women.

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The MyPlate website will give you a personalized nutrition and physical activity plan.  it is based on the five food groups and shows you the amounts that you need to eat each day from each group during each trimester of pregnancy.         

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•  Grains: bread, pasta, oatmeal, cereal

•  Fruits: fruits can be fresh, canned, frozen or dried

•  Vegetables: veggies can be raw, cooked, frozen, canned or dried

•  Protein foods: Meat, poultry,seafood, beans,peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds.

•  Dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt etc.

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   Note:  fats in your diet are also very important.  During pregnancy, the fats that you eat provide energy and help build many fetal organs and the placenta.  Most of the fats and oils you eat should come from plant sources.  Limit solid fats, and fats found in processed foods.

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• Folic Acid. Daily amount recommended is 0.6mg. It will help prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine.

• Iron. Daily amount recommended is 27 mg.  Due to extra blood volume during pregnancy, this extra iron will help supply oxygen to  your baby. Iron is found in most prenatal vitamins.

• Calcium:  this is very important to build your baby's bones and teeth.  1000mg daily is recommended for pregnant women.

• DHA/Omega-3 fatty acids.  Important factors in baby's brain development.  you can find this in cooked fish such as salmon,catfish and pollock.  Shrimp also contains Omega-3. It can also be found in some prenatal vitamins.  Check with your provider if you are concerned about the amount.

• Vitamin D.  Helps along with calcium to develop baby's bones and teeth. It is also essential for healthy skin and eyesight.  600IU  of vitamin D daily is recommended.

• A well rounded diet should supply all of the other vitamins and minerals you need during your pregnancy.

• Prenatal vitamins can ensure that you are getting extra amounts of vitamins and minerals.

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• Shark, swordfish, king mackerel,tillefish.  also, limit white(albacore)tuna to 6 ounces per week.  These foods all contain high levels of mercury which is harmful to all people. 

• Under-cooked foods such as eggs, meat and seafood.  Do not eat sushi made with raw fish.  Cooked sushi is safe.  Beef,pork or poultry should be cooked to a safe internal temperature.

• Unpasteurized milk and foods made with unpasteurized milk. these include but are not limited to cheese such as Brie,feta, Camembert, Roquefort,blue-veined, queso blanco, queso fresco and queso panela.

• Hot dogs, luncheon meats and cold cuts unless they are heated until steaming hot just before serving.

• Refrigerated pate and meat spreads.

• refrigerated smoked seafood.

• Alcohol including but not limited to beer, wine or spirits robs developing cells of oxygen and nutrients thus preventing normal fetal development.  The effects of alcohol exposure in the womb on intellectual abilities and physical growth are permanent.  According to the CDC and the march of Dimes, there is no level of alcohol consumption that is know to be safe at any time during pregnancy.

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Although there have been many studies on whether caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage, the results are unclear.  Most experts state that consuming fewer than 200mg of caffeine or one 12 ounce cup of coffee per day during pregnancy is safe

    

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