Pregnancy and Maternal Health Knowledge

Have you reached the age of marriage, are you already married, and preparing to start a family? How much do you know about maternal and child health care? Are you confident in ensuring proper nutrition for both the mother and child? Let's explore how to ensure a healthy pregnancy and childbirth for your wife and child.

Pregnancy Health Essentials

Nutrition for pregnant women is crucial for both the fetus and the mother. A healthy mother is essential for a healthy baby. Adequate nutrition during pregnancy is necessary to maintain the mother's health and ensure normal fetal development. Insufficient or excessive nutrition can lead to a range of health issues.

Diet and Nutrition

Both the mother's health and the fetus's nutrition rely heavily on diet, emphasizing the importance of balanced and reasonable nutrition. Adequate nutrition is vital for fetal development, while malnutrition can have severe, even fatal, consequences for the newborn, including low birth weight, high perinatal mortality, and congenital malformations.

Zinc or folate deficiency during early pregnancy may cause neural tube defects. Throughout pregnancy, to prevent infectious diseases, strong immunity is necessary, which is built on proper nutrition. Additionally, preparing for physical and nutritional demands during childbirth, such as strength, blood loss, breastfeeding, and parenting, necessitates accumulating nutrition from the start of pregnancy.

Food Recommendations

Folic acid supplementation is crucial during the first trimester to promote brain development. Foods rich in folic acid include lettuce, beans, cashews, nuts, liver, cabbage, oranges, and bananas. Calcium intake should increase from the fourth to eighth month, with sources like seaweed, soybeans, dairy products, black fungus, fish, and shrimp. However, supplements may be necessary as food sources alone may not suffice.

In the later stages of pregnancy, protein demand increases significantly. Insufficient protein intake can hinder fetal growth. Complete protein sources include milk, eggs, meat, fish, and dairy products, while incomplete protein sources include beans, grains, and some vegetables. A combination of these foods is necessary to meet the protein requirements of both mother and fetus.

Vitamins A, B, C, and E are essential for various bodily functions. Vitamin A is found in vegetables, carrots, and animal organs; B vitamins in whole grains and liver; vitamin C in fruits like kiwi and dates; and vitamin E in plant oils and nuts. Pregnant women may also take multivitamins, but only as advised by their healthcare provider.

Nutrient Requirements

Pregnant women need to consume more calories to support both their own needs and those of the fetus, approximately 12.56KJ (300kcal) more per day than non-pregnant women, totaling around 10463.88KJ (2500kcal) daily. This includes additional protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Protein intake should be around 80-90g per day during pregnancy. Insufficient protein can hinder fetal development and lead to maternal metabolic issues, anemia, weakened immune response, and inadequate breastfeeding. Good protein sources include lean meat, fish, milk, eggs, and beans.

Vitamins play crucial roles in regulating bodily functions. For example, vitamin A maintains the integrity of epithelial cells, especially mucous membranes, enhances vision, and supports immune function. Vitamin C eliminates harmful substances and maintains capillary and cell wall permeability. Folate deficiency can cause anemia and neurological disorders, while vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to pernicious anemia or neurological disorders.

Minerals like iron, calcium, and sodium are also vital. Iron is essential for blood formation and must be adequately stored during pregnancy to meet the fetus's needs post-birth. Calcium is crucial for bone development, and sodium regulates water and salt balance. Excess sodium intake should be avoided to prevent gestational hypertension.

Conclusion

A person's nutritional status is influenced by their dietary habits and guidance. Healthcare providers should collect comprehensive dietary information from pregnant women, assess their nutritional status, and encourage them and their families to participate in developing a reasonable diet plan. As future parents, it is our responsibility to learn more about child healthcare to prepare for the arrival of new life. Start today by gathering information and making healthy choices for your unborn child.