Ideal weight for pregnancy It is important to contemplate the following information if you are considering having a baby shortly because your lifestyle and overall diet will need some adjustments if you wish to have a healthy child.
Prior to pregnancy
There are some preliminary preparations before you should even think about pregnancy to give you the best opportunity of conceiving. It is favourable to be close to your ideal weight to start, consult your local doctor regarding any diet and exercise and programme; explain that you would like to have a family.
The nutritional status of the mother prior to conception is an important determinant of foetal growth and development and for this reason; a healthy balanced diet is just having been important prior to any pregnancy in all cases. I cannot emphasize the amount of weight gains required during pregnancy to achieve a good outcome is also influenced by pre-pregnancy body weight.
Studies have shown those being women either overweight or underweight have difficulty conceiving with abnormal menstrual cycle and the fathers weight can be influential in lower sperm counts.
Alcohol in high amounts will affect reproduction in women and during early pregnancy damage the embryo and within the late stage give rise to the fetal alcohol syndrome with mental retardation with spontaneous abortion at any given time.
During Pregnancy
An average weight gain of 12 Kgs +/_ 2Kg has been shown to be related with the lowest risk of difficulties during both labour and pregnancy. There will be a wide variation in weight gain during pregnancy; a lower gestational weight gain will result in a lower body weight child.
Excessive gain in body weight will increase the risk of obesity in the mother following parturition. There is evidence to link the size at birth with the risk of adult disease and this is referred to as the “the fetal origin’s hypothesis” proposes structural changes during critical early development due to under nutritional needs being met will be reflected in the risk of disease in later life Metabolic changes during pregnancy.
There will be hormonal changes occur during this time, you will observe changes in mood and tolerances, which can place a strain on the relationship but hormonal changes are important to ensure utilisation of protein, carbohydrates, and fats will be readily available for the growing child. It is recognised that pregnant women do not actually have to eat for two, and the child obtains all of its nutrients through the placenta.
The child will require a continual supply of essential amino acids and glucose during its growth. In order to conserve the mothers own reservoir of energy, which is stored as tissues, these hormonal changes are indeed important to ensure that the mothers own tissue is not consumed but conserved.
Energy requirements are not distributed evenly throughout the duration of pregnancy and there is evidence to suggest that protein may be stored during early pregnancy and then utilised at a later date to meet the increased demands of the growing child. Changes in taste and appetite are common features in pregnancy with some craving or even aversions to food. Cravings can include dairy products and sweet foods and may also include pica in some circumstances.
Aversions may include tea and coffee, alcohol, fried foods and eggs. Within the later stages of pregnancy, sweet foods may also be included to this list. Normally, the mother learns quickly which foods to avoid and maintaining an overall nutritional balanced diet will be satisfactory for the health of the child and mother.
Morning sickness occurs during the midpoint of pregnancy, and the causes are unknown but triggers like smelling of food, perfume and cigarette smoke have been indicated. Eating small but high carbohydrate snacks at frequent intervals will provide some relief, although the reason for this remains unclear.
Weight loss during pregnancy.
Most vegetarians and vegans should be able to meet their nutrient requirements during pregnancy with careful dietary planning.
Teenage pregnancy occurs at a period when the mother’s body also needs a high nutrient intake for their own individual growth and development. There could possibly be a potential for competition for available proteins and some have a poor balanced diet containing sufficient calcium, iron, and folate. Pregnancy is not an appropriate time for a dietary restrictions and discouraged.
Eating disorders are associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects, which results in anencephaly, resulting in stillbirth or death shortly after birth, or Spina bifida with a range of physical and / or mental difficulties in the child.
It was assumed that breast feeding can help women lose excess weight that has been gained during pregnancy but many studies have shown this will only have a limited effect on the post partum weight.
Those who return to work shortly after giving birth had the largest weight loss within the first 6 month period. However, this may only be due to either an increase in physical activity and / or restricted access to food.
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