Pregnancy is a beautiful experience that allows women and their partner to enjoy the wonderful process of growing and preparing for new life. One of the constant thoughts and natural worries for anyone expecting is to provide the best environment for their growing baby. In this short excerpt we will be reviewing key points that will provide a stable foundation for your growing family.

What is BMI?

 ( Body Mass index) – is a generalized measurement that considers your mass and your weight and categorizes you in a weight category. Which is the following: Underweight, Normal weight, Overweight, and Obese.

• Why does BMI matter? BMI matters because gaining weight is important for ensuring proper nutrients are being supplied to the growing baby as well as being mindful of the mother’s well being ( which being mindful of risks that are associated with being both underweight or overweight) 

-Weight ( BMI)

Underweight is a BMI  (<18.5).        Total weight gain  28-40lbs

Normal weight is a BMI ( 18.4-24.9)Total weight  25lbs Overweight  is a BMI (> 25.0-29.9). Total weight. 15-25 lbs 

Obese is a BMI         (.>30.0).          Total weight   11-20 lbs 

Information found on ( Procter 2014).

Calories- 

Are the means of energy needed to supply the demand on the mother and also to meet the energy needs of your beautiful growing baby. Here is a general guideline of calories needed for each trimester.

 -300kcal/day 1st trimester

-340kcal/day  2nd trimester

-452 kcal/day 3rd trimester 

The need to increase the intake is to supply the needs of a growing baby. Think of it as children grow, the cost of supplying their growth from baby to child to teen increases more and more. The same concept is with pregnancy. In fact here are some snacks to increase caloric intake:

• Yogurt with fruits and nuts
• Apples and peanut butter
• Smoothies
• Hummus and carrots 
• Rice cakes and dates 
• Dark chocolate/ milk chocolate/ banana chips mix 
• Vegetables and ranch dip 
• Nuts, wheat thin, and fruit

More information can be found (Kominiarek 2017).

 Nutrients are an important factor in facilitating optimal growth and functionality and formation of your baby here are few and their RDI during pregnancy.

Folate- aids with normal fetal growth with having involvement in gene expression of the baby DRI for pregnant women are 400 mcg ( broccoli, fortified cereals, and leafy vegetables are perfect for folate)

Vitamin D- adds to bone development during childhood. ( fortified cereals and orange juice are perfect for Vitamin D) 600IU.

Calcium- is like Vitamin D and is helpful in maintaining total skeletal development. ( orange juice and fortified soy milk, dried fruit, and leafy greens) 500 mg/day 

Iron – is the world’s most common deficiency. Especially in the demographic of women iron helps nourish the fetus but also the mother is important 28mcg/day. Dark leaf greens,beans, red meat , and fortified foods.

Citations:

Brown, Judith E., et al. Nutrition through the Life Cycle. Cengage, 2020.

Kominarek, Michelle. “Nutrition during Pregnancy and Lactation.” 2017, doi:10.3390/books978-3-03928-055-1.

Lassi, Zohra S, et al. “Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy for Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013, doi:10.1002/14651858.cd006896.pub2.

Procter, Sandra B., and Christina G. Campbell. “Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Nutrition and Lifestyle for a Healthy Pregnancy Outcome.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 114, no. 7, 2014, pp. 1099–1103., doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.05.005.