Life Cycle Nutrition: Nutrition Prior to Pregnancy

Nutrition Prior to Pregnancy

• A woman's nutrition has a direct influence on the developing fetus, and both men and women can prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for pregnancy.
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is essential, as underweight and overweight are associated with infertility and increased risks of complications during pregnancy.

Importance of Balanced Diet

• A healthy diet that includes a full array of vitamins and minerals can favourably influence fertility.
• Malnutrition reduces fertility and impairs the early development of an infant should a woman become pregnant.

Maternal Weight and Complications

• Overweight and obese women are more likely to have complications during labor and delivery, including macrosomia (abnormally large body size).
• Infants of obese women are more likely to be large for gestational age, weighing more than 9 pounds.
• Macrosomia increases the likelihood of a difficult labor and delivery, birth trauma, and cesarean delivery.

Key Terms

• Gestation: births occurring at 37 to 38 weeks of gestation are designated early term.
• Macrosomia: abnormally large body size, often resulting from pre-pregnancy obesity, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, or uncontrolled gestational diabetes.

Energy and Nutrient Needs during Pregnancy

• Pregnant women can easily meet their protein needs by selecting meats, milk products, and protein-containing plant foods.
• Essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3 and omega-6, are important for fetal growth and development.
• Nutrients such as folate, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc are crucial for blood production and cell growth.

Folate Requirements

• The requirement for folate increases dramatically during pregnancy, from 400 micrograms to 600 micrograms daily.

The Infant's Birthweight

• Small-for-gestational-age infants may not catch up in growth as well as others.
• Low-birthweight infants are more likely to experience complications during delivery and have physical and mental birth defects.
• Very-low-birthweight infants struggle with physical health and survival, as well as future cognitive development and abilities.

Malnutrition and Pregnancy

• Good nutrition supports a healthy pregnancy, while malnutrition interferes with the ability to conceive and the development of a fetus.
• Malnutrition also increases the risks of hypertension, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and separation of the placenta from the uterus.

Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia

• Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure during the second half of pregnancy, and can increase the risks of subsequent hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
• Preeclampsia is a condition characterized by gestational hypertension and protein in the urine, and can be a sign of the most serious maternal complication of pregnancy.