Prepared by
Beth Reames, PhD, LDN, RD,

Diane Linder, EdD, LDN, RD
and

Donna Montgomery, MS

Nutrients should come from food. Vitamin tablets should not be taken unless the doctor recommends them.

Table of Contents for Maternal & Infant Nutrition Introduction Go For a Healthy Pregnancy Prenatal Weight Gain Foods for Two - Baby and You Smoking, Drinking and Doing Drugs Can Hurt Your Baby Fast Foods Snacks Smart Food Shopping Infant Feeding From Birth to One Year Review questions Back to Nutrition Curriculum Lessons

Foods for Two - Baby and You!

Before birth, a baby is totally dependent on the mother to get the nutrients needed for growth and health. A baby lives on the nutrients from foods the mother eats and drinks during pregnancy. Nutrients are very small individual parts of foods that our bodies need to live. These nutrients should come from food. Vitamin tablets should not be taken unless the doctor recommends them. Nutrients include:

• Protein - for building and repair
• Fat - for energy
• Carbohydrate - for energy
• Vitamins - to help protein, fat and carbohydrate do their jobs
• Minerals - for body structure and to help the other nutrients do their jobs

Eating the right types and amounts of foods during pregnancy helps a woman gain the amount of weight recommended by the doctor. The foods needed during pregnancy are the same ones needed by non-pregnant women. A pregnant woman just needs more servings from the food groups to provide extra calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. Variety and balance are the important ideas for a healthy pregnancy food plan. Choose foods from the Food Guide Pyramid during pregnancy, including:

Milk, Cheese and Yogurt Group - Three Servings

This group is important because it provides protein for growth and repair, and calcium for strong bones and teeth. Pregnant women need three servings each day.

A serving from this group is one cup of milk or yogurt, one and one-half ounces natural cheddar cheese, or two ounces processed cheese. Choose skim or low-fat milk if you need to cut down on fat. (Note: If drinking milk causes gas or diarrhea, low-lactose milk (such as Lact-Aid) can be substituted. Also try cheese, yogurt, soybean milk or other foods such as greens, broccoli, canned fish, almonds and tofu to get calcium.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dried Beans, Eggs and Nuts Group - Two to Three Servings

This group provides protein that helps build body tissues for you and your baby. This group also has iron needed for building red blood cells. During pregnancy, you need two to three servings per day.

A serving from this group is two to three ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of the palm of your hand), one cup cooked dried beans or peas, two eggs and four tablespoons peanut butter. Try baked, broiled or stewed meats instead of frying them. This helps cut down on fat and problems like heartburn.

Vegetable Group - Three to Five Servings

This group provides vitamins and minerals that help body cells work properly. Two vitamins, vitamin A and folic acid, may be lacking in many pregnant women's diets. Vegetables are good sources of these two vitamins. Vegetables also give you fiber or roughage to keep you from being constipated. You should try to eat three to five servings of vegetables every day.

A serving is a half cup cooked or chopped raw vegetables or one cup leafy raw vegetables. Try vegetables raw with dip, as a snack, as a salad, cooked with a meal or mixed into your favorite casserole.

Fruit Group - Two to Four Servings

Fruits provide vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber or roughage, too. An important vitamin in this group is vitamin C, which may be lacking in pregnant women's diets. Try to eat two to four servings of fruits every day.

A serving is one medium piece of raw fruit, a half cup fresh or canned fruit or a half cup fruit juice. Eat fruits fresh, dried or canned in their own juices. Fruits taste good as a snack or for dessert.

Breads, Cereals, Rice and Pasta Group - Nine to 11 Servings

This group provides carbohydrate for energy as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Try to eat nine to 11 servings from this group daily.

A serving is one slice bread, a half to three-fourths cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta, and one ounce ready-to-eat cereal.

Many people think this amount of breads and cereals will make them fat. These foods are not fattening; it's what we put on them (butter, margarine or gravy) that adds extra calories. If you're overweight, you still need nine servings from this group. Try whole-wheat breads or muffins for a change. Eat rice with beans. Carry crackers, graham crackers or dry cereal as a snack. Try oatmeal and other cooked cereals.

Some nutrients that may be lacking in a pregnant woman's diet include:

• Protein - building material for muscle and tissue for baby and mother
• Calcium - helps form baby's bones and teeth and maintains mother's bones
• Iron - builds red blood cells for healthy blood supply
• Folic acid -necessary for growth and development of new cells, especially red blood cells and, during prenatal development that occurs in the early weeks of pregnancy, in the formation of the baby or fetus's neural tube which becomes the spine.

Food rich in these nutrients include:

• Protein - dairy foods (milk, cheese and yogurt), lean meats, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs and nuts.
• Calcium - milk, yogurt, cheese, other dairy products, broccoli, kale, green leafy vegetables, clams, oysters, fish with bones, almonds, dried peas and beans and calcium-fortified foods.
• Iron - meat, liver, poultry, fish, oysters, enriched breads and cereals, green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas, dried fruit, broccoli, kale and collard and other dark leafy greens.
• Folic Acid - liver, eggs, broccoli, kale, collard greens, yeast, dried peas and beans, oranges, whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Take this quiz on the web to test your folate knowledge: www.babycenter.com/calculator/4203.html

Women, Infant and Children (WIC) is a special program that provides nutritious foods to eligible pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. These foods include milk, juice, cereals, eggs, cheese and peanut butter. Information about WIC is available through the Cooperative Extension Service, the local health unit or the doctor's office.

Smoking, Drinking and Doing Drugs Can Hurt Your Baby!

Everything a pregnant woman consumes - food, drugs, over-the-counter-drugs, tobacco and alcohol - travels from the mother's bloodstream through the "pipe" or placenta to the baby. Pregnant women who abuse substances can cause many problems including infant death, mental retardation, deformities and low- birth-weight. Low-birth-weight is dangerous. Those babies have a greater chance of dying before they are one year of age. Low-birth-weight infants have greater problems as children and adults. They have problems in school. They have more behavioral, emotional and psychological problems. They have more illnesses. There is more of a financial strain on the family.

Substance abusers also have a higher risk of problems during pregnancy such as miscarriage, premature labor or sudden bleeding. If you drink alcohol, your baby could be mentally retarded, deformed or have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This causes mental retardation, behavior and learning problems, heart and organ defects and deformed facial features.

Drugs, like pot, heroin, cocaine and crack, can damage your baby's organs, causing death, deformities and mental retardation. Some babies whose mothers take drugs are born with drug addictions themselves. These babies have severe health problems.

Even medicines and drugs like aspirin, laxatives and baking soda can cause problems for your baby. Don't take any drugs or medicines unless your doctor tells you to.

Taking drugs any time during pregnancy is dangerous. But the first three months of pregnancy are especially critical because this is when your baby's organs are being formed. Most women don't even know they're pregnant during the first four to six weeks. This is why it is important for all women of childbearing age to avoid drugs!

To help you quit smoking, drinking or doing drugs:

• Write down reasons why you want to stop or should stop.
• Ask a friend to help you.
• Throw away cigarettes, matches, ashtrays, alcohol or drugs.
• Go for help or counseling. Ask your doctor or health care provider for assistance.
• Stay away from places or activities that cause you to smoke, drink or take drugs.

It's never too late in a pregnancy to change! There are several groups that can help a woman to stop abusing substances:

Alcoholics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous

Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

Stop-smoking clinics

Health care professionals