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Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
How Much Should I Eat?
The desire to 'eat for two' is quite strong when we're pregnant, despite the fact that our bodies
actually become more efficient and make better use of the food we eat. Surprisingly, most of us
don't need any extra calories for the first six months of pregnancy,
even in the last three months we only need around 200 extra calories a day.
The best advice is to try and make sure that your diet is healthy and nutritious, limit your junk
food intake and keep sugary treats to a minimum, but don't worry if you indulge yourself occasionally.
If you have particularly strong cravings, small meals eaten more often might help you get through the day.
Here's a quick reminder of what you should be including in a nutritious diet (for more
comprehensive advice see further resources).
- fruit and vegetables (aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables a day)
- starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes
- dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt
- lean meat and chicken
- wholegrain bread and pulses such as beans and lentils
- fish (two servings a week, including oily fish like sardines and mackerel - ensure fresh tuna consumption does not exceed two servings per week)
Instead of hitting the biscuit tin when you need a pick-me-up, invest in a mini blender and whip up a
fresh fruit juice or smoothie instead. Don't forget it will also come in handy when you make the first
solid meals for your baby (see weaning below). Alternatively you could prepare some vegetable crudités,
such as carrots, celery, red pepper and cucumber. Store them in the fridge along with a low calorie
yoghurt dip and keep them handy for those mini attacks of the munchies. Fresh or dried fruit and packets
of sunflower seeds carried around in your handbag make nutritious snacks to go.
Don't forget to drink plenty of water during the day!
Foods to Avoid
We all know that there are certain foods to be avoided during pregnancy. Here is a list of the foods
generally considered to be important to avoid (for more comprehensive advice see further resources):
- peanuts and foods containing peanut products if you, the baby's father or siblings have certain allergic conditions such as hay fever, asthma or eczema
- pâté and undercooked meats and poultry
- mould-ripened soft cheese (Brie, Camembert, goat's cheese, etc.)
- unpasteurised milk
- liver or liver products
- shark, swordfish and marlin (all contain high levels of mercury)
- too much caffeine and alcohol
- raw eggs and food containing raw or partially cooked eggs
- raw seafood
Vitamins and Minerals
When you are planning to become pregnant or when you know that you are pregnant, it is recommended
that you take a folic acid supplement for the first three months of pregnancy to reduce the risk of
spina bifida in your baby.
Make sure you eat plenty of iron-rich foods as pregnant women can become defficient in iron.
You can counteract this by taking in plenty of vitamin C in a form which helps the body absorb iron.
Examples of iron rich foods include:
- red meat
- pulses
- bread
- green vegetables
- fortified breakfast cereals
Liver although high in iron also has high levels of vitamin A and should be avoided. If your iron
level falls below a certain threshold, your GP or midwife will advise you to take iron supplements.
It is also a good idea to take supplements containing 10mcg of vitamin D each day.
Is pregnancy making you feel tired?
Most of us want to cut down heavy chores when we're pregnant, so now is the time you might start ordering
your groceries online or from an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service.
From Breast to Bottle
The Best Start
If you're starting to think about life with your newborn, it's a good idea to consider the methods
of feeding your baby. Government guidelines suggest that breastfeeding for the first six months will
provide the best start to your baby's life and hopefully will be a rewarding experience for you too.
Breast milk is an ideal food for human babies and it's usually better for your baby's health. But it
is not the only way and at some stage you may feel the need to introduce the bottle for a variety of
different reasons.
National Breastfeeding Awareness Week from the 8th to the 13th of May this year, is an annual
health campaign co-ordinated by the Department of Health, which aims to promote the benefits of
breastfeeding and to encourage more mothers to give it a go! To find out more you can visit their site
by following the above link it has some great tips on how to breastfeed successfully.
The first few month's of your baby's life are a special time for Dads, too. Research suggests
that support from the baby's father increases the mother's chances of breastfeeding success.
See Things From Baby's Viewpoint
Sooner or later you will want to introduce the bottle to your baby, and here are some tips to help
you get started. Unsurprisingly most babies prefer snuggling up to their mum and are reluctant to take
a cold silicone teat. So you will have to be patient and may need to try a number of different strategies.
- Try feeding at different times of the day, or at times when your baby tends to be especially hungry. Set a time limit and don't go on trying beyond it; and don't forget to speak reassuringly to your baby.
- Sometimes the solution is as simple as switching from latex teats to silicone and vice versa, there are also a number of different shaped teats on the market and baby may prefer one shape over others.
- Try different brands of formula. Your baby may want to make his tastes known, even at this early stage!
- Another technique is to delay the feed 10 minutes or so as a hungrier baby may be persuaded to try something else. Alternatively try switching to the bottle halfway through feeding.
- From four months, you could try introducing a soft spout. Babies love to chew with their gums on these and sometimes prefer them to teats. An added advantage is the fact that you are in effect jumping the bottle stage entirely!
Remember, you are not alone! Lots of babies and mums find it tricky to begin with, but problems are
usually resolved with a little patience or some guidance from your GP or Health Visitor.
Weaning
When to Start
Most babies are ready to start weaning, and moving on to solid foods when they are about six months
old. Babies cannot digest anything other than breast or formula milk for the first four months of their
lives. The weaning process is a very gradual process; all food must be finely pureed to begin with, so a
mini blender is very handy to have. Start with small quantities of fruit, such as banana, apple or
pear and cooked vegetables, such as carrot or potato. Do not add any sugar or salt at all at this stage.
When heating the food use a bottle heater or warm water and ensure that it is not too hot when given.
If in doubt, consult your GP or Health Visitor.
What Foods are Best Avoided?
You probably know that it is a good idea to introduce your baby to a wide variety of tastes and
textures to set him on a path to a healthy and nutritious diet for life. Recent evidence appears to
suggest that babies introduced to a variety of foods early on are less faddy in later years. Having
said that there are certain foods that should not be introduced when your baby is young and here is
a list of foods that should generally be avoided at the beginning:
- Nuts
- Salt
- Eggs
- Wheat based foods, including baby rusks, which can contain a lot of sugar
- Citrus fruits
- Honey
- Artificial additives
- Strong spices and chillies
- Meat
- Fatty foods
- Unnecessary sugar
- Fish
You'll be bombarded with lots of advice, much of it probably conflicting, so take your time to gather
information and make your own mind up on subjects such as whether your baby's diet should be
organic.
It's easy to prepare fresh pureed food for your baby, although occasional jars of prepared food are
fine, especially as a store cupboard standby, or if you have a day out planned. Don't forget that
you can get ahead and save time by producing batches of your own baby food and freezing it in
weaning ice trays.
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'Cravings' Camisole £16.99
Mini Blender £21.99
‘Baby On Board’ Vest £14.99
Short Sleeve Shirt Collar Top £16.99
Two Piece Jersey Breastfeeding Pyjama Set £19.99
Short Sleeve Breastfeeding Top £19.99
Breastfeeding Sweatshirt £26.99
Adventure Sling £49.99
Dishwasher Basket £5.99
Unbreakable Bottle Warmer £10.99
Mine's A Pint Playsuit £12.99
Bumbo Baby Sitter £29.99
The New Complete Baby And Toddler Meal Planner £12.99
Ballet and Transport Melamine Feeding Sets £9.99
Set of Two Long Sleeved Bibs £14.99
Individual Weaning Cubes With Lids £6.99