Maternal nutrition for pregnant women is very important for the health of the mother and the development of her baby from infancy to adulthood. If the mother is not well taken care of and meets the nutritional needs during pregnancy, the fetus will be slow to develop and affect her health later in life.
Therefore, ensuring optimal nutrition for the mother during pregnancy helps the fetus to develop healthily, reduce obstetric complications and significantly reduce morbidity in the later stages of the child.
I. Nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy
The nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy is expressed by the weight gain of the mother during pregnancy.
If the nutrition is good and the weight gain is sufficient, the fetus will grow well and the mother’s health will be ensured during pregnancy and good nutrition also helps to ensure adequate milk for the baby after birth. The average mother gains about 10-12 kg during pregnancy.
The change in body weight of the mother during pregnancy is recommended to respond to the nutritional status of the mother before pregnancy. The recommended weight gain is:
– Good nutritional status (BMI from 18.5 to 24.9): weight gain should reach 20% of pre-pregnancy weight
– Poor nutritional status (BMI less than 18.5): weight gain should be 25% of pre-pregnancy weight
– Nutritional status overweight-obese (BMI >25): Weight gain should be 15% of pre-pregnancy weight
II. Recommended nutritional needs during pregnancy
The need for nutrients increases gradually in 3 stages: the first 3 months, the second 3 months and the last 3 months.
1. Nutritional needs
– Energy need: the increase in energy compared to normal demand is
+ First 3 months: 50 kcal/day
+ 2nd 3 months: 250 kcal/day
+ 3 months later: 450 kcal/day
-Protein requirements:
- The percentage of energy from protein in the diet accounts for 13-20%.
- The ratio of animal protein to total is 35% or more.
- The increase in the amount of protein in the diet compared to normal requirements is:
+ First 3 months: 1g/day
+ Middle 3 months: 10g/day
+ Last 3 months: 31g/day
– Lipid requirements:
- The proportion of energy from lipids in the diet accounts for 25-30%.
- The percentage of total animal lipids is ≤ 60%.
- The percentage of total animal lipids is ≤ 60%.
Unsaturated fatty acids (such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid, decosahexaenoic DHA and other unsaturated fatty acids) must provide 11-15% of total energy. To achieve this requires increased consumption of vegetable oils and fatty fish.
+ The requirement for linoleic acid is 2g/day
+ The recommended requirement for alpha linolenic acid is 0.5 g/day
- The increase in dietary lipids compared to normal requirements is:
+ First 3 months: 1.5 g/day
+ 2nd 3 months: 7.5 g/day
+ Last 3 months: 15g/day
– Glucose requirement:
Energy provided by glucide accounts for 55-65% of dietary energy, of which complex glucose should account for 70%. Do not eat too many refined carbohydrates such as sugar, confectionery, refined flour or well-milled grains. The increase in the amount of glucose in the diet compared to normal requirements is:
+ First 3 months: 7-10 g/day
+ 2nd 3 months: 35-40 g/day
+ Last 3 months: 65-70 g/day
– Fiber needs: provide enough fiber to help reduce common disorders in pregnancy such as constipation, indigestion, etc. The need for fiber in pregnant women is 28g/day.
2. Vitamin needs for pregnant women
– Vitamin A:
Vitamin A requirement during this period is 500 mcg/day. Vitamin A does not need to be supplemented during pregnancy because high doses can lead to fetal toxicity, fetal malformations and stillbirth.
In the last 3 months, the need for vitamin A is about 80 mcg / day. You can choose foods rich in vitamin A of animal origin including milk, eggs, sea fish, … and yellow or red vegetables and dark green leafy vegetables.
– Vitamin D:
Vitamin D helps absorb calcium and phosphorus into the body. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can lead to rickets in the womb. The need for vitamin D during pregnancy is 20 mcg/day, an increase of 5 mcg/day compared to the normal requirement.
– Vitamin K: the need does not increase compared to normal is 150 mcg / day
– Folic acid plays a role in the formation of blood and neural tubes in children. Neural tube defects usually occur at 28 days after conception. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement folic acid from before conception to be effective in preventing neural tube defects for the fetus, folic acid concentration must be high enough at the time of conception.
Therefore, all pregnant women are advised to supplement with folic acid 3 months before the intended time of pregnancy by diet or folic acid tablets. The recommended intake of folic acid for pregnant women is 600 mcg/day.
– Vitamin C: helps increase immunity, supports iron absorption. Therefore, the vitamin C requirement increases by 10 mg/day compared to the normal requirement of 100 mg/day.
3. Mineral needs for pregnant women
– Calcium: need to pay attention to increased needs during pregnancy. Maternal calcium is transferred across the placenta to mineralize the fetal skeleton. The need during pregnancy is 1200 mg/day.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends calcium supplementation for all pregnant women from week 20 onwards to prevent preeclampsia and the maximum dietary amount of elemental calcium is 2500 mg.
– Iron: important in meeting the mother’s blood-forming needs during pregnancy. Iron requirements increase from 10 to 15 mg/day depending on the biological value of dietary iron. Because food from the diet only meets more than 30% of iron needs, women during pregnancy need iron supplements.
– Zinc: plays an important role in the development of fetal length and increases the mother’s immunity. Therefore, zinc requirements increase during pregnancy and increase if levels are poor. Zinc requirements during pregnancy are:
+ Poor absorption: 22 mg/day
+ Moderate absorption: 10 mg/day
+ Good absorption level: 6 mg/day
– Iodine: important in the development of the brain and nervous system of the fetus. Iodine requirements also increase during pregnancy, the recommended level is 220 mcg/day.
III. Nutritional notes for pregnant women
– The diet needs to be full and varied of food groups with more quantity than when not pregnant.
– Check your weight regularly.
– Limit drinks containing stimulants, reduce the consumption of spices such as chili, pepper, garlic, etc.
– Reduce salt intake, especially when there is edema, hypertension, and pregnancy toxicity.
– Do not be too abstinent
– Do not do heavy work, do light exercise for 30 minutes a day
– Maintain mental well-being
References: Synthesis
Article source: Nutrition Research and Development Institute (https://inrd.vn/)
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