Although you have heard more than once that a pregnant woman does not have to deny herself anything, the introduction of food rigor and the use of an appropriate diet is sometimes necessary. This happens when you have anemia, gestational diabetes, underweight or overweight.
Regular visits to a gynecologist, and if necessary, also e.g. a diabetologist (he deals with diabetes treatment) or a dietitian (he will teach you to control the menu), scrupulous conduct of appropriate examinations, as well as strictdiet - This is an action plan for you. It is true that denying yourself a variety of goodies, especially now that you still feel "sucking in the dimple" and have the impression that you could eat even for three, is not easy. But think: success, i.e. having a he althy baby, depends mainly on you, and strictly speaking, on whether you follow your diet scrupulously.
Anemia in pregnancy: iron-rich diet
Are you constantly tired, have shortness of breath, dry skin and brittle hair? Be sure to tell your gynecologist about this as you probably haveanemia . This blood disease often happens to women inpregnancybecause the baby takes the nutrients needed to build its own body for itself and the mother sometimes has too little of them. Figuratively speaking, during anemia, the blood is "diluted", ie the blood plasma grows faster than its valuable elements (eg hemoglobin and iron). Therefore, during a well-managed pregnancy, the doctor orders blood counts at least 4-5 times to check that everything is okay. Anemia caused by lack of iron occurs in 30-40% of women. pregnant, because its supplies are used by the fetus and the placenta. The deficiency of this element is sometimes exacerbated by persistent vomiting. If neglected, severe anemia in pregnancy can cause birth defects in the baby, abnormal development of the placenta, and miscarriage. You will probably need to ingest iron tablets, such as Ascofer, and introduce an appropriate diet.
What to eat? You should provide yourself with about 40 mg of iron every day, so the key element of your diet should be foods rich in this element (beef, poultry liver). You also need vitamin C and B6, because they facilitate the absorption of iron (you will find them in citrus, peppers, parsley, rosehips).
Gestational diabetes: low-carbohydrate diet
You will probably think: I don't actually eat sweets, in my family no one ever suffered from diabetes, I also had no problems with it. So why does my body stop tolerating glucose during pregnancy? It is not really known. There are many hypotheses. One of them says that it could be caused by pregnancy hormones, which interfere with insulin production, which causes an increase in blood glucose levels. Gestational diabetes is not accompanied by spectacular symptoms, so it is easy to miss: you feel a little more thirsty, run to the toilet more often, your skin is itchy. But all these symptoms can be explained by pregnancy. Most often, this disease is detected during a routine examination between 24 and 26 weeks of pregnancy. Neglected diabetes increases the risk of miscarriage as well as the risk of birth defects in a child (heart, kidney, skeleton, brain). It causes the so-called fetal macrosomia (i.e. the child is large and heavy - weighs more than 4000 g), which may result in perinatal injuries and forces a cesarean section to be performed. Gestational diabetes is a disease that you have no influence on, but you are entirely responsible for its course. Following a restrictive low-carbohydrate diet, multiple (7-8 times a day) blood sugar tests, keeping notes on the daily menu - all these tasks for a future diabetic mom.
What to eat? First of all, you have to give up white bread, because there are the most so-called units of bread (i.e. simple carbohydrates) and turn it into crispbread. Exclude sugar and sweets from the menu. Reach for lean cottage cheese, light yoghurt, soups, poultry meats, salads, cucumbers and tomatoes. For dinner, prepare yourself a lean stew, such as vegetable chicken with a little rice.
Overweight: diet and exercise
Your gynecologist alerts you that you weigh too much? You should introduce movement into your daily activities as soon as possible. The best things to do during pregnancy are swimming, yoga and walking. There is also a need to change your diet. Before pregnancy, your daily calorie requirement was approximately 1,800 kcal. In the first trimester, additional calories are not needed, in the following trimester, 300-500 calories more per day are enough. Five small, wisely composed meals is your recipe for success. Give up sweets, fatty meats and carbonated drinks. And drink 2-2.5 liters of water a day. It is worth deciding on these sacrifices, because overweight in pregnancy causes swelling, as well as hypertension and diabetes. Childbirth may be more difficult and wounds from an episiotomy or cesarean wounds may heal worse. Breastfeeding is also more difficultoccurs in obese mothers.
What to eat? Your diet should contain all the ingredients you and your baby need, but be about 30 percent. less calories. So choose: lean white curd, poultry meats, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and paprika. Bake fish and lean meats in foil. Pij smoothies made of natural yoghurt and fruit. Make soups often, but season them with yoghurt instead of cream. Pij mineral water instead of sweetened teas and juices.
Underweight: rich diet
A small layer of fat deposited in your body is needed to make estrogens - hormones that are essential for an embryo to implant and maintain a pregnancy. It is worth knowing that being underweight during pregnancy may result in giving birth to a malnourished child, i.e. with too low birth weight (less than 2500 g), which may result in malformations and abnormalities in the nervous system. It is also possible that your little one will get infections more easily. If you lost a lot of weight in the beginning of your pregnancy due to persistent vomiting, now you should start a smart eating program. This does not mean, however, that you should go for sweets. Your diet is designed to be more nutritious than fat, i.e. it should contain as many nutrients as possible per caloric intake. What about the weight? If you are underweight, you need to gain more weight, it should be from 12.5 to 18 kg (normally you should gain 11-16 kg).
What to eat? Bet on protein-rich foods: lean meat, poultry, eggs, milk and its products. Essential fatty acids are also important for you and your baby. You will find them in vegetable fats and oily marine fish. Use vegetables and fruits every day.
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