Congratulations on your pregnancy! All new mothers want to do their absolute best for their babies.
From the moment we discover we are pregnant or even before, we worry about...
well everything.
One of the biggest worries may be our diets.
As well it should.
There will be many factors in your pregnancy over which you have little to no control, such as genetics, your care giver's policies and attitudes, and many environmental factors.
Diet is one factor in your health and your unborn baby's over which you have absolute control.
Your diet can: 1) Make your pregnancy easier and more enjoyable.
For instance, morning sickness may be lightened by eating small frequent meals.
As well as by making sure you do not gain too much weight, you will reduce the strain on your back muscles later in your pregnancy.
2) Help your baby to grow healthy.
Your diet provides not only the vital nutrients that your baby needs to grow, it also provides the calories that s/he needs to grow and thrive.
3) Help to reduce your risk of caesarean birth.
Yes, I know some people would disagree with me on this one, but I am convinced my first caesarean could have been avoided if I had not gained over fifty pounds and produced an almost ten pound baby.
4) Help you to recover more quickly after birth.
If you go into labor or birth well nourished then issues such as anemia, which can slow your recovery, will be minimized.
I personally have had pregnancies at both end of the spectrum...
gained too much and did not gain enough.
I always encourage my clients to take charge of this area of your pregnancy early and keep it under control.
Like I said, it is one area that is completely within your ability to control...
probably one of the last you will have as a parent.