Nutrition for Mother & Baby

There are, As In The Two TRIMESTERS, Windows of nutritional opportunity during the last three months of pregnancy. This period includes the time when you should be preparing your body for giving birth but also providing sustenance for crucial brain growth in your baby prior to the birth.

Your blood volume is still increasing, SO YOU need plenty of iron- rich foods as well as absorption of the iron. You are gaining weight faster than at any other time in the pregnancy lying down fat ready for producing milk.It is important to eat the right kind of fat that is polyunsaturated to obtain essential fatty acids. The baby’s brain is growing faster than ever, The number of brain cells is increasing at a rate of of brain cells is increasing at a rate of at least 100,000 a minute.Seventy per cent of the calories YOU!” baby receives are used for brain growth. When the baby is born, its brain weighs about 350 g (12 oz). Sixty per cent of it is made up of fat.and 20 per cent of that is composed of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs). These a acids are reo transmission of signals between nerve cells. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids, both essential for good brain function: linoleic acid (omega-O) and linolenic acid (omega-3).The best food sources of omega-6 are seeds and their Oils. The best sources of omega -3 are lineseed, pumpkin seeds and oily fish.one of the active forms of omega -3 is DHA, which is a component of brain cell membranes and ensures – good neural connections.There is evidence that DHA may he to prevent pregnancy-induced hypertension and that it reduces the risk of premature birth. NUTRIENTS VTAMIN A This is a powerful anti-oxidant. B VITAMlNS vitamins B2 is needed in increased amounts as well as those listed (see For Mother, right). VITAMlNS E This is a powerfull anti-oxidant. OTHER VITAMINS. K is made naturally in the gut, but not in a baby’s, so it may be given orally at birth. CALCIUM Foetus takes up Calcium at a rate of about 350 mg a day. ZINC Boys take five times to much Zinc as girls’ deficiency is linked to undescended testes. OTHER MINERALS Iron intake must be kept high because it takes six weeks to build up supplies.