The Importance of Nutrition in Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the fulfillment of nutritious food intake is very important. Pregnant women who get a good balanced diet and is expected to avoid the health risks for both the mother and the fetus itself. The things that are important to note and benefits for pregnant women include the following:

Calorie

Additional calories or energy required during pregnancy for metabolic changes that occur, reserve fat, breast tissue, placental and fetal growth and development. In the second and third trimesters, needs extra calories to 300 calories per day, than when not pregnant. Then, at the end of pregnancy is estimated to take 80 thousand more calories than before pregnancy.

Protein

Pregnant women need about 60 grams of protein. This means that 10 or 15 grams higher than the requirement before pregnancy. Benefits include protein to form new tissue, placenta, supporting growth and cell differentiation.

Fat

Fat as the main source of calories needed for the growth and development of the fetus. In addition, fats into energy sources that are important to the growth of placental tissue. On a normal pregnancy, levels of fat in the blood flow will increase at the end of the third trimester. Pregnant mother's body stores fat to support the preparation of breastfeeding after delivery.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates become the main source of extra calories needed during pregnancy. Carbohydrates affect fetal growth. Pregnant women are encouraged to consume complex carbohydrates such as rice, bread, cereals, and pasta. Complex carbohydrates contain vitamins and minerals also increase fiber intake is recommended during pregnancy to prevent constipation or difficult bowel movements and hemorrhoids.

Vitamins and Minerals

Furthermore, pregnant women also need a lot of vitamins and minerals than before pregnancy. This substance is needed to support the growth and development of the fetus as well as the process of cell differentiation. While vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, and pantothenic acid needed to help energy metabolism prose. To form DNA and red blood cells are needed vitamin b6 and B12. Vitamin B6 also plays an important role in the metabolism of amino acids.

Then, the requirement of vitamin A and C also increased during pregnancy. So also needs minerals, especially magnesium and iron. In this case, magnesium is needed to support the growth of soft tissue. Iron is needed to form red blood cells and is useful for growth and energy metabolism and minimize the occurrence of anemia. The iron needs than doubled compared to before pregnancy.

When malnutrition

If the mother is known malnourished, especially in the first trimester, it is feared berisko experienced preterm birth, central nervous system disorders pads baby even fetal death. While, malnutrition in the second and third trimester fetal growth or inhibit risk does not develop according to her pregnancy.

Problem that is often experienced by pregnant women are iron deficient. This disorder makes the mother at risk of anemia or deficiency of red blood cells. Meanwhile, folic acid deficiency can also cause anemia in addition to congenital abnormalities and miscarriage. In fact, supplemental iron and folic acid readily available from a variety of foodstuffs.

Thus, by understanding the nutritional benefits in pregnant women, it can be known whether the risk of nutritional deficiency condition or not. It may be known if a woman has a body mass index yag abnormal, abnormal weight gain, pregnant dala too young age, had a history of preterm delivery and low birth weight, chronic disease, and other multiple pregnancies.