A Healthy Diet during PregnancyDuring pregnancy, follow a balanced, varied, wholefood diet containing: - unrefined, complex carbohydrates (such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholegrain cereals, wholewheat pasta, baked potatoes) which are an important source of energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are slowly digested and do not cause large fluctuations in blood sugar levels, as can occur from eat¬ing simple carbohydrates (such as sugars). Aim to obtain at least half your daily energy intake in the form of unrefined complex carbohydrates. Five to six slices of wholemeal bread per day will help to meet your energy requirements.
Causes of Birth DefectsOccasionally during the delivery process, a birth defect like cleft lip is discovered, which went undetected on antenatal ultrasound. In these instances, the parents, who are dealing with an unexpected outcome, may instinctively look for something the mother may have been exposed to during pregnancy. Without a doubt, certain environmental toxins can cause a plethora of birth defects, but many birth defects are considered multifactorial, meaning that multiple causes contributed to the process rather than one specific cause.
Feeding Your Baby with Enriched Formula Milks
While breastmilk is still the food of choice for a baby, formulas containing LCPs are the next best option available. If DHA-enriched milks are not given, then a formula-fed baby shows a fall in brain levels of DHA during the first 40 weeks of life outside the womb, rather than the increase that occurs with breastfed babies.
Is it OK to be on the Atkins Diet While Pregnant?The answer is NO
Baby Language and Speech Development
Recognition of language and speech starts from before birth and continues up until around 10 years of age. The optimum time for learning a foreign language is before the age of 6, however. It then becomes increasingly difficult to master the new sounds that form the basis of different cultures.
Effects of Alcohol during Pregnancy
Alcohol is the most widely available drug in the world. Ninety per cent of Western adults indulge – even if only occasionally. Alcohol can seriously damage a developing baby. If a woman regularly drinks more than 12 units of alcohol per week (for example, 2 units per day) during pregnancy, her baby will suffer growth retardation and birthweight will be lower than normal.
Cesarean Section – What You Need to Know
Cesarean section rate for all pregnancies is about 25 percent. The fact that this percentage represents all pregnancies is significant because it includes women who have had cesarean sections in the past and are electing to have a repeat C-section. So it is important for most women who have never had a child or have never had to have one by C-section to be informed of their chance of having a C-section. This means eliminating the number of elective repeat cesarean sections, which would be approximately 10 percent – a significant difference.
Folic Acid and Pregnancy
Folic acid (also known as folate) is a B group vitamin. It was named after the Latin word for leaf, folia, as it was first discovered in spinach and is mainly found in green leafy vegetables. The body stores very little folic acid – it is probably the most widespread vitamin deficiency in developed countries.
Effects of Environmental Pollutants during Pregnancy
The environment is full of toxins such as lead exhaust fumes, mercury, industrial chemicals and pesticides. These enter the food chain and may contaminate a large percentage of our diet, whether we are vegetarians, ‘fishitarians’ or carnivores.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – What You Should Know
Babies born to women who drink excessively during pregnancy at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), linked with an increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death. Those who survive are likely to have low birthweight, reduced intelligence and to suffer emotional and developmental problems. Other abnormalities linked with FAS include:
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