What to Eat While Pregnant

Provided by The National Women’s Health Information Center

What you eat right before and during your pregnancy can affect the health of your growing baby. Even before you start trying to get pregnant, you should take special care of your health. Eat healthy meals and snacks and take a multivitamin every day. If you're unsure about eating healthy during pregnancy, talk to your doctor.

Do I really need to "eat for two"?

While you are pregnant, you will need additional nutrients to keep you and your baby healthy. But, that does not mean you need to eat twice as much. You should only eat an extra 300 calories per day. A baked potato has 120 calories. So getting these extra 300 calories doesn't take a lot of food.

Make sure not to restrict your diet during pregnancy either. If you do, your unborn baby might not get the right amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Low-calorie diets can break down a pregnant woman's stored fat. This can lead to the production of substances called ketones. Ketones can be found in the mother's blood and urine and are a sign of starvation. Constant production of ketones can result in a mentally retarded child.

How should my diet change now that I'm pregnant?

If you are eating a healthy diet before you become pregnant, you may only need to make a few changes to meet the special nutritional needs of pregnancy. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), a pregnant woman needs only 300 calories a day more than she did pre-pregnancy. The ADA recommends that pregnant women eat a total of 2,500 to 2,700 calories every day. These calories should come from a variety of healthy foods.

But what pregnant women eat is more important than how much. A pregnant woman needs more of many important vitamins, minerals and nutrients than she did pre-pregnancy. To get enough nutrients, pregnant women should take a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin and eat healthy foods from the four basic food groups everyday including:

Should I take a multivitamin during my pregnancy?

Yes. Most doctors recommend that pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant take a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin every day. This ensures that you and your baby get enough important nutrients like folic acid. Folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects of your baby's brain and spine. These birth defects often happen before most women know they are pregnant.

Even women who plan carefully to eat healthy every day sometimes fail to get important nutrients. Taking a daily multivitamin or prenatal vitamin will guarantee you daily dose of needed nutrients. But don't overdo it. Taking more than one multivitamin daily can be harmful.

Should I eat fish when I'm pregnant?

Fish and shellfish can be part of a healthy diet. They are a great source of protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But almost all fish and shellfish contain a harmful substance called mercury.

Mercury mainly gets into our bodies by the fish we eat. Only high levels of this metal seem to be harmful to developing babies. So the risk of mercury in fish and shellfish depends on the amount and type you eat.

By following some tips you can get the healthy protein and omega-3 fatty acids in fish and avoid mercury. Use these guidelines:

• Do NOT eat any shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish (also called golden or white snapper) because these fish have high levels of mercury
• Do not eat more than six ounces of "white" or "albacore" tuna or tuna steak each week
• Do not eat more than two servings or 12 ounces total of fish per week
• Choose shrimp, salmon, pollock, catfish, or "light" tuna as they contain less mercury

How much weight should I gain during pregnancy?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends an average weight gain of 25 to 30 pounds during pregnancy, but the amount of weight you should gain depends on your weight before you became pregnant and your height. According to ACOG:

• If you were underweight before becoming pregnant, you should gain between 28 and 40 pounds
• If you were overweight before becoming pregnant, you should gain between 15 and 25 pounds.

Check with your doctor to find out how much weight gain during pregnancy is healthy for you.

You should gain weight gradually during your pregnancy, with most of the weight gained in the last trimester. Doctors suggest women gain weight at the following rate:

• Two to four pounds during the first trimester
• Three to four pounds per month for the second and third trimesters

Recent research shows that women who gain more than the recommended amount during pregnancy and who fail to lose this weight within six months after giving birth are at much higher risk of being obese nearly 10 years later.

Total weight gained during pregnancy includes six to eight pounds for the weight of the baby. The remaining weight consists of fluid, larger breasts, larger uterus, amniotic fluid, and the placenta. Make sure to visit your doctor throughout your pregnancy so he or she can check on your weight gain.

Is it hard to lose weight after pregnancy?

If you gain too much weight during pregnancy it can be hard to lose weight after you have your baby. During pregnancy, fat deposits can increase by more than 33 percent. Most women who gain the recommended amount of weight lose the extra weight in the birth process and in the weeks and months after birth. Breastfeeding also can help you lose extra weight by burning extra calories. Breastfeeding burns at least 500 calories each day.

Should I avoid alcohol while I'm pregnant?

There is no safe time during pregnancy for you to drink alcohol. There is also no known safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. When you are pregnant and you drink beer, wine, hard liquor, or other alcoholic beverages, alcohol gets into your blood. The alcohol in your blood gets into your baby's body through the umbilical cord. Alcohol can slow down the baby's growth, affect the baby's brain, and cause birth defects.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is a term describing a range of effects that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. Some people with FASD have abnormal facial features and growth and central nervous system problems. People with FASD may have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, and/or hearing. These problems often lead to problems in school and social problems. The effects of FASD last a lifetime.

If you are pregnant and have been drinking alcohol, stop now and talk to your doctor. Avoiding alcohol will help keep your baby healthy. If you need help to stop drinking, talk with your doctor or nurse. Find out more about the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Can I drink caffeine while I'm pregnant?

Caffeine is a stimulant found in colas, coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, and some over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Large quantities of caffeine can cause irritability, nervousness and insomnia as well as low birth-weight babies. Caffeine is also a diuretic and can rob your body of valuable water.

Some studies show that drinking caffeine during pregnancy can harm the fetus. Other research suggests that small amounts of caffeine are safe. Talk to your doctor before drinking caffeine during pregnancy. Caffeine is an ingredient in many over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Talk with your doctor before taking any drugs or medicines while pregnant.

Why do pregnant women crave certain foods?

The desire for "pickles and ice cream" and other cravings might be caused by changes in nutritional needs during pregnancy. The fetus needs nourishment and a woman's body absorbs and metabolizes nutrients differently while pregnant. These changes help ensure normal development of the baby and fill the demands of breastfeeding once the baby is born.

Why do I get morning sickness and nausea, and what can I do about it?

Morning sickness and nausea are common in pregnant women. Most nausea occurs during the early part of pregnancy. In most cases this discomfort improves when you enter the second trimester. For some women, morning sickness and nausea might last longer, even for the entire nine months.

The changes in your body can cause nausea and vomiting when:

• You smell certain things
• You eat some foods
• You are tired
• You are stressed
• For no apparent reason

You may be able to reduce nausea by changing when and what you eat. Try these tips:

• Eat smaller meals, such as six to eight small meals instead of three larger ones each day
• Don't go for long periods of time without eating
• Drink fluids between, but not with, meals
• Avoid foods that are greasy, fried, or highly spiced
• Avoid strong, foul and unpleasant odors
• Rest when you are tired

Severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is rare. But constant vomiting can cause you to lose needed water and become dehydrated. If you feel that your nausea or vomiting is keeping you from eating right or gaining enough weight, talk with your doctor.