Doctors
General Public
Medical Students
Main Page

Food, Health & Hygiene care in Pregnancy

About Dr. Samina Zafar

What should you eat?
A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but particularly if you are pregnant or are planning a pregnancy. Eating healthily during pregnancy will help your baby develops and grow and will help keep you fit and well. You don't need to go on a special diet, but make sure that you eat a variety of different foods every day in order to get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need.

. You should also avoid certain foods to be on the safe side

There's no need to 'eat for two' when you are pregnant. It's the quality not the quantity that's important. With a few exceptions you can continue to eat all the foods you enjoy. Eating healthily often means just changing the amounts of different foods that you eat rather than cutting out all your favorites. The Balance of Good Health illustrates the mixture of different foods you need in your diet and the proportions you should eat them in.

·         Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables as these provide the vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, which help digestion and prevent constipation. Eat them lightly cooked in a little water or raw to get the most out of them.

·        Starchy foods like bread, potatoes, rice, chapatis, and breakfast cereals are an important part of any diet and should, with vegetables, form the main part of any meal. They are satisfying, without containing too many calories, and are an important source of vitamins and fibre.

·        Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, beans and pulses are all good sources of nutrients. Eat some every day.

·        Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt are important as they contain calcium and other nutrients needed for your baby's development.

·        Try to cut down on sugar and sugary foods like sweets, biscuits and cakes and sugary drinks like cola. Sugar contains calories without providing any other nutrients the body needs. It also adds to the risk of tooth decay.

·        Cut down on fat and fatty foods as well. Most of us eat far more fat than we need. Fat is very high in calories and too much can cause excess weight gain and increase the risk of heart disease and it can contribute to being overweight. Avoid fried foods, trim the fat off meat, and go easy on foods like pastry, chocolate and chips which contain a lot of fat. Choose low-fat varieties of dairy products, for example semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt.

• Vitamin supplements It's best to get the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat. Some people, like those on a restricted diet, need extra, especially vitamin D. Ask your doctor whether you should take vitamin supplements. Don't take extra vitamin A supplements without advice as too much could harm your baby. Green, leafy vegetables, lean meat, dried fruit and nuts contain iron. If you are short of iron you're likely to get very tired and may suffer from anaemia.
•  Citrus fruit, tomatoes, and potatoes are good sources of vitamin C, which you need to help you to absorb iron.
• Dairy products, fish with edible bones like sardines, bread, nuts and green vegetables are rich in calcium, which is vital for making bones and teeth.
• Margarine, oily fish contain vitamin D to keep your bones healthy and to provide your baby with vitamin D to last during the first few months of life

Take care with some foods

Besides eating a wide variety of foods, there are certain precautions you should take in order to safeguard your baby's well-being as well as your own.

• Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so that there is no trace of pink or blood and wash all surfaces and utensils after preparing raw meat. This will help to avoid infection with Toxoplasma, which may cause toxoplasmosis and can harm your baby
• Wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil which may contain Toxoplasma.
• Make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid, to prevent the risk of Salmonella food poisoning, and avoid foods containing raw and undercooked eggs like home-made mayonnaise, ice-cream etc. it is important to take special precautions during pregnancy because even the mild form of the illness can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in the newborn.
• Drink only pasteurised or UHT milk which has had the harmful germs destroyed. If only raw milk is available, boil it before you drink it. Don't drink unpasteurised goat's or sheep's milk or eat their milk products.
• Don't eat liver or liver products, as they may contain a lot of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A could harm your baby.
• Avoid eating peanuts and foods containing peanut products (e.g. peanut butter, unrefined groundnut oil, some snacks, etc.) if you or your baby's father or any previous children have a history of hayfever, asthma, eczema or other allergies. This may reduce the risk of your baby developing a potentially serious allergy to peanuts. Read food labels carefully and, if you are still in doubt about the contents, avoid these foods.

For general hygiene

• Wash your hands before and after handling any food.
• Thoroughly wash all fruit and vegetables, including ready-prepared salads, before eating. Peel and top carrots before eating them.
• Cook raw meat and poultry thoroughly and make sure that ready-to-eat poultry and cooked chilled meals are reheated thoroughly and are piping hot before they are eaten.
• Always wash your hands after handling raw meat or poultry and make sure that raw foods are stored separately from prepared foods. Otherwise there is a risk of contamination. Use a separate chopping board for raw meats.
• Wear gloves and wash them and then your hands thoroughly after gardening or handling soil.

Pregnancy and weight

Most women gain between 10 and 12.5 kg (22-28 lb). Weight gain varies a great deal and depends on your weight before pregnancy. If you're concerned, talk to your midwife or GP. They may have special advice for you if you weigh more than 100 kg or less than 50 kg.

Smoking

When you smoke, carbon monoxide and nicotine pass into your lungs and bloodstream. This means that:

a) your baby gets less oxygen and cannot grow as well as it should, and
b) the nicotine makes your baby's heart beat faster. Breathing in other people's smoke makes the baby more likely to suffer from asthma attacks, chest infections, coughs and colds, and to be admitted to hospital.

If you stop smoking now:

• you're more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby;
• you'll cope better with the birth;
• your baby will cope better with any birth complication;
• your baby is less likely to be born too early and have to face the additional breathing, feeding and health problems which so often go with prematurely or your baby is less likely to be born underweight and have extra problems in keeping warm. Babies of mothers who smoke are, on average, 200 g (about 8 oz) lighter than other babies. These babies may have problems during and after labour and are more prone to infection;
• It will be better for your baby later too. Children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer later on from illnesses which
  need hospital treatment (such as asthma);
• You will reduce the risk of cot death.
• The sooner you stop, the better. But stopping even in the last few weeks of pregnancy can be beneficial. If any members of your household smoke, their smoke can affect you and the baby both before and after birth. They can help you and the baby by giving up now. Perhaps you could try to stop together.

Protecting the fetus and the new baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life.

Pills, medicines and other drugs

Some pills and medicines can harm your baby's health so, to be on the safe side, you should:

• Assume that all medicines are dangerous until a doctor can tell you they are safe;
• Make sure your doctor or dentist knows you're pregnant before prescribing anything or giving you treatment;
• Talk to your doctor at the first possible moment if you take regular medication.

But do remember that it is safer to take some medicines, for example those used to treat epilepsy and diabetes, than to leave the illness untreated.

X-rays should be avoided in pregnancy if possible. Make sure your dentist knows you are pregnant.

Herbal and homeopathic remedies and aromatherapy

Not all 'natural' remedies are safe in pregnancy. Make sure that your practitioner is qualified and tell him or her that you are pregnant. Tell your midwife or doctor which remedies you are using.

Physical activity

The more active and fit you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain. It will also help you to cope with labour and get back into shape after the birth.

If you feel tense after a hard day's work, physical activity is an excellent way of relaxing and it will help you to sleep soundly.

Keep up your normal daily physical activity or exercise (sport, or just walking to the shops and back) for as long as you feel comfortable. Don't exhaust yourself and remember that you may need to slow down as your pregnancy progresses, or if your doctor advises you to. If in doubt, consult your doctor or midwife.

• If you were inactive before you were pregnant, don't suddenly take up strenuous exercise. Remember, exercise doesn't have to be strenuous to be beneficial.
• Try to keep active on a daily basis. Building in half an hour of activities like walking can help to keep you active. If you can't manage that, any amount is better than nothing.
• Avoid any strenuous exercise in hot weather.
• Drink plenty of fluids.

Animals

Cats' faeces may contain an organism, which causes toxoplasmosis - a disease which can damage your baby. Avoid emptying cat litter trays while you're pregnant or, if no one else can do it, use disposable rubber gloves. Avoid close contact with sick cats and wear gloves when gardening - even if you don't have a cat - in case the soil is contaminated with faeces. Wash your hands and gloves after gardening. If you do come into contact with cat faeces, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly. Lambs and sheep can be a source of an organism called Chlamydia psittaci which is known to cause miscarriage in ewes(adult female sheep). They also carry Toxoplasma. Avoid lambing or milking ewes and all contact with newborn lambs. If you experience flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with sheep, tell your doctor.

Inherited conditions

Some diseases or conditions, like cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, are inherited from parents or grandparents. If you, your partner or any relative has a condition which you know or suspect is inherited, or if you already have a baby with a disability, talk to your doctor about it. You may be able to have tests to check whether your baby is affected.

*********************