Is Your Pre-Pregnancy Diet Favorable For Pregnancy?

Your health during pregnancy depends much on your pre-pregnancy diet. Sarah learned this the hard way. She had to undergo a difficult pregnancy just because of her bad eating habits before pregnancy. She hadn't the slightest idea that there were certain changes one needed to make in one's diet before planning to get pregnant.

Sarah smoked 4-5 cigarettes per day; her diet was comprised mostly of pizzas and burgers; and she didn.t care much about the benefits of whole grains and dairy products. She ate what she wanted, and not what she should have. So when she got pregnant, she couldn.t stop smoking all of a sudden. And it was hard for her to take a break from junk food. Not her fault! If only she had prepared well in advance and modified her pre pregnancy diet gradually prior to conception, she would have found it easy to stick to her greens and whole cereals during her pregnancy.

Preparing For Pregnancy

There are women like Sarah who deprive themselves of the joy of pregnancy through their bad eating habits. There are also women like Jo who take special care about their nutrition and drop any bad eating habit well before getting pregnant.

When Jo and her partner decided to have a baby, they made a plan. According to it, Jo would go for a medical checkup to rule out any nutrient deficiency or illness that would come in the way of a smooth pregnancy later. Then, Jo would cut down on her alcohol consumption gradually. She would also consult her doctor about the essential nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids and folic acid that one needs to include in their pre pregnancy diet for a healthy development of baby later. Only when Jo's plate had a balanced meal in it would they go for conceiving the baby. What a perfect pre-pregnancy diet plan!

Significance Of Omega 3 And Folic Acid

Omega 3 fatty acid helps in the healthy development of your baby's brain. It's vital to take this nutrient well before pregnancy because your baby's nervous system begins to develop at once after conception; even before you know you.re pregnant! Therefore, its better that your body is already full of nutrient

Folic acid reduces the risk of developing neural tube defects in your baby. It also prevents the formation of cleft lip and other birth defects. Hence, you should start taking folic acid supplements well in advance of conception. Some doctors recommend the taking folic acid supplements right from the time when a girl attains child-bearing age in order to rule out any deficiency of this nutrient later in life.

Watch Out!

Excess of vitamin A may cause birth defects. Therefore, make sure that the multivitamin you take in your pre pregnancy diet does not contain vitamin A. Rather, it should contain beta-carotene. The advantage of taking supplements containing beta-carotene is that your body can convert it into vitamin A when needed.

So, if you're planning to get pregnant, make sure your body has enough nutrient reserves to create a new life!