The Importance of Eating Right While Pregnant
Studies show that if a woman is eating right while pregnant, the more likely she is to deliver a healthy baby. Eating too little (or too little of the needed foods) increases the risk of giving birth to a baby who may be born too soon or too small, have birth defects, or have breathing and blood chemistry problems at birth. Poor prenatal nutrition increases the risk of problems ranging from stillbirth to developmental delay, as well as increasing your chances of morning sickness, constipation, fatigue, heartburn, muscle cramps and obstetrical complications, such as anemia, toxemia, a more difficult delivery and a greater chance of needing a cesarean section.
Pregnancy is a Baby-Building Process
You need energy – calories to do the building. This energy comes from fats and carbohydrates. Then you need the right mix of materials for a solid structure — proteins, vitamins, iron, other minerals and water. If in building your baby, you don’t have enough energy then the work doesn’t get done. If you don’t use the right mix of materials, the building isn’t constructed well. All you have to do is provide enough energy and make the right materials available.