 |  Perspectives in Nutrition, 5/e Gordon M. Wardlaw,
Ohio State University
Margaret W. Kessel,
Ohio State University
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Chapter 16 Summary- Adequate nutrition is vital during pregnancy to ensure the well-being of both
the infant and mother. Poor maternal nutrition and use of some medications,
especially during the first trimester, can cause birth defects. Growth retardation
and altered development can also occur if these insults happen later in pregnancy.
- Infants born preterm (before 37 weeks gestation) usually have more medical
problems at and following birth than normal infants.
- A woman typically needs an additional 300 kcal per day during the second and
third trimesters of pregnancy to meet her energy needs. A better measure of
meeting energy needs is weight gain. This should occur slowly, reaching a total
of 25 to 35 lb in a woman of healthy weight.
- Protein, vitamin, and mineral needs increase during pregnancy. Extra servings
from the milk, yogurt, and cheese group and the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans,
eggs, and nuts group of the Food Guide Pyramid are recommended. Supplements
of folate and iron, in particular, may be needed. Folate nutriture especially
should be adequate at the time of conception. Any supplement use needs to be
guided by a physician, as an excess intake of vitamin A and other nutrients
during pregnancy can have harmful effects on the infant.
- The factors that contribute to poor pregnancy outcome include inadequate health
care in general and prenatal care in particular, teenage pregnancy, closely
spaced births, smoking, alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, insufficient
carbohydrate intake (<100 g/day), obesity, heavy caffeine use, and various
infections, such as Listeria and AIDS.
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, heartburn, constipation,
nausea, vomiting, edema, and anemia are all possible discomforts and complications
of pregnancy. Nutrition therapy can help minimize some of these problems.
- Almost all women are able to nurse their infants. The nutrient composition
of human milk is very different from that of unaltered cow's milk and is much
more desirable. Colostrum, the first fluid produced by the human breast, is
very rich in immune factors. Mature milk is rich in the protein lactalbumin
and in lactose.
- For the infant, the advantages of breastfeeding over formula feeding are numerous,
including fewer intestinal, respiratory, and ear infections and fewer allergies
and food intolerances. Moreover, breastfeeding is also less expensive and possibly
more convenient for the mother than formula feeding. However, an infant can
be adequately nourished with formula if the mother chooses not to breastfeed.
Breastfeeding is not desirable if the mother has certain diseases or must take
medication potentially harmful to the infant. Likewise, breastfeeding is not
advised for infants with certain medical conditions, including some preterm
infants.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education