As soon as you conceive your body begins to work overtime. Being pregnant is hard work and growing a little baby requires a whole lot of energy. As a result it is very important to get good nutrition during your first trimester. This means that you should eat healthy foods and focus on eating a well rounded diet. Your little one needs nutrients from a variety of sources so make sure you are eating all kinds of foods.

Fresh vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and lean meats are especially important during your first trimester. These foods will provide you with the energy you need to grow your baby and with the nutrients your baby needs to thrive. A multivitamin is also of utmost importance because it has all the vitamins you and your baby need while pregnant so that if you miss something in your diet the vitamin will make up for it. If you dont take a prenatal vitamin then it is incredibly important that you take folic acid. Folic acid helps protect babies against neural tube defects and is incredibly important. Most breads and cereals have folic acid in them, however if you dont eat much of this type of food then a supplement is very important to ensure your baby does not suffer due to a lack of nutrition.

If you do not know what you should be eating while pregnant then you should talk to your doctor. He/she can recommend a healthy diet while pregnant that will ensure you and baby both get the right amount of nutrition without eating too much to gain more weight than necessary. On a healthy diet most women will gain around 20-30 pounds while pregnant. This is made up of the baby, placenta, enlarged uterus, extra fluids like blood and water retention, and fat. The average baby weighs seven pounds and there are usually several pounds of fluid, the placenta, and uterus on top of that. So, once the baby is born most women lose between 10 and 15 pounds. The rest of the weight takes a little more time and effort to take off. However, continuing your healthy and nutritious eating plan from pregnancy, along with breastfeeding, will help you lose weight after the baby is born.

Posted in Pregnancy

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