Publications
Partners
It's fair to say that, in most families, Mom decides which foods are bought and what the family eats. In African communities, women are generally also responsible for producing crops that feed the family.
Consequently, mothers are truly integral to each family member's health. At no time is a mother’s role more important than during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Prenatal and pregnancy nutrition
A mom-to-be can determine the health of her child before birth and for the rest of the child’s life. This is quite a responsibility.
By eating healthy foods, by avoiding alcohol, smoking, potentially dangerous medications and over-the-counter drugs (including slimming pills and herbal diet preparations), and by taking certain supplements before and during pregnancy, a mother can ensure that her baby has the best possible chance in life.
Avoid alcohol
Expecting a baby? Excessive alcohol intake before conception and during the sensitive first trimester can cause irreversible damage to your developing foetus, a condition called foetal alcohol syndrome.
The incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa is among the highest in the world and has tragic consequences for the mental and physical development of children born to mothers who drink.
Although there has been some speculation about the safe level of alcohol intake before conception and during pregnancy, it's best to stop drinking when you decide you want to start a family. Abstain totally for the entire duration of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Take folic acid
Research has also shown that taking folate, or folic acid, supplements before conception and during pregnancy can prevent spina bifida, a developmental defect in which the newborn baby has part of the spinal cord and its coverings exposed.
The fortification of our maize meal and bread with folic acid (along with seven other vitamins and minerals) has reduced the incidence of spina bifida in South Africa and has ensured that the folic acid status of women and children throughout the country is now regarded as adequate.
Boost omega-3
Eating foods that are naturally rich in omega-3 (especially oily fish) and omega-3-enriched foods (including eggs, milk and bread), or taking omega-3 supplements (salmon or flaxseed oil) before conception and during pregnancy and breastfeeding can improve the omega-3 intake of the unborn foetus and the developing infant. Omega-3 helps to ensure the healthy development of the child's eyes and nervous system.
Preventing iron deficiency
Expectant mothers are often anaemic and require iron supplementation during pregnancy. In addition to iron supplements, you can ensure an adequate iron intake by regularly eating red meat, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, iron-fortified bread and cereals, and dried fruit, like raisins. Drink some orange juice with your breakfast to help your body absorb the iron that's been added to your cereal.
Iron deficiency in young children can hamper mental development and prevent your child from doing well at school.
Calcium is vital
Pregnant moms require 1300mg of calcium a day to provide their babies with enough calcium to develop strong bones and teeth, and to prevent their own skeleton and teeth from deteriorating.
The old adage "lose a tooth for every child" should no longer be applicable in this century. Having three servings of milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese or other cheeses every day for the entire nine months of pregnancy, and during breastfeeding, will ensure that you obtain all the calcium you and your baby require.
The weight debate
The question of how much weight a pregnant mother should gain is often heatedly debated.
On the one hand, women who are underweight and undernourished before and during pregnancy run the risk of giving birth to babies that are small for their gestational age. These babies are often also deficient in a variety of vital nutrients. According to researchers, this "starvation" before birth has been linked to children developing chronic diseases of lifestyle in later years.
The Barker Hypothesis states that children who are deprived before birth and are underweight at birth are more likely to develop obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes when they get older than children who enjoy adequate nutrition before birth.
If you're underweight (a BMI of less than 19,8) at the start of your pregnancy, make sure you follow a well-balanced diet during pregnancy and that you gain at least 13 to 18kg over the nine months of pregnancy. This will help ensure that your baby has a normal weight at birth.
On the other hand, mothers who either gain more weight than necessary during pregnancy, or start their pregnancy with a BMI exceeding 29, expose themselves and their babies to a variety of risks. Overweight mothers are more likely to suffer from preeclampsia; they also have a higher risk for still births and their babies could be large for their gestational age. This, in turn, is linked to adult obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Mothers who start off their pregnancies with a normal BMI (19,8 to 25) can gain between 11,5 and 16kg over the nine months of pregnancy, while women who have high BMIs exceeding 29 shouldn't gain more than 6kg during pregnancy.
However, pregnancy isn't the time to embark on a crash slimming diet or exhaustive exercise, as this can also harm your baby and your own health. Rather consult a dietician to assist you with a balanced, energy-reduced diet that still contains all the nutrients you and your baby need for good health.
- (Dr I.V. van Heerden, Health24)
References: (Barker DJ, Osmond C (1986). Infant mortality, childhood nutrition, and ischaemic heart disease in England and Wales. The Lancet, 1(8489):1077-81; Labadarios D et al (2008). Executive summary of the National Food Consumption Survey Fortification Baseline (NFCS-FB-I), SA, 2005. SA Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 21(3) (Supplement 2):245-300; Miles L (2008). Alcohol in pregnancy: is there a safe amount? Nutrition Bulletin, Vol 13(3):224-226; Stokes CS (2008). Foods for the brain - can they make you smarter? Nutrition Bulletin, Vol 13(3):221-223).
