Food does make a difference!

No matter how old you are, or where you live, or what kind of work you do, your good health depends to a very great extent on the food you eat. This is especially true during pregnancy when you must satisfy your growing baby's needs for nourishment in addition to your own.

Your doctor will help you as much as he can with your meal planning but this part of your prenatal care is your special responsibility. You have every reason to feel proud when you make a good job of it. The expectant mother who regularly eats the right food while she is carrying her baby is more likely to have a normal pregnancy and less likely to have complications than one who does not. She is also more likely to have a healthy child and a good supply of milk for breast feeding.

No matter how good you think your eating habits are now, it will pay you to check your diet. Once you have in mind what you need, it will be easy for you to choose the foods that supply you with the materials necessary for growth, for the repair of worn-out tissues, for the manufacture of energy and for your general well-being.

If you have always eaten well, the chances are that you will not have to make many changes in your food because of your pregnancy. You may have been told that you are "eating for two." This is true but it does not mean that you have to eat twice as much as you usually do. Even a bouncing breast-fed baby does not need as much food as his mother. It does mean that you will be feeding two people as long as you are carrying or nursing your baby. Many expectant parents become quite interested in figuring out how best to do this. For you, the mother, it is a question of choosing and eating the right amounts of the right kinds of food.

Food values

What should you eat? Each day your food should supply you with three different kinds of essential building materials (nutrients): proteins for the growth and repair of your body; minerals and vitamins for growth, and to keep your body in good working condition; fats and carbohydrates for energy.

Although most foods contain more than one of these nutrients, no single food has in it all of the nutrients you need in the required amounts. This is why it is so important for you to have variety in your meals. This variety, however, is no hit or miss affair. In a good diet, foods are combined in accordance with a few simple rules. Meal plans made according to these rules need not be monotonous. There are so many different kinds of food to choose from that you can nearly always work out menus that meet your needs and your baby's from among the things that you and your family really like to eat. The foods that are good for you, by the way, are good for your family.

To do this kind of meal planning, you need to know (1) what foods are essential, (2) how much of each essential food you should eat, (3) which foods can be used interchangeably, and (4) how quantities of different foods are measured and compared. If you want more, ask your doctor, a nurse, or a nutritionist to suggest one or two books for you to read. There are many excellent free booklets on nutrition available through your local health department or your home demonstration agent.

Groups of essential foods

Foods are classified into groups on the basis of the chief nutrients in them: the milk group, the meat group, the vegetable group, the bread and cereal group, fats and oils, and sugars and sweets. In planning meals for the day, choose foods from each of these groups.

The foods listed in these groups are similar in nutrient content, but portions of equal size vary in the total quantity of each nutrient. For example, a half cup of orange juice contains more than twice as much vitamin C as an equal amount of tomato juice. Most foods contain more than one nutrient. No single food contains all the nutrients in the amount needed. Therefore, choosing an adequate diet wisely means selecting a variety of foods that together will supply the nutrients needed.

Meals and snacks

You can take part of your day's food in the form of snacks between meals and at bedtime. Some doctors recommend five smaller meals a day instead of three larger ones.

This kind of meal schedule may have real advantages for you. When you eat only three meals a day, you are apt to get very hungry in between. If you take smaller amounts of food at more frequent intervals, you are not likely to have this extreme hunger. This way of eating may also help keep you from feeling nauseated, and the hot drink at night may help you sleep.

Whatever eating plan you decide to follow, make sure that the foods you need every day are all in it, in the right amounts. Then do your best to stay on your schedule, avoiding extras, especially the food treats that are high in calories. Before you know it, you can gain a lot of weight by nibbling. If you sometimes feel that you just must have a snack between meals, milk, fruits, and raw vegetables are your best choice.

Fluids

Just as important as any of the solid foods you eat are the fluids you drink. A liquid is sometimes described as "anything you can pour from one cup to another." This may not be a scientific definition but it is a good practical one. Your doctor may recommend that you have as much as 2 quarts of liquids every day during your pregnancy. Milk, soups, and fruit juices may be counted in the total amount of fluids suggested, but most expectant mothers need to drink several glasses of water a day in addition. Tea, coffee, and other beverages may be used, but ask your doctor about these.

Iodine

If you live in a part of the country where there is not enough iodine in the soil, you may need to add a source of iodine to your diet—and to that of your family for reasons of general health. The simplest way to do this is to use iodized instead of plain salt for seasoning. Ask your doctor about this. Iodine should not be used as treatment for a thyroid condition unless it is prescribed by a physician.

Salt

Pregnancy alone does not necessarily cause an expectant mother to limit the amount of salt she uses. If your doctor thinks you should use less salt in your diet, he will tell you so. The need for restricting salt in the diet varies with the individual.

If your doctor has told you to cut down on salt, keep it where you can't reach it on the table and leave it out of the food when you are cooking. The rest of the family can add theirs later. After a few days you will probably miss yours less. You will also have to be careful not to eat foods that contain extra salt. Among these are bacon, ham, chipped beef, corned beef, salted and smoked fish, salted nuts, pretzels, salted crackers, popcorn, and potato chips.

Your weight

Must you gain weight because you are pregnant? You will almost certainly be heavier toward the end of your pregnancy than when it began, but you should regain your normal figure after the baby is born. The average full-term baby weighs between 7 and 8 pounds. The placenta and membranes weigh about 1 1/4 pounds, the enlarged uterus about 2 pounds. There will also be some increase in the size of your liver and the volume of your blood. Your breasts will be a little heavier and your body tissues will absorb and hold more water. These normal increases usually add up to more than 12 pounds.

Many physicians recommend a total weight gain during pregnancy of about 20 pounds. This is a general recommendation however. Your doctor may want you to gain more or less, depending on what you weighed when you became pregnant and on your previous history of weight gains and losses. A sudden gain of several pounds over a short period of time should be reported to your doctor.

Gains and losses in your weight are due to gains and losses in the amounts of fat and fluid stored in the tissues of your body. Your doctor will prescribe diet and other measures if you have trouble with water retention. In general, the amount of fat stored depends on two things, the amount and kind of food you eat, and the rate at which you use this up. When your food gives you more energy than you need, the excess is stored as fat. Large stores of fat are unhealthful and unsightly. When your food does not give you enough energy, you keep going by using up the fat that has been stored and then drawing for energy upon other tissues. This is not good either for you or for your baby. You can do a great deal to keep your weight within bounds by eating more or less of foods that are rich in calories.

A calorie is the unit of measurement commonly used in expressing the energy values of foods. Some foods have many calories, some only a few. If you gain weight easily, eat very little candy, pastry or cake, and be careful about gravies, rich sauces, salad dressings made with oil, soft drinks containing sugar, beer and ale, alcoholic beverages and the snacks that are so often served with them. All these foods have many calories. There are hidden calories in all fried foods because of the fat or oil they absorb while they are cooking.

To keep down your weight, you will choose foods to eat that have fewer calories. To add pounds, you will favor the foods that are high in calories.

Expectant mothers sometimes think that if they eat very little, they will look better, the baby will be smaller and the birth easier. Recent studies seem to show that the size of a baby is not closely related to his mother's diet. As for looks, the better fed you are, the better you will feel and the more attractive you will be.

Rest and sleep

Pregnant women live and work under many different kinds of circumstances. This may be your first child or your sixth. You may do all of your housework or none of it. You may have time on your hands or not half enough time to do what you have to do in a day. Whoever you are and wherever you are, you will probably find that you need 8 hours sleep out of the 24. People differ in the amount of sleep they seem to require, however.

Rest periods during the day help to conserve energy. These daytime rest periods can be short and still beneficial if you really relax. Take off your dress and lie down for 10 or 15 minutes in the afternoon. If you have little children, perhaps you can do this while they are taking their naps. Practice "letting go" until you get that "rag doll" feeling. It is also refreshing to sit down several times during the day with your feet up. You will be surprised how much better you will feel in the evening if you take these bits of time out. Many of the things you do around the house, you can do just as well sitting as standing.

If you are working outside of your home, it may not be easy to find a place and the time to rest. Some employers provide a rest room for their employees and extra rest periods for pregnant women. Should these facilities be lacking where you work, you might consider discussing the problem with some one in authority. In any case, try to sit with your feet up for a few minutes after lunch or when you get home from work.

Exercise

A moderate amount of enjoyable exercise will be good for you during your pregnancy, unless you have been ill or have a complication of some sort that keeps you from being normally active. The awkwardness of your body late in pregnancy will tend to slow you down somewhat, but you can probably keep on with most of the things you have been doing until the baby is due. The kind of exercise that is right for you will help your digestion and your circulation. It will help to develop your muscles and give them tone. Indeed, it will help you to feel better all over.

Plan to spend some time out of doors every day. Gardening is an excellent way of getting fresh air as you work. Most of us are so used to cars and buses that we forget how pleasant it can be to walk to the store or to the house of a friend. Your doctor will want you to avoid heavy lifting, the pushing and pulling around of heavy things, and the more strenuous sports, like diving. Swimming is usually permissible but only if you have someone with you who can help in case you have a cramp. It is important not to let yourself get too tired. When you have something heavy to carry, ride.

Work under pressure is more tiring than work done more slowly with frequent short rests. If your indoor work involves much exercise, it may be better for you to rest when you are out of doors, especially in nice weather. It is good to relax in the sunshine, if you don't overdo it.

These suggestions are fairly general but they add up to an attitude that is quite specific: A normal pregnancy is not a sickness. The positive forces of life are very strong in you when you are producing a baby and, far from being an invalid, you may feel better now than you ever have before.

Marcus Siegel

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