As an expectant mother, you have probably heard a lot of horror stories. Though everybody is different, one thing is for certain: your baby is going to need a lot of nutrients to survive and thrive. In the meantime, you are still going to have to make sure that your own body gets enough of what it needs.
If you are not careful, you could suffer from malnutrition during pregnancy. Understanding how to avoid malnutrition is a great way to ensure that you have no horror stories of your own to share later on.
Take Your Prenatal Vitamin
Your OB-GYN will most likely prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you and your baby within the first few months of pregnancy. This is because doctors understand how fragile a mother’s body becomes when she is with child. In order to prevent malnutrition during pregnancy, mothers are encouraged to ingest one pill or capsule per day after eating a healthy meal. Some moms cannot swallow the rather large vitamin, and others find it to be nauseating. If this is the case for you, most doctors will agree that taking a simple chewable multivitamin is enough to prevent malnutrition.
Eat a Well-Balanced Diet
Even when you are not expecting a baby, your food choices still play a huge role in how well you feel and function. While pregnant, however, your body becomes extremely needy, meaning that you need to eat as healthily as is humanly possible. Those crazy cravings may come on strong, but there are ways to manage them without wrecking your fitness. Keep in mind that cravings are typically indicators that you are running low on one nutrient or another. Talk to your doctor if you are having unreasonable cravings or if you are unable to eat altogether.
Manage Morning Sickness
Some expectant mothers experience morning sickness, even after the first trimester. Getting sick while pregnant is quite normal, but getting sick excessively can cause you to suffer from malnutrition. Eating foods that are highly processed or greasy, being too physically active, or not taking the appropriate steps to stop morning sickness can wreak havoc on your body and on the health of your unborn baby.
Preventing malnutrition during pregnancy is easy if you are proactive about your wellbeing. Take the necessary steps and ensure the health of everyone involved. Talk to a doctor if you have any specific questions.
