Nutrition before childbirth: menus, reviews and results

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Before childbirth, many gynecologists recommend that pregnant women adjust their diet. At the same time, they should not eat only seafood, soft cheeses and citrus fruits. It is better to give preference to protein foods, dairy products and fresh vegetables. Nutrition before childbirth is of particular importance. Indeed, during this period, the child gains weight, his brain and lungs actively develop and mature, and the woman's body undergoes significant changes and is preparing for the birth of a child.

Does quantity matter?

Some women during pregnancy may go to various extremes: starve or eat for two, for example. It will not bring any benefit to the body.

Restricting nutrition before childbirth can not always be good for the he alth of the unborn child. The body is depleted, and due to the fact that the baby eats "mother's reserves", they needreplenish. If this is not done, then there may be problems with a lack of vitamins and minerals. This will not bring he alth to a woman.

At the same time, eating for two is a completely wrong approach. The result is excess weight. Therefore, there is a serious load on the spine and swelling. All this is undesirable during pregnancy.

It is best for a woman to eat 5-6 times a day, but the portion size should be small. However, the calorie content of food should be sufficient, then the feeling of hunger will not constantly haunt a pregnant woman.

What are the he althiest foods?

In the diet before childbirth, for muscle elasticity and improvement of the whole body, you must include:

1. Olive oil. The product has many positive features. Oil is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. By including this product in the diet before childbirth, a woman takes care of the elasticity of her vessels and tissues. Olive oil will also prevent the development of such an unpleasant problem as hemorrhoids.
2. Carrot juice. It is useful to drink it with the addition of 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. This improves the absorption of fiber. The presence of vitamin E contributes to the speedy recovery of tissues after childbirth.
3. Fruits and berries. It is necessary to include them in the diet of a woman before childbirth in small quantities, especially citrus fruits, so as not to cause allergies. Vitamins contained in fruits will bring special benefits to the body. Eating berries will prevent the occurrence of such a problem asconstipation.
4. Steamed vegetables. Fresh foods contain a lot of fiber, which is not fully absorbed by the body. Thanks to heat treatment, vitamins and other useful substances will be preserved in vegetables.
5. Dairy products are the main sources of calcium for the body. In the last trimester, the amount of kefir, milk and cottage cheese should be reduced, as this will lead to hardening of the bones of the child's skull. This will make it difficult to pass through the birth canal. However, a woman should not completely exclude fermented milk products from the diet, because they have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora.
6. Chocolate. Allowed natural product without soy, dyes and harmful additives.

Based on these recommendations, a woman needs to develop her diet before giving birth. She should definitely consider allowed and prohibited products.

What should I give up?

From the nutrition of a pregnant woman before childbirth should be excluded:

• Pastries, white bread and confectionery. If a woman cannot eliminate them completely, then at least she needs to limit the amount of these products.
• Fatty meats (pork, lamb, duck). It is not recommended to completely refuse products containing protein. It is best to include chicken breast and beef in the diet.
• Porridge from cereals. They are hard to digest and cause a serious burden on the body. Rice porridge can cause constipation. Buckwheat porridge is a dietary product, but it is not recommended to use it all the time.
• White cabbage. Vegetable useful, but not for pregnant women. It can cause fermentation and bloating.

When compiling a nutrition menu before childbirth, a pregnant woman should include allowed foods in the diet, and exclude prohibited ones.

How to make a daily menu for a pregnant woman

Can be included in the exemplary nutrition menu before childbirth:

1. Vegetable salad dressed with olive oil.
2. First courses cooked in light meat or vegetable broth.
3. Meat dishes. This includes meatballs, steam cutlets, baked chicken breast.
4. Fruit salads, homemade ice cream, biscuits.
5. Fish dishes. A woman can only eat low-fat foods. Fish is steamed or boiled.
6. From vegetables you can cook stuffed cabbage without meat, stews, casseroles, mashed potatoes and more.

The variety of dishes is impressive, and if the expectant mother shows her imagination, it will not be difficult to create a he althy and tasty menu for her.

What drinks can I drink?

When the day of delivery comes, the gynecologist will tell you at the last consultation. Yes, and the woman herself can determine this by the harbingers. It is also not recommended to completely refuse food and drink only water. An excess of fluid in the body can lead to unnecessary stress on the kidneys. Everything should be in moderation.

Allowed drinks include: purified water (except for carbonated water), juices, weak tea. Coffee fromthe diet of a pregnant woman is excluded. A woman should be more careful with herbal teas. After all, only at first glance it seems that medicinal plants are completely harmless. For example, thyme can cause bleeding, while linden has a negative effect on the heart muscle.

Drink no more than 2 liters of fluid per day. If doctors recommend limiting its amount, then the pregnant woman should take this into account.

How to make a diet?

Meals before childbirth should be fractional and frequent.

The menu for the first 2 weeks of the last month of pregnancy includes:

	breakfast	lunch	lunch	snack	dinner
	oatmeal, berries, tea	apple or pear	fish soup, steam cutlet, vegetable salad, compote	cottage cheese with fruits	vegetable stew, kefir

For an approximate menu 2 weeks before the birth, it will do:

	breakfast	lunch	lunch	snack	dinner
	vegetable salad, compote, slice of bread	fruit salad	soup puree, sautéed vegetables, fruit drink	zucchini pancakes, kefir	vegetable casserole, boiled egg, tea

As you can see from the menu, before giving birth, it has some differences. During this period, a woman should eat more vegetables and fruits. A little fish or an egg is not forbidden, because she also does not starverecommended.

This is done so that the pregnant woman does not gain excess weight. After all, it negatively affects the he alth of the fetus.

Women's opinions

Many pregnant women before childbirth, according to reviews, changed their diet. This helped them give birth to a child without any complications, as well as quickly restore their he alth.

Proper and balanced nutrition in the last months of pregnancy saved women from excess weight, which, in turn, reduced the load on the spine. Pregnant women practically did not suffer from edema and remained active until the day of delivery.