In my journey of having a tummy like this:
I'm full of excitement like "Hey baby, come out! I wanna play with you right now! I mean not yet, you're not yet due! But please make it fast! I wanna snuggle you up!". I can't wait to see my baby! BUT I have concerns too. And I learned the basic of what to expect when it comes to nutrition during my pregnancy. If before I could "abuse" myself in some tolerable level like sleeping super late at night, eat junk foods and skip meals...
Now, I must get myself ready on being disciplined and religious when it comes on nutrition.
First, drinking my prescribed medicines. I took the vitamins my OB prescribe me which includes a multivitamins and minerals specially made for pregnant women, folic acid for my little bean, vitamin E to avoid or at least lessen the future stretch marks and to make my growing skin more elastic and IRON to avoid anemia.
Note: I'm sharing what my Doc told me, and please do not self medicate. Every preggers should always have a prenatal check up every month in a health center or private clinic or both. :) Make sure to follow what the Doc has to say because we are all different. And it's always fun to learn the weekly progress of your little bean and makes you worry less when you confine your doubts and questions to your trusty OB. :)
Aside from the prescribed medicines, there are important nutrients that pregnant women should get from the food we eat like fruits and vegetables. So far, I crave for these goodies and its so good to know that:
- strawberries are rich in folic acid
- kiwi is enriched with double the vitamin C of oranges and 6 times more vitamin E than apples!
- longan which means 'dragon's eye' is extremely sweet, juicy and is said to invigorate the heart and spleen, nourish the blood and have a calming effect on the nervous system
Important nutrients pregnant women should be-friend with are:
Fiber - improves digestion and prevents or lessen constipation can be found on fruits , vegetables, wheat and cereal.
Iron - helps in aiding increase supply of blood to the fetus and own body. Iron can be found on fish, seafoods and vinegar. My Doc told me to eat fish with scales and avoid bottom feeders because no-scale fishes are high in lead.
Folic Acid - helps increase metabolism and red blood cell formation
Carbohydrates - provides extra energy, since our inside are busy prepping the baby :P Can be found on rice, pasta, corn and potatoes. Mind you potatoes are the best carbs! :)
Protein - helps in fetal growth and increases blood volume. Aside from meat and fish, protein can be found on milk, cheese, nuts, eggs and yogurt!
Calcium - humans cannot create its own calcium and the baby is dependent on our calcium to build bones and teeth. Hence, Calcium is important to mom and baby! This can be found on milk and other milk products like cheese.
I take milk formulated for pregnant women, it tastes good, available in different flavors and is a good source of Folate, DHA, GA and Vitamin B6 which helps me reduce the effects of nausea! :)
As for my case, I took the instructions very, very seriously but even though, there are times when I failed to drink meds because of my hectic schedule, sudden changes of priorities, stress at work, or for whatever reason. At first, I felt bad about it, guilty at most. But I realized I should not fret, I am taking good care of this little baby and hey! Women get pregnant for centuries even in times when there's no doctor to prescribe or consult yet! *winked*
