Pregnancy Life Stage Essay Example For Students

Pregnancy Life Stage Essay Does nutrition status affect fertility? Good overall nutrition, rather thaneating any specific food, greatly improves your chances of conceiving a child. For women, nutrient deficiencies and low-calorie diets at one extreme, andobesity at the other, can disrupt ovulation. Poor nutrition can also have animpact on male fertility. In order to get pregnant, doctors recommend that bothwomen and men eat healthy, exercise and keep a positive mental attitude toincrease chances of fertilization. Eating healthy, exercise and keeping apositive mental attitude are equally important during pregnancy and afterpregnancy. According to www.familyinternet.com, carrying a baby for ninemonths and then providing it with breast milk afterward is a major nutritionalstress on a womans body. Food intake increases only 15-20%, but requirementsfor specific nutrients such as folic acid, zinc, and certain B vitamins mayincrease by 30-100%. In addition, less than optimal nutrition can result inlow-birth weight babies with increased risk of heart disease andnon-insulin-dependent diabetes as adults. (www.childbirth-connections.com). Bothover-eating and under-eating can adversely affect the qualities and quantitiesof breast milk, which is explained further under Dietary Requirements DuringPregnancy. During pregnancy, nutrients are passed from mother to fetus throughthe placenta, and after birth, through breast-milk. The main vitamins andnutrients needed by mother and fetus is explained in the chart below:Nutrient/Vitamin Amount Needed Benefit Source Protein Need for pregnant women isincreased by 10 to 15 grams daily (1 glass of milk contains 8 grams of protein). Forms structural basis for all new cells and tissues for both the mother andfetus www.tdh.tx Hamlet9 EssayBibliographyNatal Care, The Pregnant Lifestyle. http://www.familyweb.com/pregnancy/natal,2000Shanahan, Shelly, Nutririon and Weight. www.women.com, 2000. Plumbo, Peg, WeightGain Reccommendations. www.ivillage.com, 2000. http://www.parentsplace.comhttp://www.babycenter.com http://www.familyinternet.com http://www.childbirth-connections.comhttp://www.familyweb.com