5. Your Nutrition
New intake guidelines have been released
for vitamin D. A person should take in about 600IU each day of the
vitamin. Super-high levels, such as 2000IU/day, are not recommended.
You can get your vitamin D from various
food sources, including milk, eggs, beef liver and some fish, or by
supplementation, such as vitamin-D fortified cereals. The FDA has also
approved a program to allow most cheeses to be fortified with up to 20%
of the daily allotment for the vitamin. Other foods are also fortified
with vitamin D, such as some orange juice, yogurt and margarine. Be
sure to get enough vitamin D during pregnancy—it’s good for baby’s
bones.
What Kinds of Foods Should You Eat?
You may be wondering what kinds of
foods to eat and what to delete from your diet during this stage of
your pregnancy. Look at the chart below for some guidance.
|
Foods to Eat
|
Servings per Day
|
|
|
|
| Dark green or dark yellow fruits and vegetables |
1 |
| Fruits and vegetables with vitamin C (tomatoes, citrus) |
2 |
| Other fruits and vegetables |
2 |
| Whole-grain breads and cereals |
4 |
| Dairy products, including milk |
4 |
| Protein sources (meat, poultry, eggs, fish) |
2 |
| Dried beans and peas, seeds and nuts |
2 |
|
Foods to Eat in Moderation
|
|
| Caffeine |
200mg |
| Fat |
limited amounts |
| Sugar |
limited amounts |
|
Foods to Avoid
|
|
| Anything containing alcohol |
|
| Food additives, when possible |
6. You Should Also Know
Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig Meal Plans
Many women have lost weight following
eating plans that provide the consumer with prepackaged foods and
meals. Two of the most popular are Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig.
Pregnant women want to know if they can continue to eat these foods and
follow the meal plans during pregnancy.
Taking vitamin D may help relieve
seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can make you feel anxious,
tired and sad during the winter months. Ask your healthcare provider
about taking vitamin D during pregnancy.
Both of these programs recommend a
pregnant woman not follow their food plans because calories are too
restricted. The plans do not supply enough calories for you to stay
healthy and for your baby to grow and to develop during your pregnancy.
After baby’s birth, if you
breastfeed, you need a healthful, higher-calorie diet than these plans
offer because it takes extra, nutritious calories to make breast milk.
If you decide not to breastfeed or when you’re finished breastfeeding,
one of these plans may help you lose unwanted pounds.
Third-Trimester Tests
In your third trimester, you may undergo
various tests to determine how you and baby are doing as labor and
delivery get nearer. Below is a list of some of the common assessment
tests a healthcare provider may order. Included is the week where an
in-depth discussion appears for each of these tests:
• group-B streptococcus (GBS) infection test
• ultrasound in the third trimester
• home uterine monitoring
• kick count
• Bishop score
• nonstress test
• contraction-stress test
• the biophysical profile
Twenty-eight weeks of gestation is a time
when many healthcare providers initiate or repeat certain blood tests
or procedures. Testing for gestational diabetes may be done at this
time.
ABO Incompatibility
Blood groups are designated as types A, B, AB and O. They are sometimes called the major blood groups.
Blood tests are performed at the beginning of pregnancy to determine
ABO type and screen for the presence of antibodies (antibody screen).
ABO incompatibility is a type of
blood-group difference, similar to Rh incompatibility. ABO
incompatibility can cause a disease in a newborn that destroys baby’s
blood cells (hemolytic disease). Type A-and-B incompatibility is the
most common cause of the problem in a newborn.
The situation occurs when the mother has
type O blood and her partner has type A, B or AB blood, and together
they conceive a baby with type A or B blood. The mother can produce
antibodies that destroy the baby’s blood cells. An affected baby may
have jaundice or anemia when it is born; these can both be easily
treated in nearly all cases.
If you are Rh-negative, you
will probably receive an injection of RhoGAM at this point in
pregnancy. This injection keeps you from becoming sensitized if baby’s
blood mixes with yours. RhoGAM protects you until delivery.
