Importance of Pre Pregnancy Nutritional Status - Article Example

Importance of Pre Pregnancy Nutritional Status (Student Name) (Course No.) (Lecturer) (University) (Date) Introduction There are numerous anxieties about the health of a mother, especially during pregnancy. Indeed, what a mother eats during pregnancy can have either positive or negative effects on the health of the child. The reason for this is that, during the gestation period, there is the need for the foetus to develop into a fully formed human being hence the need for different foods and nutrients. A fascinating thing in life is the capacity of mothers’ bodies to create the necessary conditions for the growth of the children from conception to delivery. There is, therefore, the need for the women of childbearing age to have the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities to enable them to accomplish this task. Among the important factors that affect the health of a child is the health of the mother before pregnancy. Apart from ensuring that a woman remains healthy throughout her lifetime, keeping a healthy diet is important in ensuring that the body is adequately prepared for pregnancy. In many cases, the pregnancy period of women is commonly viewed conventionally without considering the health status of the women before pregnancy. However, with reference to the World Health Organization, this kind of approach is limiting because several factors before pregnancy can also contribute to the overall health and development of the infant. The organization proposes the life course approach that follows a woman from her own conception to death, as well as the factors that have affected her health during development. The nutritional status of women is, therefore, critical before pregnancies. In many instances, health practitioners advise that women preparing to get pregnant should visit clinics for nutritional check -ups. Poor nutrition and under nutrition before pregnancy are some of the factors that contribute to the increased levels of maternal deaths. In other cases, poor nutrition causes a rise in the numbers of stillbirths, pre-term births as well as the birth of low weight babies, which is a major problem in most health institutions. Also, poor nutritional practises before pregnancy is a major contributor to such health risks as overweight and obesity, adversely affecting both infant and maternal health (Tharpe et al., 2013, p. 437). Factors Influencing Maternal Health For women preparing to be mothers, there are a number of things that must be considered to ensure that the child health remains unaffected throughout the childhood and developmental stages. One of the factors that influence maternal health is genetics. This may have adverse effects on the baby depending on the genetic composition of the parents. Some of the genetic conditions that may be found in a population include; Down’s syndrome, Tay-Sac’s disease, haemophilia among others. Before considering to have a child, it is important that a thorough family history is dug to identify the genetic risks that may occur, genetic counselling, carrier screening and testing and treatment of the genetic conditions should be done. Another factor that can affect the health of a woman before pregnancy and hence the health of the child during pregnancy is exposure to environmental conditions. Exposure of a woman to environmental hazards before pregnancy can have adverse effects on the child. For instance, exposure to radiations in both the workplaces and during medication can have far- fetched consequences on women of childbearing age hence on their children. Other environmental hazards such as lead and mercury exposure can also affect the health of the children that are born. It is, therefore, important that the women planning to have children be exposed to knowledge about environmental hazards and how to protect themselves from such. The other factor that has a significant effect on maternal health and hence the health of the child is the nutritional status. The nutritional status of a mother before pregnancy can have profound effects on the health and development of the child. This is because the nutritional status of a mother before pregnancy prepares the body efficiently to support the development of the baby. Good nutrition before and during pregnancy results in women having healthy babies. On the contrary, poor nutrition results in birth defects such as low birth weight babies, stillbirths as well as the birth of babies with congenital problems. Nutritional Requirements for Pre-pregnancy Preparing for conception requires proper nutritional practises in women. This means that the women of childbearing age who are preparing to have children should have healthy dietary practises. Apart from the use of nutrients by the body for growth, replacement of worn out tissues and provision of energy, the nutrients are also reserved in the body to enable foetal growth during pregnancy. The amount of nutrient required by the body is referred to as the dietary reference intake and is gotten from the food taken as well as supplements. According to pre-conception nutritional studies, food and healthy nutrition are directly related to the fertility of women in the childbearing age (Webb and Whitney, 2012, p. 42). One of the nutrients required by women before pregnancy is folic acid. It is recommended that the women of childbearing age acquire 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. Naturally, folic acid is obtained from green vegetables such as spinach, nuts, citrus fruits, legumes and cereals. Folic acid is important in the diet before pregnancy since it helps in reducing the chances of birth defects in children during pregnancy. The first trimester of a pregnancy marks the critical time for the development of congenital problems in the child. Substantial levels of this acid in the body helps in the prevention of birth defects such as neural tube defects resulting from the inability of the neural tube to close properly. It should be taken two to three months before pregnancy, throughout pregnancy and even during breastfeeding. Another important nutrient that is needed by the body in preparation for pregnancy is calcium. Women who are considering getting pregnant are advised to take at least 1000 milligrams of calcium each day. Natural sources of calcium for such women include; rice, cheese, canned salmon and low-fat yoghurt. Calcium is an important mineral because it helps in the development of strong bones and teeth, muscles, nerves and a healthy heart. Also, iron is important for women considering to have children. Iron is one of the elements that is critical for the development of a baby because it is a cofactor for the enzymes involved in redox reactions in the cells during metabolism. It is also a primary component of haemoglobin that allows the red blood cells to transport oxygen to various parts of the body and is needed for neural development in the foetus and in early childhood. Insufficient amount of iron in the body causes anaemia, which can result in difficulties during pregnancy and birth. Magnesium and zinc are also another important nutrients that are needed by women during preconception to support the development of the baby during pregnancy. The dietary sources of magnesium are peanuts, legumes, wheat germ, nuts and bran. Magnesium is a cofactor for several enzymes in the body and its inadequacy in the body can cause foetal miscarriages, preterm delivery, and maternal hospitalization among others. The presence of zinc in the body in sufficient quantities is important because it is used in the development of the immune system. Insufficient quantities of zinc in the body can result in poor development of the immune system of the body hence the reduced capacity of the baby’s immune system to fight diseases. The increased intake of vitamins is also important for women of the childbearing age who are considering to become pregnant. Different vitamins perform different functions in the body during pregnancy. Vitamin B12, for instance, is used in the development of the genetic material in the baby, production of the red blood cells likewise for the healthy functioning of the nervous system. For non- pregnant women, he intake recommended is 2.4 milligrams per day and it is obtained from animal products such as eggs and milk. Vitamin A and beta carotene are also essential for foetal development since it helps in the development of the foetus, growth and vision of the child. Its sources are animal products such as fish, meat and milk. Importance of pre-pregnancy nutrition One of the reasons why assessing the pre pregnancy nutritional condition of a women is important is because it has profound effects on the birth weight of the baby. The inadequacy of nutrients such as fatty acids, vitamins and micronutrients before pregnancy can cause low birth weights in children. Low birth weight babies are babies who have an average weight of less than 2500 grams at the time of birth and fall into two distinct categories. One such category is the premature babies that are born before 37 weeks, and the other category are the babies with intrauterine growth retardation which refers to the full term births but small-for-date. In many instances, the nutritional status of women before pregnancy has a direct effect on the birth weight of the baby likely to be delivered (Caballero, 2013, p. 97). In the developing countries, for instance, low birth weight is caused by the malnutrition in women before and in the initial periods of pregnancy. The survival of a child also depends on the weight of the child during birth. In both the industrialized and unindustrialized nations, the mortality rates for normal babies is less than that for low birth weight babies. The survival of low birth weight babies also comes with even greater challenges.in many cases, such babies have increased chances of morbidity, poor neurological development and have difficulty in attaining education. The nutritional status of a woman before pregnancy is also crucial because it determines whether or not the woman will have pregnancy discomforts. In preparing for conception, a healthy diet is necessary to ensure that the pregnancy period is comfortable and manageable. The lack of nutrients such as iron can lead to increased chances of anaemia during pregnancy thus causing pregnancy-related complications that may lead to maternal hospitalization. Poor preconception nutrition also increases the levels of discomfort during pregnancy such as morning sickness, cramping, constipation, heartburn and fatigue. Additionally, it can reduce the speed of healing after the birth process hence resulting in increased chances of maternal infections. Another reason why the nutritional status of a woman before pregnancy is important is because it helps to boost the health of the child thus preventing any chronic diseases that may occur during pregnancy as well as in the developmental stages of the baby. Poor nutrition before pregnancy is one of the major factors that contribute to the poor development of the foetus, thus increasing the chances of illness of the mother and the baby during pregnancy and after delivery. The health of the foetus and predisposition to illnesses such as obesity and other chronic diseases depends on the mother’s nutritional status before conception and during early pregnancy (Branca et al., 2007, p. 81). Of important concern is also the effect of pre-pregnancy maternal weight on the outcome of the pregnancy (Insel et al., 2016, p. 455). The dietary status of a woman before conception determines the weight and hence can have profound impacts on pregnancy, it is important for women planning to have children to have their body mass indices determined to enable them stay healthy and also protect the lives of the babies they intend to carry. Poor nutritional practises before conception can cause maternal overweight and obesity thus resulting in complications during birth and can affect the overall health of the child delivered. Overweight and obesity before pregnancy causes a lot of health risks such as diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke (Ekvall and Ekvall, 2005, p. 11). In addition, research indicates that pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity causes pregnancy complications and difficulty during delivery while still impacting adversely on the health of the child. Another reason why the nutritional status of women before pregnancy is important is because it has a direct impact on the health of the placenta. The placenta is an important organ that that helps in sustaining the life of the baby in the uterus. Poor nutrition affects the placenta and hence the development of the baby. A placenta that is easily damaged due to poor nutritional practises can lead to reduced supplies of oxygen and sustenance of the foetus in the uterus. In severe cases, the placenta can be extremely damaged, leading to haemorrhage. As a result, the increased blood loss can result in anaemia, fatigue, confusion and palpitations. The result is the poor health of the baby and long recovery periods of the mother, especially in instances where delivery is not done in hospitals (Insel, 2014, p.125). Nutritional status of women considering to be mothers is also important because it reduces chances of miscarriages. Women that intend to have babies in the future are encouraged to have healthy eating habits in order to increase the nutrient reserves in the body for the maintenance of pregnancy in the future. Poor nutrition before conception can cause a lot of problems during pregnancies that may cause miscarriages or even forced abortions by medical practitioners. Complications that may be caused by poor nutrition include life-threatening diseases such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, convulsions and even death, resulting in the need for abortions to save the lives of the mothers. Such serious conditions can be prevented by ensuring healthy eating habits before and even during pregnancy. Another importance of ensuring healthy feeding habits before pregnancy is its effect on the food preferences of the children as they grow. When preparing for pregnancy, it is important that one engages in healthy eating habits to prepare the body in providing a variety of nutrients to the baby during pregnancy. If a mother has the habit of eating a particular kind of food before and during pregnancy, there is the tendency of the babies also to have sub-optimal food preferences which can also result in poor health of the babies. The types of food that a woman eats before and during pregnancy flavours the amniotic fluid, making the baby accustomed to that flavour, hence good or poor eating habits as the babies grow. From the above discussion, it is evident that the nutritional status of a mother during the pre-pregnancy period has a wide range of effects both during pregnancy and even after delivery. The women that consider to be mothers in the future are advised to go for preconception check -ups to know the things that are likely to affect their pregnancies and be able to address them before they occur (Eyles, 2014, p. 138). In conclusion, while conducting such visits, it is important for such women to be open enough to discuss their dietary practises with the medical practitioners as well as their family histories to be able to gain insight on how these may affect the babies they intend to conceive. References Branca, F., Nikogosian, H., & Lobstein, T. (2007). The challenge of obesity in the WHO European Region and the strategies for response. Copenhagen, Denmark, WHO Regional Office for Europe. P. 81. Caballero, B. (2013). Encyclopedia of human nutrition, p. 97. Ekvall, S., & Ekvall, V. K. (2005). Pediatric nutrition in chronic diseases and developmental disorders prevention, assessment, and treatment. New York, Oxford University Press, p. 11. Eyles, M. O. (2014). Mosby's comprehensive review of practical nursing for the NCLEX-PN examination, p. 138. Insel, P. M. (2014). Nutrition. Burlington, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning, p.125 Insel, P. M., Ross, D., Mcmahon, K., & Bernstein, M. (2016). Discovering nutrition, p. 455. Tharpe, N., Farley, C. L., & Jordan, R. G. (2013). Clinical practice guidelines for midwifery and women's health. Burlington, Mass, Jones & Bartlett Learning, p. 437 Webb, F. S., & Whitney, E. N. (2012). Nutrition: concepts and controversies. Belmont, Calif, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, p.42. Read More