Getting the right nutrients at different stages of pregnancy bring huge benefits to both the infants and the mothers. These stages cover the preconception stage, the three trimesters and the lactation period.
1. Preconception Stage (From 3 months before conception)
Maintaining a balance diet is the golden rule. Make sure you obtain 400mcg of folic acid per day. Folic acid is essential for healthy cell division and replication of genetic materials. It plays an important role in brain and nerve development for embryos and later fetuses. You can get folic acid from natural food such as spinach, orange, lemon peel etc., which has higher bioavailability and is more absorbable to the body.By getting around 300mg of DHA per day, your body can have enough DHA storage for the brain and nerve development of the embryo.
2. During Pregnancy (Week 0 – Week 40)
Fetuses’ cell divisions and organs growth are happening at a very fast pace. During the first 40 weeks, it requires a constant supply of nutrients from the mother for healthy brain and nervous system development. While folic acid plays an integral part in the development of the nervous system, DHA and soy lecithin are the keys of developing brain and nerve cells.
Calcium is another star nutrient during pregnancy. It not only supports healthy skeletal development, but also prevents pregnant women from excessive hair loss after nutrients delivery and avoiding legs cramps.
Meanwhile, vitamin C aids iron absorption that is essential for red blood cells formation, which transports nutrients from mother to fetus.
3. Lactation Period (Week 40 onwards)
As you’re breast-feeding, you’re giving your baby nutrients that will promote his or her growth and health. Mothers are recommended to strengthen their immunity by intake of vitamin C to avoid unnecessary use of medicine. Vitamin C enriched food includes kiwi, lemon, acerola cherry and etc.
For babies’ healthy brain and eye development, lactating mothers should continue to make sure their daily diet contains enough DHA, which is around 400mg. DHA is essential to healthy skin, soothing allergic conditions and promoting better mood.
Lactating mothers are recommended to choose food which is rich in folic acid and soy lecithin. These nutrients are critical to support healthy brain and nervous system development of babies.
5 Main Prenatal Nutrients for Mums & Babies
1: Organic Lemon Peel Extract (Natural Folic Acid) – Support Fetus Healthy Brain and Nervous System Development
Folic acid, which is also known as Vitamin B9, is an essential element for cell divisions. It is important for proper DNA replication. Folic acid plays a critical role in DNA synthesis and promotes fetal brain nervous system and spinal cord development. Adequate intake of folic acid is vital for healthy pregnancy. Women are suggested to supplement folic acid 3 months before conception to have sufficient storage of folic acid storage.
Tips:
- Folic acid is easily denatured upon high cooking temperature and loss. It is suggested to obtain folic acid from fresh and organic food. When choosing folic acid supplements preferably selecting those are extracted from whole foods, instead of the synthetic ones, because they are more bioavailable with multi-nutrients.
2: DHA – Support fetus optimal brain and eye development
DHA could be obtained from deep sea fish and algae. DHA is a vital element in the synthesis of brain cells and eye cells. It also supports healthy skin, soothing allergic conditions and relieving panic emotion.
Tips:
- According to US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recommendations, pregnant women are advised not to consume over 2 oz (60g) per week of deep sea fish because of heavy metal accumulation. It can seriously affect the fetal neural development.
3: Vitamin C – Enhance immunity of pregnant women
Pregnant women are more prone to bacterial or viral attack. Daily intake of 500-1,000mg Vitamin C builds stronger immunity and reduces use of medication. Vitamin C aids iron absorption as well. Pregnant women need 1-2 times more of iron than regular women to supply nutrition need of fetus and to prepare enough blood for delivery. However, direct supplement of iron may lead to constipation. Therefore, the intake of Vitamin C is a better option to enhance iron absorption.
Tips:
- Peeled or cooked fruits lead to loss of Vitamin C. It is suggested that Vitamin C is best consumed from fresh, raw and clean fruits and greens.
- Vitamin C extracted from natural fruit like Acerola Cherry has higher bioavailability to provide better benefits to bodies.
4: Calcium – Pregnant women need extra calcium
Pregnant women or lactating mothers transfer their calcium storage through bloodstream or breasting milk to the fetus or infant for fast and healthy skeletal growth. In addition to maintaining normal calcium metabolism, pregnant women and lactating mothers need extra calcium to avoid legs cramps and osteoporosis.
Tips:
- Some calcium food may be high in calories which results in weight gain or gestational diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension.
- For better absorption and avoiding constipation, it is recommended that one should take 300-400mg of calcium at a time. Calcium extracted from algae is of high purity and is accompanied by multi-nutrients which creates a synergistic effect for better benefit.
5: Soy Lecithin – the main component of amniotic fluid
Amniotic fluid inside placenta consists large amount of lecithin. Lecithin is a key ingredient for the synthesis of brain cells and the continuous brain and neural cells development. Acetylcholine in soy lecithin enhances brain activities which include concentration, memory, intelligence and cognitive abilities of the infants and children.
Tips:
- Soy or soy products like tofu, soy milk contain rich lecithin. However, bloating or stomach flatulence may occur after consuming too much soy products. In this case, split them into smaller portions and consume 1 portion at a time separately throughout the day.
- It is suggested to choose non-genetic modified and with higher concentration of active ingredients to obtain the best result.