Eating a nutritious diet is one of the many important things that pregnant women need to do to avoid preeclampsia. Many American women have poor nutrition habits (known as the Standard American Diet), which can cause pregnancy difficulties that better nutrition could prevent. Mothers often need to be induced due to preeclampsia, which could have been avoided by proper nutrition during pregnancy, as observed by a birth Doula.
This starts a cascade of interventions and parents feeling out of control. It’s unfortunate that our care providers don’t always give us the information and support we need to make good decisions about eating and parenting. I’m grateful to have had great support and guidance that has allowed me to keep learning and benefiting others.
You should consume up to 100 grams of protein daily to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some high-protein foods include boiled eggs, nut butters, nitrite-free deli meat, and liver.
It’s important to consume healthy fats like avocado, 1 T nut butter, or 1 T real butter every day. These healthy fats are essential for your body and brain to function properly. Taking an Omega-3 fish oil supplement is a great way to ensure you’re getting enough healthy fats in your diet.
A high salt diet has a number of benefits, including promoting a healthy appetite, improving digestion, and helping to eliminate toxins from the body. Some of the best sources of salt include soy sauce, Celtic sea salt, and kelp powder. Adding these to your diet in unlimited amounts can help improve your overall health.
It is recommended that you consume two servings of dark, leafy vegetables each day. These vegetables are packed with nutrients and vitamins that are essential for your health. Dark, leafy vegetables include spinach, kale, and collard greens. Adding these vegetables to your diet will improve your overall health and wellness.
I can attest from my own experience that eating well is not just important during pregnancy, but during the childbearing years in general. I attribute the healthy births of my 8 and 9 pound babies (and my own healthy 40 pound weight gain on my 53″ frame) not to luck, but to the care I took with my diet and self-care while pregnant. This diet is just as important postpartum, as you need the same support while breastfeeding your baby.
Your diet while breastfeeding is important, even though you are burning extra calories. I remember when my second baby was nine months old and started waking up at night. I was exhausted from not being able to take afternoon naps. Good nutrition and fats were important for me to get through that time.
I would always tell my patients that if they were feeling exhausted, they should just push through and the next day would be better. I didn’t listen to my own advice and four months later, I was fourteen pounds lighter and made up entirely of muscle loss. I was shocked, and it was a hard lesson to learn, but it made me realize that I needed to take my own advice and not let my fatigue get the best of me.
