Congrats, you’re expecting! You’re eating for two now, but not when it comes to calories. In fact, you don’t need extra calories until the second trimester starts, but you do need to make smart choices.
Here are some other must-know pregnancy nutrition facts:
- Do you love seafood? Go ahead and indulge. Certain seafood is perfectly safe during pregnancy, and the childbearing years. And evidence suggests eating fish when you’re expecting and nursing is good for baby.
- As long as you have your doctor’s OK, you can work out during your entire pregnancy, even if you don’t exercise now.
- Popping an over-the-counter multivitamin pill every day before and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of heart defect; neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida; limb deformities; and pre-term birth.
- You need DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an unsaturated fat abundant in seafood, dietary supplements, and fortified foods, for your child’s proper brain development and vision. Pregnant women require at least 200 milligrams of DHA daily.
- Calcium needs do not increase during pregnancy. They remain at 1,000 milligrams a day, the amount found in about three 8-ounce glasses of milk.
- Morning sickness? Hah! So-called morning sickness can strike at any time of day. It may last the entire pregnancy, but typically disappears in the second trimester.
- Mom’s junk food habits during pregnancy may program her child to prefer foods higher in fat, salt, and sugar.
Find out more about the best eating plan for you in chapters 3, 4 and 5 of Expect The Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, & After Pregnancy.