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Improving Maternal and Infant Mortality
By Louise Bastarache, CNM, NP, MS
What we eat is so very important to our physical and mental wellbeing. Add the fetus, who is dependent on the mother’s physical condition and habits, and you have a very serious challenge to teach women to eat the most balanced and healthiest meals every day. Much is written about pregnancy and books fill the store shelves, but where should the greatest emphasis be placed? The basic step to health: nutrition. Being a women’s healthcare advocate from adolescence to menopause, promoting a well balanced diet before, during and after pregnancy, needs the utmost attention.
The development of the embryo starting at conception is dependent on both parents. The fetus and the integrity of the placenta and umbilical cord are dependent on the fitness and habits of the parents. Both should limit alcohol and caffeine, stop smoking, avoid recreational drugs, and decrease over the counter drugs, like cold remedies and pain relievers. Additionally, it is wise to avoid artificial sweeteners, chemical additives and dyes in foods and decrease the consumption of mercury by avoiding swordfish, shark, and tuna steaks. Most importantly, teaching women about the foods that should be eaten and in what amounts, needs to be understood preconceptually. Being realistic, however, many pregnancies are not planned. How much does this put the baby and mother at risk for poor growth and development? The potential exists.
Women are always trying “diets” that they are bombarded with in the media. Enticed by either weight loss ads or energy promises, these fads increase the consumption of poor nutritional dense foods. Unsuspecting women develop vitamin deficiencies, lack iron storage and have impaired immune systems. Studies have shown that inadequate maternal nutrition status is directly correlated to infection, hemorrhage and preeclampsia.
Advocating for an organic, prenatal diet for all childbearing age women would be wise and proactive. This diet is rich in protein 90-100 gms per day, includes 4 servings of dairy (or soy substitutes), water, 2 fruits and 5 vegetables, and 3-5 servings of complex carbohydrates and 3 servings of fats, depending on the activity level of the woman. Also adding a prenatal vitamin and omega 3 fatty acids is essential and additional supplements would be on an individual basis. Just add exercise, the 10,000 walking steps, for example, and that completes the healthiest preconceptual, pregnancy, and postpartum recipe for optimum maternal and child health.
Louise Bastarache, CNM, NP, MS
Wareham Nurse Midwives…
Empowering Women to Birth NATURALLY
Wareham Nurse Midwives, PC
332 Main Street
Wareham, MA
If you would like to make an appointment or for more information, please call (508)295-3088.
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