SUPER HEALTHY FOODS FOR PREGNANT AND BREASTFEEDING MOMS...........
Super healthy foods for
pregnant and breastfeeding moms
During pregnancy and breastfeeding periods are periods when you need to eat more, not just quantity but also quality to make sure baby develops properly.
Whether pregnant or breastfeeding, you and your baby are what you eat. Poor
dieting is one of the things that lead to excess weight gain after delivery and breastfeeding. Eating healthy and nutritious foods, improves and ensures your health
and your baby’s health, it also helps to lose the pregnancy weight after
delivery and breastfeeding your baby.
Me, personally I love food, and maybe that is one of the reason I love being
pregnant, because then I don’t feel lazy to eat because I know I must have to eat.
During pregnancy is when you get what you want, with sending hubby to help
as well, and he wouldn’t even mind because I’m pregnant.
During the early stage
of my pregnancy I eat a lot, eating a lot happens to be the first sign of pregnancy I get. I can wake up at midnight to eat. I don’t go to a
place, unless there is food there for me to eat, before I visit you, you must
make sure you have food in your house for my consumption.....But then I also make sure
I eat in the right proportion, quantity and quality. Eating a lot is one of the things I miss about being pregnant. Now that I'm not pregnant, the laziness to eat, won't let me eat as much I want to.
Breastfeeding moms hear different kinds of breastfeeding tales, eat this, eat that, do not eat this, it will give baby stomach ache and all of that, it is left for the mom to make her choice.
1. Dairy products; Milk, yogurt etc There is a special milk hubby gets for me anytime am pregnant and nursing a child,
SMA mom, he does that just to make sure his baby gets enough calcium. He also
makes sure I drink the milk at least twice a day, it does not matter if I like
it or not. Yogurt and milk are good sources of calcium for good development of
the fetus and also for strong bones and teeth.
2. Eggs; since hubby heard
that eggs helps sharpen kids’ brain and equally makes them intelligent, he made
sure that I ate at least 2 eggs a day during pregnancy and nursing,
he will force the egg down my throat, without minding if I liked it or not. The
smell of an egg especially boiled can be very disgusting. If you don’t like the
smell of the egg, maybe you can try frying it with enough onions and lots of pepper,
maybe it will help. The truth is that you need lots and lots of egg.
Also eggs contain almost every nutrient you need, calories, high quality protein and fat, as well vitamin and minerals.
Also eggs contain almost every nutrient you need, calories, high quality protein and fat, as well vitamin and minerals.
3. Green leafy vegetables;
When I was pregnant with my last child, I had low blood volume, so l had to
place myself on very green leafy vegetable and in a matter of weeks, by my next antenatal visit, my blood
bounced back. Anyara in igbo, is a very good source of iron and its very
healthy for pregnant and nursing moms. Pumpkin (ugu), water leaf, spinach etc
are all good leafy vegetable for pregnant and nursing moms.
4. Legumes; from peas,
beans, peanuts, soya beans etc are all good legumes. They are good sources of
fiber, protein, calcium, foliate. Which are what a pregnant mom/ a nursing mom
needs, both for herself and her baby. The high foliate content of legumes
reduces the risk of some birth defect diseases. The high fiber content of green
leafy vegetable also helps in preventing constipation which is a common
complain among pregnant moms.
5. Meat; Chicken, mutton,
beef, pork etc. Anyone you like, I personally would go for beef anytime, any
day. They are good sources of iron which is used by the red blood cells as part
of hemoglobin. Iron is very important to the pregnant woman especially in 3rd
trimester, it helps prevent anemia during pregnancy. Liver also is a good source of iron, I remember cooking just liver and pumpkin (ugu) to build my blood when I was pregnant.
6. Sweet potatoes; I don’t
like sweet potatoes but for the sacrifices a mother does for her child, I
started eating it, to make sure I give my babies the best nutrients. Being a
mom, it does not matter anymore what I like or not. Sweet potato is a very good
source of vitamin A, which is very important for the growth, good eye sight and
cell differentiation in the growing fetus. I learned about the importance of sweet potatoes to a pregnant/nursing mom when I had my first child, since I already had I had to start eating sweet potatoes so she at least gets the nutrients from breast milk.
7. Fish; Omega-3-fatty acid
is found very high in fish. But then these sea foods contains some heavy metals
which when consumed in excess may lead to birth defect and poor brain
development. Fish consumption should be 2-3 times in a week, not in excess, because of the developing fetus.
Omega-3-fatty acid is important for the eye & brain development of the
fetus and the baby.
8. Carbohydrates; well you may need some strength to push out your baby on the day of delivery, so you need some carbs to get enough strength. To even push the pregnancy till the day of delivery, you need strength and energy.
9. Water; you can not afford to feel or be dehydrated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. SO far as my tummy is protruded because of pregnancy, I must have my bottle of chilled water with me anytime anywhere.For a nursing mom, the breast milk is made up mostly water, so if you do not drink enough water, how do you hope to make enough milk for your baby? Water is life, being pregnant and breastfeeding a baby makes water more life to a woman. I wake uo to drink water almost thrice before day break, it is part of bedtime story of a pregnant woman.
10. Fruits; fruits has lots of vitamins and helps reduce or stop constipation, especially garden eggs. Fruits like cucumber keeps you hydrated and full for a long time till you get yourself some water and food. Even after delivery and breastfeeding, fruits has to part of your everyday meal.
10. Fruits; fruits has lots of vitamins and helps reduce or stop constipation, especially garden eggs. Fruits like cucumber keeps you hydrated and full for a long time till you get yourself some water and food. Even after delivery and breastfeeding, fruits has to part of your everyday meal.
Make eating healthy while pregnant and breastfeeding one of your pregnancy resolutions and you won't have issues after delivery and breastfeeding.
Being pregnant and breastfeeding a baby, are the most sacrificial period of a woman's life, you may just eat what you do not like just for the good of your baby, and then forgo what you love because of your baby.
Claiming to be eating for two, and then over feeds herself, is what me and every pregnant woman enjoys doing.
I may not have captioned them all, I may have forgotten some, or overlooked some, please tell us more about super healthy foods for pregnant and nursing moms.
Is there any food here, you think a pregnant/ breastfeeding mom does not need? Which one is it? Use the comment box to drop your views. Feel free to add more healthy foods to the list.
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