Negros Oriental – Pre-conception nutrition is essential to prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy. Healthy diet before conceiving can help you increase your fertility and can also help prevent complications that may arise during pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy weight also affects the baby’s birth weight. Thus, it is important to have a healthy body as you prepare to onboard your precious baby. But how can you nutritionally arm yourself before becoming a mother?

Here are some nutrition guides for you:

Iron. Increasing iron reserves aids in preparing a mother’s body for the demands of the fetus during pregnancy. Iron transports oxygen throughout your body and will be crucial in providing oxygen to your unborn child as well. A woman needs 18mg of iron each day but will increase to 27 mg per during conception. Iron food sources includes lean meats, fish, shellfish, green leafy vegetables, and legumes.

Folic Acid. To increase the amount of folic acid in their bodies and to prevent their unborn children from neural tube disorders like spina bifida, all women must take folic acid supplements prior to conception. Women should take 400 mcg of folic each day and increase to 600 mcg during pregnancy. Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and nuts.

Calcium. During pregnancy, it is important to have a stable supply of calcium for baby’s bone health and development. If supply is low, the developing baby will draw calcium from the mother’s bones may later cause osteoporosis in the future. Thus, it is important to stock up your calcium supply even before pregnancy. It is recommended that women should take in 1,000 mg per day from sources like milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products.

Every woman deserves to have a healthy and successful pregnancy.  It is important to nutritionally arm yourself with a healthy diet to prepare your body as you embrace your child in your womb. // ND II Shaira Vita A. Calumpang, RND