Nutrition and pregnancy: Second trimester
This is the second in a series of blogs walking expecting moms through the importance of nutrition on their pregnancy.
During your second trimester you will likely begin to show more noticeable weight gain with your growing baby. Keep in mind that being either underweight or overweight when you become pregnant can put you at risk for certain pregnancy complications.
Babies born to underweight moms can be born prematurely or at low birthweight, which puts them at risk for health and development problems. Infants born to moms who are overweight can develop diabetes and high cholesterol.
Getting to the ideal weight can be as simple as upping your nutrition game. Eating healthy meals is important for both you and your developing baby.
Here are the pregnancy weight gain recommendations, based on your weight (BMI) coming into pregnancy:
- Normal weight: 25-35 pounds
- Underweight: 28-40 pounds
- Overweight: 15-25 pounds
- Obese: 11-20 pounds
Just how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy depends on your BMI (body mass index) prior to pregnancy. Talk about your specific numbers with your doctor or midwife to ensure smooth sailing.
To achieve the ideal weight gain, most pregnant women need just 300 more calories a day to support their own health and the needs of the growing baby inside them.
Make those extra calories count! Healthy eating is crucial to your well-being and the health and development of your baby. So, skip the junk food and eat nutritious meals and snacks. You’ll feel better and your baby will get the best possible start.
Post this list of the nutrients you need on your refrigerator to help you plan healthy meals and snacks:
- Vitamin C: Citrus fruit, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower or tomatoes help your baby’s developing bones, cartilage, muscles and blood.
- Calcium: Milk or calcium-fortified orange juice, dark green leafy vegetables (kale and spinach, for example), canned salmon or sardines (no more than twice a week), cottage cheese, yogurt or hard cheese provide the calcium needed to build your baby’s bones and teeth.
- Vitamin A: Yellow vegetables, milk, cantaloupe, peaches and green leafy vegetables provide the vitamin A that helps create the cells that will make up your baby’s internal organs.
- Vitamin D: Milk, egg yolks, sardines and canned salmon, and a little daily sunshine are all you need for this nutrient important to bones and teeth.
- Vitamin E: Green leafy vegetables, whole grains and fish all contain vitamin E. Because a diet rich in vegetables and grains will provide plenty of E, extra supplements (beyond what is already included in prenatal vitamins) are not recommended.
- Iron: Dried fruit, lean red meat, beans, pasta, whole-grain breads, prunes and green leafy vegetables, along with your prenatal vitamin, provide the iron needed to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through your bloodstream and your baby’s. It also helps your baby build her own blood supply. You need twice as much iron now as before you were pregnant.
Iron is best absorbed by your body when you eat foods high in iron. Iron supplements are not as easily absorbed, so you need to take a lot more of them to absorb a small amount. Take iron with a food high in vitamin C so that the iron is absorbed more readily.
Small but steady changes at this stage of the game can ensure the remainder of your pregnancy support the growth and development of your baby. You’ve got this!
Learn more about prenatal care and check back here next month for second trimester nutrition tips!