MommE Mondays

With so many people around me pregnant or new mothers I decided to start a MommE Monday column. Every Monday I will answer a question that was asked of me about pregnancy or being a new mom and if I haven't received a question I will take the time to address an issue that I think is very important.

This week I am going to start with the age old LIE that says when your pregnant your eating for two! In one word that is BULLSHIT! So many women find out they are pregnant and all of a sudden they are soooo hungry, and having cravings and you begin to hear well I'm eating for two now so I might as well have more. NO that is not true.

According to BabyCenter.com: Your body becomes more efficient during pregnancy and is able to absorb more of the nutrients you eat. So consuming twice as much doesn't double your chances of having a healthy baby – instead, it's likely to mean excessive weight gain for you, which can put you at risk for pregnancy complications.

If you're at a healthy weight, you need no additional calories in the first trimester, about 300 extra calories a day in the second trimester, and about 450 extra calories a day in the third trimester. If you're overweight or underweight, you'll need more or less than this depending on your weight gain goal.

BabyCenter.com gives some pointers on how to maximize your diet:

Here are some tips for maximizing nutrition during pregnancy:

• To meet your daily needs for protein, calories, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and key vitamins and minerals during pregnancy, eat a variety of foods. Even within a category of foods (like vegetables), look for different colors, types, and textures, for example.

• Try to minimize "extra" foods that have calories but few nutrients – sugary beverages, fried foods, foods with extra fat and sugar. Instead, choose meals and snacks that pack the most nutrition per calorie. Adding a few nutrition-packed snacks – like yogurt, nuts, a hard-boiled egg, some fresh fruits or vegetables – to your daily intake is a great way to get the healthy calories your baby needs
• Choose foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Pick whole-grain bread or brown rice over refined white bread or white rice, and fresh fruits or frozen unsweetened fruit over canned fruits in sugar syrup, for example.
• Eat fats, oils, and sweets sparingly. And be sure to choose healthy fats.

I hope these pointers help you. And if you feel abit overwhelmed be sure to sign up for websites like:
www.babycenter.com
www.mypregnancyguide.com
www.whattoexpect.com and
www.smartmama.com

These websites will send you weekly alerts and what is going on with your body through your pregnancy as well as what to expect with a newborn.


Remember if you have any questions that you want addressed on MommE Mondays please send an email to ssanders@themommeshop.com or leave a message on our Facebook fan page The MommE Shop.

See ya Next week!