Nutrition During Pregnancy Background Recommendations for weight gain and nutrient intake to achieve a healthy pregnancy have evolved during the past 30 years…

Recommendations for weight gain and nutrient intake to achieve a healthy pregnancy have evolved during the past 30 years. Research has shown that maternal nutrition can profoundly influence the growth and development of a fetus. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report, Nutrition During Pregnancy (1990), summarizing scientific data on the issues of gestational weight gain, dietary intake and nutrient supplementation during pregnancy. In addition, the IOM panels responsible for the on-going updates of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) take special care to develop pregnancy-specific recommendations for each nutrient. Weight gain and nutrient intakes for pregnancy are summarized here, based on the Nutrition During Pregnancy report, its successor (Suitor 1997), as well as the pregnancy-specific DRI reports. Total Weight Gain. • Weight gain goals for pregnancy are individualized according to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and are based on the weight gains known to result in full-term babies weighing at least 6 ½ pounds:… • Weight gain is best described as a range, rather than a specific number, to alleviate anxiety about the exact amount of weight to be gained. • African American women and adolescents are at higher risk of giving birth to LBW infants. Previous recommendations suggested these women gain at the higher end of the specified range, however it was not clear that this resulted in increased birth weights. Because these two groups are at higher risk of post-partum weight retention, it is now recommended that they gain within the specified range for their BMI. • Women of short stature (less than 5′2″) should gain weight at the lower end of the range for their BMI. • For women carrying twins, a maternal weight gain of 40-45 lbs is associated with optimal birth weight. Rate of Weight Gain • In the 1st trimester, weight gain is usually low, averaging a total of 3-4 lbs. • In the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, when the majority of fetal growth occurs, the typical pattern of weight gain is one of smooth, steady increments. • For women of normal pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gains of approximately one pound per week are recommended during the 2nd trimester, and slightly lower, 0.9 lbs per week, in the 3rd trimester. Underweight women will need to gain at a slightly higher rate and overweight women will need to gain slightly less to achieve full-term weight goals. • For women carrying twins, preliminary evidence suggests the following weight gain rates: BMI<19: gain 1.75 lbs/week; BMI 19-25: gain 1.5 lbs/week…

Source: http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/

Download Nutrition During Pregnancy: A Summary of 20 Years of Scientific Data