How Your Child Can Suffer From Smoking During Pregnancy

Anyone who smokes knows that it is unhealthy, but smoking during pregnancy also places your baby at great risk for many health problems. Actually, there are problems right down the line including adverse risks during birth and beyond. If you smoke and learn that you are pregnant, the ideal time to quit is immediately. However, we realize that not all mothers will quit immediately which is unfortunate. The benefits of quitting for both you are your baby are tremendous. Once you've made the decision to quit seek out a support group to help you succeed. Smoking during pregnancy poses some very real risks and we will talk about those risks here.

When a woman smokes while she is carrying her baby, all systems are essentially under attack from hundreds of known chemicals added to cigarettes. The baby's immune system is compromised, and the effect of that is the general tendency to be sick more often with colds and other infections. There are known complications to the respiratory system as evidenced by a slew of potential problems positively correlated to smoking during pregnancy. Children of mothers who smoked while pregnant can also have problems with normal growth.

Infants of smoking mothers are displaying an interesting trend. The babies in this category tend to have a higher heart rate than babies whose mothers did not smoke. A baby born to a smoking mother will have a heart rate that is about 30% higher than a baby whose mother doesn't smoke. This is speaking specifically about women who smoked during pregnancy. It is difficult to know the exact cause of this condition. But it may be due in part to the baby not receiving the normal amount of oxygen because of the smoking.

More children are being diagnosed with ADHD or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In fact, millions of diagnoses are made each year, and the figure appears to be climbing each year. Smoking at least half a pack a day, increases your child's tendency toward hyperactivity, although there are many other causes of ADHD. This increased hyperactivity increases a child's risk of being diagnosed with ADHD.

This should be a tremendous cause for concern for women who smoke while pregnancy.

The highly negative effects on her baby are enormous and incompletely understood. The issues discussed have mainly focused on the unborn baby but these problems don't disappear after birth. These consequences are far reaching and can affect the child well into adulthood. The child can be left dealing with the consequences of their mother smoking while pregnant for their entire life. This is why it is extremely important to quit smoking for the sake of both the mother and the baby.

How To Avoid or Cure Anaemia During Pregnancy

Why are pregnant women more prone to have anaemia during pregnancy?

Pregnant women are more prone to have anaemia during pregnancy simply because they're also supplying it to their developing baby. Anaemia is also more common in women who have pregnancies close together and also in women carrying twins or triplets.

Why is iron so important in a healthy pregnancy diet?

"Iron - poor blood," an expression common in some places, is really haemoglobin - poor blood. Haemoglobin is the iron - containing oxygen - transport protein that is found in our red blood cells. Having enough iron in your pregnancy diet enables both you and your baby's blood to successfully carry oxygen.

How much iron should take to prevent anaemia during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, it is a must to make sure that you're getting at least 30-50mg of iron each day. After your 20th week, that amount becomes imperative as your baby depends on your iron supply to formulate his or her own red blood cells.

Iron - rich foods or iron supplements?

Although taking a supplement is a great way to ensure that you're getting enough iron each day and thus prevent or cure anaemia during pregnancy, natural foods should always be your first choice since they are always safer to take and more easily absorbed in our body.

What foods are rich in iron?

Food -- Amount -- Iron Content(mg)

Blackstrap molasses -- 1 tablespoon -- 5.0Raw Tofu -- ? cup -- 4.0Lentils -- ? cup -- 3.3Beef chuck -- 3 ounces -- 3.2Dried peaches -- 5 halves -- 2.6Kidney beans -- ? cup -- 2.6Wheat germ -- ? cup -- 2.6Chickpeas -- ? cup -- 2.4Broccoli -- 1 medium stalk -- 2.1Dark meat turkey -- 3 ounces -- 2.0Spinach -- 1 cup raw -- 0.8

 

Healthy Pregnancy Diet - Eating Well During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a stage that is associated with a number of important anatomical and functional changes, which include the increased requirements of some nutrients that are important for the proper development of your baby.

Therefore, it is very important to take preventive measures to ensure the best possible health for you and your baby. So, one of the most important considerations is to have a healthy pregnancy diet.

It is important to meet the nutritional requirements recommended during pregnancy, since the specific deficiency of certain elements can cause major complications to your pregnancy.

Some nutrients of vital importance during pregnancy are:

Folic Acid

Folic acid deficiency, for example, is associated significantly with certain birth defects in your baby, so it is of vital importance to increase its consumption, even before starting the pregnancy. The recommended intake must be increased to 147% to prevent the defects associated with deficiency.

Vitamins C and B12

During pregnancy the levels of vitamins C and B12 decrease gradually. That is why the recommended intake of these vitamins must be increased by 67 and 40% respectively.

Iron

Iron deficiency is a major cause of anemia that can occur during pregnancy.

Healthy Food Choices:

Tell yourself that making smart eating choices is non-negotiable. You have to eat healthy food. End of discussion!

There are some foods where you can find the nutrients needed for your pregnancy and are important for maintaining a balanced diet. These foods are based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, protein (milk, fresh cheese, red meat-preferably fat-free as chicken and fish), and reduce the intake of sugars and fats.

The deficiency of vital foods during pregnancy may have important consequences, either because of the loss of nutrients, or because they are not consumed in the proper amount to satisfy the demand of your pregnancy.

Healthy food is essential to avoid gaining massive amounts of weight during pregnancy. If you do, you are putting your baby at risk and setting yourself up for a long road of dieting after the baby is born.

Tell yourself that you and your baby are worth it, so you have to go to the store and stock up on healthy food.

Here you have a basic guide of foods for your pregnancy:
Fruit (2-4 servings): Remember that a serving is half cup of cut fruit, one medium fruit (like a pear or apple) or three plums.Cereals (6-11 servings): one serving equals one slice of bread, 150 gr. cereal or 100 gr. rice or pasta.Dairy (3-4 servings): A serving is a glass of milk, two yoghurts, 150 gr. of cheese or a pudding.Meats (2-3 servings): A serving is a fillet of beef, chicken, fish, or two eggs.Vegetables (3-5 servings): one cup of raw vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetable.