Bump to Baby
     A short guide to eating well during pregnancy and breastfeeding
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        Contents                                                                       A pregnant
         1 Introduction                                                           pause for thought 
        2  Healthy diet guide
        3  Keeping active during pregnancy                                     Eating a well-balanced diet is important for health, 
        4  Mighty minerals                                                     whatever your age, but particularly if you are 
        5  Vital vitamins                                                      pregnant (or planning to have a baby in the near 
        6  Food for thought                                                    future). This is because your baby can reap the 
        8  Now that your baby has arrived…                                     benefits of your healthy diet while he or she is 
        9  What is a healthy diet for a new mum?                               growing in your womb. 
        10 Why is breastfeeding ‘simply the best’?                              
        11  Your questions answered                                            The good news is that a healthy diet for pregnant 
                                                                               women is similar to a healthy diet for everyone,  
                                                                               there are just a few additional important things to 
                                                                               keep in mind.
                                                                                
                                                                               You don’t need to “eat          It’s a good idea not 
       This little guide,                                                      for two”! It’s only in the       to leave too long 
       based on current                                                        last three months of             between eating 
       government advice,                                                      your pregnancy when            occasions – no more 
       covers the basics                                                       you need just 200 extra        than 12 hours. If you 
       about eating well                                                       calories a day – that’s         don’t normally eat 
       during pregnancy.                                                       a large banana and a           breakfast try having a 
       The best people to                                                      glass of semi-skimmed          small snack instead.
       give you more detailed                                                  milk or a piece of fruit 
       advice are your GP,                                                     and 30g of hard cheese.
       midwife and dietitian.
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    2 Healthy diet guide                                                                   Keeping active
         A healthy diet contains a variety of foods from each of                               during pregnancy
         the groups in the table below. 
                            Examples                    Quantity                           It’s important to stay active during pregnancy - it’s good for 
                                                                                           you and your baby! Weight-bearing exercise (where your feet 
      Potatoes, bread,      Bread, breakfast cereals,   Make these a main part             support your whole body weight) may help reduce labour time 
      rice, pasta and       potatoes, rice, pasta,      of every meal and eat              and other complications. It can also help:
      other starchy         couscous, cornmeal,         wholegrain or high-fibre           •  control weight gain
      foods                 yams and sweet potatoes varieties when you can
      Fruit and             Oranges, apples,            Try to eat at least five           •  improve fitness, mood and sleep
      vegetables            bananas, mangoes,           servings a day                     •  reduce risk of pregnancy problems such as 
                            carrots, peas and                                                 high blood pressure and diabetes 
                            tomatoes                                                       Aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Try 
      Milk and dairy        Milk, cheese, yogurt and    Three servings per day             to do a mixture of aerobic and muscle strengthening activity. 
                            fromage frais               will provide enough                Don’t overdo it - you should be able to hold a conversation 
                                                        calcium and iodine to              without becoming breathless. If you take part in a class, let your 
                                                        meet your requirements             instructor know that you are pregnant so they can suggest 
      Beans, pulses,        Beef, lamb, pork, chicken,  Eat some protein every day.        adaptions where necessary.
      fish, eggs,           beans, lentils, nuts, eggs    Try to eat two portions 
      meat and other        and fish                    of fish every week, and            If you weren’t already active before you 
      proteins                                          to make one of these               got pregnant, don’t worry! Start slowly 
                                                        oily fish (see page 5)             and listen to your body, and don’t do 
      Oils and spreads      Olive oil, rapeseed oil,    Use sparingly                      any strenuous exercise.
                            sunflower oil, spreads
                                                                                           For more information and 
                                                                                           helpful tips on staying 
      Foods and             Crisps, fizzy drinks,       Not part of a healthy              active in pregnancy, 
      drinks high in fat    chocolate, sweets, cakes,   diet as they are high              visit Tommy’s: 
      and/or sugar          pastries and biscuits       calorie, low nutrient foods        www.tommys.org
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         Mighty                                                                                Vital 
    minerals                                                                                 vitamins
    Iodine               Calcium               Iron
    Iodine supports      Calcium is needed     If your diet is lacking         Folic acid (Folate)
    normal cognitive     for normal growth     in iron, you may feel 
    function, as         and development of  very tired and become             Ideally, you should take a 400μg (microgram) folic acid tablet 
    well as normal       bone in children.     anaemic.                        every day from the time you start trying to conceive until the 12th 
    growth of the                              A good source of                week of pregnancy. This may help reduce the risk of neural tube 
    baby.                Having a glass of     iron is red meat e.g.           defects (NTD) such as spina bifida. If you or your partner have a 
    Milk and             milk, a pot of        beef and lamb. Try              family history of NTD, or you’re taking anti-epileptic medication or 
    yogurt are           yogurt and a small    to eat lean versions            you’re diabetic speak to your GP as you may need a higher dose.
    good sources         piece (about          or trim the fat off.            It is also a good idea to eat foods that are high in folate (e.g. 
    of iodine.           the size of two                                       green leafy vegetables) or foods with added folic acid (e.g. some 
    Eggs and fish        thumbs) of hard       Alternatively, foods            breakfast cereals) - check the label to see if they contain folic acid.
    are also good        cheese a day will     such as green leafy 
    sources.             help provide most     vegetables, breakfast           Vitamin D
                         pregnant mums         cereals with added 
    Three portions       with enough           iron, beans, lentils            Pregnant women are advised to take a 10μg vitamin D supplement 
    a day will           calcium. Teenage      and nuts also contain           daily. These are available in pharmacies and under the Healthy Start 
    provide              mums need more   some iron. To make                   Scheme - contact your midwife or GP for advice.
    enough iodine        calcium to meet       the most of iron, eat           Getting outdoors regularly in the spring and summer will also 
    to meet your         their needs.          these foods with vitamin        help keep your vitamin D levels topped up. Most of our vitamin D 
    requirements.                              C-rich foods (e.g. kiwis,       comes from the action of summer sunlight on our skin. But always 
                                               tomatoes) at the same           remember to cover up or protect your skin before your skin starts to 
       Other foods that can help towards       meal, as vitamin C              turn red or burn. 
      calcium intake include white bread,      boosts iron uptake. 
      some types of nuts and seeds, green      Avoid drinking tea or           You can also get small amounts of vitamin D from oily fish (e.g. 
        leafy vegetables, some types of        coffee at mealtimes as          mackerel, salmon), eggs and foods with added vitamin D.
      beans and peas and tinned fish with      they can reduce iron            Oily fish also provides essential fatty acids. 
      bones (like sardines and pilchards).     absorption.                     Eat one or two (but no more than two) portions a week.