Nutrition and Fitness During Pregnancy

Nutrition and fitness are both important in pregnancy for your health and your baby’s health. 

Folic acid 1 mg per day is best started prior to pregnancy, or as soon as pregnancy is discovered.  It is most important to the fetus prior to six weeks of pregnancy. 

While some exceptions may apply, aim for a 15-25 pound weight gain over the enitre pregnancy.  In early pregnancy, many will be affected by nausea or vomiting.  Focus on eating small amounts of desired foods often.  Simple foods such as crackers, yogurt, fruit and vegetables are often the easiest to digest. 

It’s best to focus on nutritional foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins and complex carbohydrates for the pregnancy.  Please avoid pop and juice as they can cause unnecessary weight gain without providing much nutrition.  Small amounts of treat food are fine once in a while. 

We recommend ensuring 1200 mg of calcium in your diet daily, which is the equivalent of three dairy servings.  Vitamin D supplements of 2000 IU should be taken daily. 

Exercise during pregnancy is very important for your ongoing comfort, fitness for labour, control of weight gain, and reduction of some complications of pregnancy.  If you are already maintaining a healthy fitness schedule, you can keep it up.  Avoid contact sports after the tenth week of pregnancy.  If you are not yet accustomed to regular exercise, start gradually with a comfortable walk of 15-20 minutes three times a week.  Increase this slowly to reach a minimum of 150 minutes of cardio exercise per week.  Aim for an exertion level of 6-7/10. 

You and your baby will benefit greatly from good nutrition, a healthy weight gain and adequate fitness.