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Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential during pregnancy and the postpartum period.  To ensure that your baby develops in a healthy environment, you should keep your body as fit and well nourished as possible.  While you don't need to create a specific diet for pregnancy, you do need to eat a variety of healthy foods, including those that are rich in essential vitamins and nutrients.  If your diet is not healthy, this will not only affect your health but how well you can support your pregnancy and nourish your baby.  You also need to be aware of the harmful effects of nicotine, alcohol and drugs as they can have a detrimental effect on the growth and well-being of the baby.   

One thing to keep in mind is that "eating for two" doesn't mean eating twice as much food.  It means adding a reasonable amount of healthy foods to your diet.  A healthy weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 30 pounds (glance at the section to the right to see where that weight will go).  You should gain more than the recommended amount if you become pregnant while under-weight and you should gain less if you begin your pregnancy over-weight.  Talk to your healthcare provider for personalized weight gain expectations. 

Most women who become pregnant hear things like: "get you folic acid", "don't eat fish", and "watch the caffeine", but there is much more to it than that, and the professionals below can help you sort out fact from fiction.