Healthy Mum and Baby Nutrition. Proper nutrition for the mother is very import during and after pregnancy. Proper nutrition ensures mum and baby are healthy.
So much has been said about the Kenyan urban woman, but the most surprising one is that they don’t know how to cook. Yes, I call it the age of microwave and takeaways.
With the average woman struggling in between work, school, traffic jams and social life, they are too busy to learn how to cook or even have time for their family’s “soul food”. In most cases, they leave the cooking to house helps or treat themselves to takeaways across Java and supermarket delis–if not Sunday’s microwaved food. This trend has left children and husbands ill-fed and unhealthy. Healthy Mum and Baby Nutrition is not a thing for most of them.
On observation, individuals who live alone end up eating out. Most of the time, however, those who live together end up dining together. I recall when I was single, takeaways were the way to go; fries, tea and a ripe banana, “chapatti” and black tea, and from there I would call it a night! I always thought in my mind that once I move on to the next step in life, things would change for the better and I would have a happy family, dining and praying together. Oops! It’s not as I thought! Life in marriage has become even busier with bills to take care off. I hardly get home early to see my children. Sunday becomes the only family day out.
Nutrition:
Nutrition is an important factor in one’s health. It’s a major driver in beating diseases and body weaknesses; it’s a requirement for living healthy and a balanced life expectancy. Good nutrition is driven by a healthy well-balanced diet. Doctors will always advise that eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions plus consuming the right amount of food and taking a healthy beverage is key to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Nutrition in Pregnancy
Kenyan hurried working mothers have no time to cook, and largely depend on what is available or sometimes even forgo meals. During pregnancy, nutritional deficiency or on the flip side overdose of it can contribute to poor fetal development. It’s important to note that nutrition benefits for both the mum and baby start from conception where organ development is in progress towards the other trimesters. An expectant mum should, therefore, make sure that they consume foods that are rich in vitamin B, folic acid, zinc, protein and omega.
Fresh vegetables supply nutrients that are needed for baby’s cell and tissue development, its vision development, and immune system. Potassium assists in the control of blood pressure, vitamin C is crucial for your baby’s bones and teeth, and folic acid, which helps prevent defects and promotes a healthy birth weight. Vegetables also prevent constipation as well as sufficient bowel movement.
When a mum is expectant it is critical to keep away from alcohol. A pregnant woman’s alcohol content travels through her blood and into the baby’s blood, tissues, and organs. Alcohol breaks down much more slowly in the baby’s body therefore it stays longer. This could lead to lifelong damage.
During pregnancy water does extra duty; it helps to maintain an increased maternal blood volume, cooling both organisms (mother and fetus), and carrying off waste from increased metabolic functions. Lastly, it is important to exercise; not too vigorous but just enough to keep muscles active. Always remember that your body is made up of what you eat, so keep off junk foods.
For more information on healthy mum and baby nutrition, also go to https://www.motherhood101.co.ke/
