Eating, drinking & watching your weight during pregnancy

Overview
Clinicians
Clinicians

There are a few things to be aware of about what you can and cannot eat that are important when you are pregnant.

Keep your diet healthy and balanced

Eating a healthy balanced diet is important for you and your baby. Make sure you eat a variety of foods including:

plenty of fruit and vegetables – aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg a day
some bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – choose wholegrain varieties if you can
some milk and dairy foods
some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein – try to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish
just a small amount of foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugar.

Supplements

Pregnant women need to take daily supplements of folic acid (1 month prior to conception and for the first 12 weeks) and iodine (throughout the entire pregnancy).

Foods to avoid

In pregnancy your immunity is lower so you and your unborn baby are more susceptible than usual to the kinds of food-borne illnesses that affect everyone. Bacteria such as listeria, salmonella and campylobacter and pathogens such as toxoplasma can cause food-borne illness. When you are pregnant, this can cause infection in you and your baby and miscarriage and stillbirth in extreme cases.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy for this reason include:

Chilled ready-to-eat foods such as those bought from a supermarket deli or restaurant buffet unless they are heated until piping hot.
Prepared ready-to-eat foods such as store-bought sandwiches where you can’t be certain of product age, storage conditions, or the preparer’s food handling practices.
Soft and semi-soft pasteurised cheese e.g. brie,camembert, feta, blue, mozzarella, ricotta.
Raw milk (unpasturised), raw milk cheeses and raw milk yoghurts.
Cold cooked or smoked chicken.
Processed meats such as ham, pâté, salami or luncheon.
Prepared salads including rice or pasta salad, coleslaw, roasted vegetable and green salads.Raw or smoked seafood including sushi, smoked salmon, marinated mussels, or oysters.
Raw eggs e.g. in smoothies, mayonnaise or desserts like mousse.
Soft serve ice cream.
Cream or custard especially in pre-made cakes or pastries (unless newly opened or home-made and fresh).
Hummus and other dips containing tahini (which has been linked to both Salmonella and Listeria infection).
Any food prepared and stored in the fridge for more than 12 hours.

Eating for two is not strictly true

Although women feel hungrier in pregnancy, eating for two is not necessary. Nor is it a time to diet, so let your appetite guide you. If you feel hungry, healthy snacks like yoghurt, fruit, washed vegetable sticks, nuts, wholegrain crackers and cheese, and fruit smoothies are great options.

undefined Putting on weight is natural and will help you breastfeed well. The extra weight often comes off when breastfeeding if you maintain a balanced diet.

An ideal weight gain is 10kg or thereabouts, but is based on your weight before getting pregnant. The weight gained in pregnancy is made up of the developing foetus, placenta, amniotic fluid along with increases in volume of the woman's own body (uterus, breasts, blood and cell fluid and fat stores).

The amount of weight gain in pregnancy can affect the baby's size and health, and the length of the pregnancy. If you know your normal pre pregnancy weight then calculate your BMI (body mass index) and use the table below to work out what a healthy weight gain should be for you.

Recommended weight gain, according to pre-pregnancy BMI

Pre-pregnancy BMI	Recommended total weight gain
Below 18.5	13 to 18kg
18.5 to 24.9	11 to 16kg
25 to 29.9	7 to 11kg
Over 30	5 to 9kg

Source: NZ Ministry of Health

Who should seek expert advice?

If you have a BMI that is below 18.5 or above 30 at the start of pregnancy your LMC will be able to give you some advice on healthy eating and if required they may refer you to a Dietitian.

If you’re undernourished due to a poor diet or still an adolescent when you fall pregnant, and then you restrict your calorie intake, your body will take the nutrients it needs first compromising the growth of the baby, and raising the chances of a pre-term delivery.

If you are already overweight and you gain too much weight during pregnancy, you can increase the chances of having a very large baby (over 4kg).

Talk to your LMC or dietitian

Your lead maternity carer or dietitian should be able to advise you on the energy requirements that are right for you. They can also ensure the quality of your diet is the best it can be for your pregnancy – quality is every bit as important as quantity.

Keeping well during pregnancy

Morning sickness affects more than one-third of pregnant women during the first three months; this can make it hard to keep to a balanced diet.
- Try to eat healthy foods – a little and often if necessary.
- Combinations of ginger and vitamin B6 can help reduce nausea and vomiting in some women.
Drinking plenty of fluids every day helps prevent urinary tract infections (cystitis). Don't be tempted to reduce your fluids even if you need to urinate more often.
Avoid drinking more than two or three caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, cola) per day.
Eating plenty of fibre and drinking enough fluids can help to avoid constipation, a common complaint in pregnancy.

Ask your LMC or doctor whether additional nutrients or supplements are helpful and safe for your pregnancy.