An Art of Parenting

Posts Tagged ‘balanced diet’

Pregnant ladies who are easy going, sloth and inactive, have rigid joints with painful swelling, digestion related problems, swelling offset, pendulous abdomen, extra weight, suffer from acidity, belching, eructations flatulence, colic, constipation, head-ache, general malaise etc. are advised not to lead a sedentary life nor overwork their bodies. Rest is needed to calm down your tired limbs & agitated nerves but rest does not mean you should remain inactive and abstain from your normal domestic chores (routine work). A woman who leads a sedentary and inactive life is most likely to give birth to a mentally and physically inactive/retarded children who mental faculties and physical movements would be found wanting.

After lunch you should rest for a while but never sleep-if you wish, you can have a short nap. Never asleep or lie down immediately after taking your meals. After dinner, you can have a stroll (but no fast walking). Even normal movement and mobility in the house, while doing normal domestic jobs, will suffice to ensure your and your baby’s proper development but you must take proper and requisite diet in proportion to the calories expended during activity – whether it is light, moderate or medium or heavy. In any case, you must avoid rigorous activity and avoid (rather rule out) all situations where you feel to get tired, exhausted and weak.

Reasonable activity, requisite diet and rest are the three parameters of a regulated and healthy life and you have a strike a proper balance with and amongst all the three facets.

Nursing or lactation is the period after childbirth, being a time of bonding between mother and baby, nursing serves certain biological and physiological needs of both of them. While the mother’s eating pattern need not necessarily changer, her nutritional requirements will increase – both in quantity and in some cases, in frequency.

A nursing mother needs good nutrition: The diet during the nursing stage is very important both for the mother and the infant. Good nutrition improves the quality and quantity of breast milk and should ensure that the nursing mother has her full nutritional intake, to avoid depleting natural body stores leading to deficiencies like osteoporosis, which can occur due to an insufficient intake of calcium. Certain aspects of the mother’s diet have a direct impact on the infant. For example, iodine intake in the mother’s diet ensures proper mental development in the infant and vitamin A is required to improve the infant’s immunity system, thereby protecting the baby against infections.

Guard against An Inadequate Diet: The inadequate diet of a nursing mother can cause a deterioration in her health and could also lead to malnourishment in the infant. The quantity of the breast milk produced will be reduced and will have fewer nutrients. The amount of protective nutrients such as anti-microbial proteins in the breast milk will also be reduced, thereby exposing the infant to infections. Due to insufficient intake of calories and nutrients, the baby’s growth and development will be affected.