Nutrition in maternity

Nutrition in maternity is an area of research and clinical practice that has received renewed interest in the 1990s, as prevention becomes the universal standard of care. As part of health care reform in the United States, medical nutrition therapy has gained acceptance, particularly during pregnancy. The benefits of nutrition therapy during pregnancy are both immediate and far-reaching, from reducing maternal susceptibility to infections and nutrient deficiencies, minimizing the iron and calcium drain on the mother's reserves, and improving intrauterine growth and ultimate birth weight, to preventing preterm birth and its adverse health consequences into childhood and beyond. In addition to the translation of research into clinical practice, important components of medical nutrition therapy during pregnancy are consumer education and the improvement of consumer dietary behavior. The most recent Guidelines for Perinatal Care, issued jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, places a strong emphasis on the importance of maternal and newborn nutrition. These guidelines state that 'nutrition counseling is an integral part of perinatal care for all patients ... dietary counseling and intervention based on special or individual needs are usually most effectively accomplished by referral to a nutritionist or registered dietitian ... each tertiary perinatal care center should have counseling programs available for the wide range of nutritional disorders that can be encountered clinically. Preconceptional nutritional status and the mother's dietary intake during the early weeks of pregnancy can critically influence the course and outcome of pregnancy. Although it would be beneficial for all women to receive preconceptional nutrition counseling to improve their health before beginning a pregnancy, it is of even greater importance for women who are underweight, who have recently recovered from major illnesses or surgery, who have diabetes, who have metabolic disorders such as phenylketonuria, who smoke, or who have had a previous infant with a neural tube defect. The goals of preconceptional nutrition counseling are to improve body weight to be within a normal range for the woman's height and body build; to correct any nutritional imbalances, such as iron deficiency; and to help establish healthy eating patterns.