Are you pregnant? If it’s your first time there are sure to be many questions you ask yourself every day and that are difficult to answer. One of the controversial issues at this time is usually food, because there are many things you are told not to eat, but you really don’t know whether you’re doing the right thing.
During this period the nutritional requirements of a woman are greater since she has to guarantee the healthy development of the foetus and maternal tissues. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure an optimum nutritional status so that there is no nutritional deficiency.
Throughout the pregnancy there needs to be an increase in weight of between 9-11 kgs in total. However, every woman is different and it could result that the woman’s increase in weight may be deficient or too high. Both cases should be carefully watched, since neither is good for the baby.
What nutrients are important during pregnancy?
Proteins.
Why? The mother needs this nutrient due to the development of the maternal, foetal and placenta tissue.
Where do I find them? In meats, fish, dairy products, eggs and legumes.
Folic acid.
Why? In order to prevent defects occurring in the neural tube of the newborn baby.
Where do I find it? In meats, liver, legumes and green vegetables.
Calcium.
Why? It is important for the formation of the foetus’s bones.
Where do I find it? In dairy products, legumes, oily fish, soya…
Iron.
Why? It plays an essential role in the formation of the foetus’s red blood cells, the placenta and umbilical cord.
Where do I find it? In meats, fish and poultry.
Vitamin K.
Why? It enables the blood to clot and is essential for the development of the baby’s bones.
Where do I find it? In cruciferous vegetables, such as broccolis or cauliflowers.
And what foods should you avoid?
- Fish with a high mercury content such as tuna, swordfish, emperor fish…They may be hazardous for the development of the baby’s nervous system.
- Raw foods from animal sources and poorly washed fruits and vegetables, as they may contain bacteria and parasites that may endanger the baby’s health. Everything should be well cooked.
- Always choose pasteurised dairy products and avoid soft or lightly-cured cheeses.
- Alcoholic beverages, since they take away oxygen and nutrients from the baby’s cells.
- Unpasteurised drinks or juices, they may contain bacteria such as E. coli.
But as well as food, there are other factors and techniques that may help us to get along better during pregnancy: exercise, hydrotherapy, cosmetics… La Perla has treatments for both before and after childbirth.
Pre-Natal Programme.
Care provided during pregnancy is very important to avoid subsequent problems and to make the most of this period. It is a programme in which we combine aquatic techniques, massage therapy, hydrotherapy…
Objectives:
- Giving elasticity and strengthening areas of the body that bear more weight.
- Postural control.
- Improving circulation in the legs.
- Improving skin quality.
- Exercising breathing.
- Weight control through dietary guidelines.
Post-Natal Programme.
After pregnancy the body changes and it is sometimes difficult to return to the figure we had before. After childbirth we have to strengthen our muscles and lose weight, and in order to do this, we have prepared a personalised programme in our centre which includes food, cosmetics, exercise and hydrotherapy with seawater.
Objectives:
- Offsetting the consequences of pregnancy.
- Strengthening the abdominal, perineal and dorsal-lumbar musculature.
- Re-establishing the overloaded venous circulation.
- Decreasing the body volume.
- Guiding and adapting your diet to the new nutritional needs.
- Getting back to the habit of doing sport.
Pregnancy is a time to enjoy, but in order to do so, it is important to take care of yourself and take a few precautions. At our La Perla centre we will help and prepare you so that your pregnancy can be just as you imagined it.
