Preconception and Pregnancy

Optimizing a woman's nutritional status in the pre-conception phase is essential for maternal health and for preparing for a healthy pregnancy. Women who intend to become pregnant and receive nutritional support benefit in several ways:

• Improved fertility: A varied and balanced diet helps regulate hormones and the quality of egg formation;

• Body preparation: Assessment, restructuring and nutritional reinforcement to meet the needs of a desired pregnancy;

• Weight management: Maintaining a healthy body weight helps reduce the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia during pregnancy;

• Prevention of nutritional deficiencies: Right from the beginning of conception, there are nutrients that are essential for the healthy formation and development of the fetus, thus avoiding problems such as neural tube defects in the fetus;

• Immune reinforcement: By including key foods and restructuring the daily diet, it is possible to strengthen the mother's immune system, preventing the intake of antibiotics that are likely to harm the baby's health;

It is now possible to prove that a baby's health and nutrition begin in the mother's womb! This concept is called fetal metabolic programming and explains that eating habits and lifestyles before and during pregnancy, lactation and early childhood induce long-term effects on the health of the baby, child and future adult throughout their life, such as the risk of developing chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity).

In addition to this concept, there are other factors that explain the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy:

• It is from the 4th week of pregnancy that the baby's brain formation and development occurs, so the omega-3 nutrient is essential, as is it, equally, fundamental to minimize possible daily toxins that could compromise its correct development;

• It is in the mother's womb that the baby's microbiota begins to form, that is, the set of microorganisms that inhabit the body and are associated with protection against diseases throughout life;

• The fetus's first contact with flavors occurs in the mother's womb, through the amniotic fluid, hence the importance of a healthy and diverse maternal diet, in order to increase the likelihood of future acceptance of foods that children tend to reject more during the food introduction and childhood phase.

What to expect:

- Nutritional monitoring in the most important phases (pre-conception, 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimesters)

- Clinical, nutritional and anthropometric assessment;

- Management of gestational weight;

- Dietary plan and specific guidelines for pregnancy (dietary re-education);

- Provision of materials (food education ebooks, recipes...);

- Optimize maternal health and nutrition;

- Minimize toxicity;

- Symptom control;

- Readjustment and reinforcement of energy needs throughout each quarter;

- Ensure the healthy development of the fetus.