Reasons Your Weight Could Affect Your Pregnancy

Having a baby is an important decision for a woman to make in her life. There are many factors to consider, however, when bringing a baby into the world and picture of your life. The first and foremost factor to consider when you choose to get pregnant is to make sure that you take care of yourself. This will ensure that both you and your body can handle the job of creating a baby. The benefits of having a healthy weight before becoming pregnant are especially important and will help you when it comes time to carry a child. Maintaining a healthy weight means following a healthy diet and establishing good eating habits before you get pregnant.

There are many reasons to incorporate a healthy diet into your daily routine. A lack of good nutrition both before and during your pregnancy can cause problems for both mother and child. Poor nutrition can cause your baby to develop too slowly while in the womb, which can lead to the baby being born too early (prematurely). Poor nutrition can also cause birth defects of both the baby's brain and the spinal cord, fetal distress and in the worst cases, even death. A woman's body goes through a great deal when there is a child developing inside and she will need the extra nutrients and vitamins to help her get through this process for energy and overall health.

Women who weigh too little before pregnancy run the risk of having a baby with a low birth weight. Babies who are too small may be underdeveloped, can have severe complications and in some cases, may be too unhealthy to survive. If you are underweight and want to get pregnant, focus on getting your body weight to a healthy level before conceiving.

Women who are already at a healthy weight prior to pregnancy still have to watch their weight. Many people think that when a woman gets pregnant, they may eat more than they should, as they are eating for two. That is not the case. If you are already at a healthy weight, you want maintain that condition and not overload yourself with poor food choices. Stick to nutritious foods that will provide you and your baby with valuable nutrients that you both need.

Women who are overweight prior to conceiving put themselves as well as the baby at risk for complications. These women are at a higher risk of contracting gestational diabetes as well preeclampsia. These dangerous conditions can lead to such complications as cerebral hemorrhaging, miscarriage and placental abruption. These conditions can also cause a woman to require a cesarean section delivery. Babies who are born under these conditions obviously have an increased risk of being born with birth defects. For these reasons alone, as well as others, it is important to lose weight prior to becoming pregnant. If overweight women do not work towards a healthy weight, their weight gain will need to be closely monitored during the entire pregnancy to avoid any complications.

Give your baby the best start in life, and gain the best from good nutrition and optimal weight gain by doing your best to be healthy for yourself and the wonderful joy that will soon be growing inside of you; and even if you are already carrying that bundle of joy, you will still get great gains just by changing your diet for the better.