Nutritious foods for pregnant mothers

Pregnancy is the important period for mothers in a life time for bearing a healthy child. Nutrition plays a vital role for the proper development and growth of the child in her womb during pregnancy. Foods containing nutritious diets like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals are essential for pregnant mothers for safe motherhood and helps in decreasing the child and maternal mortality rate. Nutrition has been the major focus for pregnant mothers in today's world.
Pregnant mothers have to consume enough nutritious foods time to time until the delivery of the baby but it should be continued after delivery also. Foods containing calcium, iron, foliate also helps in proper development of the infant in the womb. Calcium helps in the formation of strong bones of the baby. Nutritious foods taken by mothers are consumed by the infants in the womb which helps in their proper development and growth. Starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes and sweet potatoes is highly recommended for mothers. If a mother cannot get nutritious diet, she cannot deliver a healthy child causing complications during delivery and child may be born with some deformities. There may be the risk of mortality of both mother and baby during and after delivery. Foods containing irons is extremely essential for pregnant women as they lack red blood cells which helps in carrying of oxygen in the tissues and infant. Iron tablets are supplemented for pregnant mothers in the health institutions during antenatal visit. Green vegetables, tomato juice, meat, fishes, eggs, fruits and other nutritious diets should be taken frequently. During pregnancy, sea fishes containing high amount of mercury should be avoided as mercury harms the health of both mother and nervous system of the child. Meats which are not cooked well cause parasitic infection causing worms in the intestine and unpasteurized milk consumed may cause tuberculosis which adversely affects the health of child and mother. Such frequent conditions may abort the embryo and infant of the womb. Folic acid also helps in the development of the brain of the infant. Nutritious diets should be taken in right quantity because intakes of large amount of nutritious diets have also some birth defects in infants. During pregnancy, mother should avoid smoking and taking of alcohol as it directly harms the baby inside affecting the growth and development of the baby. Mothers in the world die each day due to various complications during delivery and unavailability of health care services. Poor mothers have to engage in various works for survival without having nutritious diet and bear low birth weight baby. In most of the patriarchal societies, pregnant mothers are not given nutritious diet as they do not have knowledge that nutritious diet is also consumed by the infant in the womb. Food taboos also affects during pregnancy. Example, there is a belief that some fruits should not be consumed as it might terminate the infant in the womb. Such traditional beliefs contribute for infant and maternal mortality rate.
Pregnancy is a risky period if not cared properly in time. Family members also play a vital role for providing nutritious foods and helping during pregnancy. In most of the underdeveloped countries, mothers cannot get enough nutritious diets causing malnutrition and anemia due to lack of appropriate knowledge and poverty. There have been made various efforts for the reduction of maternal and child mortality rate in the world.