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Nutritional Behaviour Of Pregnant Women
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CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Expectant
and nursing mothers, infants and children constitute the most vulnerable
segments of a population from the nutritional standpoint. In any
consideration of the problem of malnutrition,' these segments require
special consideration, as this unfortunate nutritional situation is
prevalent in many under-developed countries today. Pregnancy constitutes
states of considerable physiological stress which impose increase
nutritional demands (Gopalan, 2000).
Pregnancy deserves planning
because many practices or conditions of the mother that harm the
developing fetus are modifiable, such as the following: Alcohol
consumption, Use of certain medications, such as heavy use of aspirin,
Use of illegal drugs, such as cocaine or marijuana, Job-related hazards
and stresses, Smoking, Inadequate diet, such as too little iron, zinc,
and synthetic folic acid, Excess vitamin A intake and mega dose use of
other nutrient supplements, Heavy caffeine use, Lack of medical
treatment with HIV -positive status or AIDS, Poor control of ongoing
diabetes or hypertension (ADA Reports, 2000).
Women need to pay
attention to these risks in the months before conception. This
precaution is necessary because women often do not suspect they are
pregnant during the first few weeks after conception and may not seek
medical attention until after the first 2 to 3 months.
Still, even
without fanfare, the child-to-be grows and develops daily. For that
reason, the health and nutrition habits of a woman who is trying to
become pregnant - or has the potential to become, pregnant - are
particularly important. Although some aspects of fetal and newborn
health are beyond control, a woman's conscious decisions about Social,
health, and nutritional factors affect her infant's health and future.
Much research suggests that an adequate vitamin and mineral intake at
least 8 weeks before conception and during pregnancy can help prevent
birth defects such as neural lube defects. This problem has been
Iinked-in part to a foliate deficiency.
In addition, about 50% of
pregnancies are unplanned. For these reasons, parents should be aware of
the role nutrition plays in the development of a healthy infant both
before and during pregnancy. According to Scholl &Johnson, 2000),
the stages of pregnancy include: Prenatal Growth, Development and the
Early Growth. For B weeks after conception, a human embryo develops from
an ovum into a fit for about another 32 weeks, the fetus continues to
develop. When its body finally matures, the infant is born. Until birth,
the mother nourishes it via a placenta, an organ that forms in her
uterus. The placenta separates the blood supply of the mother from the
blood supply of the fetus. Nutrients pass from the mother's blood
through the placenta to accommodate the growth and development of the
fetus.
In the formation of the human organism, egg and sperm first
unite, producing the Zygote. From this point, the reproductive process
occurs very rapidly: Within 30 hours-zygote divides in, half to form 2
cells, Within 4 days cell number climbs from 64 to128 cells. At 14
days-the group of cells is called an embryo, Within 35 days-heart is
beating, embryo is / of an inch (8 millimeters) long eyes and limb buds
are clearly visible, At 8 weeks-the embryo is known as a fetus, At 13
weeks (end of first trimester-most organs are formed, and the fetus can
move.
For purposes of discussion, the duration of pregnancy-normally,
37 to 41 we from the mother's last menstrual period-is commonly divided
into three periods called trimesters. Growth begins in the first
trimester with a rapid increase in cell number.
The most serious
damage to the fetus from exposure to toxins is likely to occur during
the first 8 weeks after conception, two¬ thirds of the way through the
first trimester. However, damage to vital parts of the body - including
the eyes, brain, and genitals ¬can also occur during the last months of
pregnancy.
This type of growth dominates embryonic and later fetal
development. The newly formed cells then begin to grow larger. Further
growth and development then involve mostly an increase in cell number
with some increase in cell size. By the end of 13 weeks-the first
trimester-most organs are formed and the fetus can move.
Nutritional
deficiencies and other insults transmitted through the mother to the
embryo or fetus-for example, injuries caused by medications and other
drugs, high intakes of preformed vitamin A" radiation, or trauma-can
alter or arrest the current phase of development. . The effects may last
a lifetime. The most critical time for these problems to happen is
during the first trimester. Most miscarriages (more correctly termed
spontaneous abortions) occur at this time. Currently, about one-half or
more of all pregnancies either fail to attach to the uterine wall or
undergo spontaneous abortions, often so early that a woman does not even
realize she was pregnant. The early spontaneous abortions usually
result from a genetic defect or fetal error in fetal development.
Stuart, et al., (2003).
A woman should avoid substances that may harm
the developing fetus, especially during the first trimester. This holds
true for the time when a woman is trying to become pregnant. As
previously mentioned, she is unlikely to be aware of her pregnancy for
at least a few weeks. In addition, the fetus develops so rapidly during
the first trimester that if an essential nutrient is not available, the
fetus may be affected even before evidence of the deficiency appears in
the mother.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examines the implication of nutritional behaviour in pregnancy on maternal child health in Alimosho General Hospital, Igando. Pregnancy deserves planning because many practice and conditions of the mother that harm the developing fetus. The effect of maternal malnutrition on the course of pregnancy, the food pregnant woman eat serve as a mean source of nutrition for the baby and the event pregnant woman should avoid. Also the mean aim of the study is to know which diet and life style ... Continue reading---
