Contents:
- Medical Video: Are You Really Eating for Two? Food and Nutrition During Pregnancy
- What causes pregnant women to be malnourished?
- Health problems that occur if pregnant women are malnourished
- Effect of pregnant women on malnutrition in the fetus
- Long-term effects of malnourished pregnant women
Medical Video: Are You Really Eating for Two? Food and Nutrition During Pregnancy
Nutritional status in pregnant women is important to determine whether a woman can get through her pregnancy well without interference. Nutrition received by pregnant women must be sufficient, because if pregnant women experience malnutrition there will be many complications that may occur during pregnancy. Pregnant women who are malnourished will have an impact on the health of the fetus in the womb.
The problem is that the fetus that is conceived will only get nutritional intake from the mother. So if the mother does not get good nutrition, the child she contains will not get good nutrition too.
What causes pregnant women to be malnourished?
Pregnant women are malnourished if the diet of a pregnant woman contains insufficient nutrition that does not meet her body's requirements. Malnutrition during pregnancy may occur because several factors include:
- Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting cause a lack of appetite so that no nutrients are included.
- Loss of appetite due to other health conditions such as chronic infection or depression.
- Use of certain drugs that can interfere with nutrient absorption.
- Inadequate nutrition and calorie intake.
Health problems that occur if pregnant women are malnourished
Pregnant women with malnutrition will also affect their own health. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy will cause several health problems such as anemia, feeling tired and lethargic, low productivity, and decreasing the immune system so that it is susceptible to infection. Malnutrition in pregnant women does not only occur if there is a lack of macronutrient nutrition. However, this will also have a bad impact if pregnant women lack micronutrient nutrition. Health problems that may occur include:
- Deficiency of zinc and magnesium can cause preeclampsia and preterm birth.
- Lack of iron and vitamin B12 can cause anemia.
- Inadequate intake of vitamin B12 can also cause problems in the nervous system.
- Vitamin K deficiency can cause excessive bleeding during childbirth.
- Inadequate iodine intake during pregnancy can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
Effect of pregnant women on malnutrition in the fetus
Lack of nutrition in pregnant women is associated with various adverse effects on the developing fetus, including slow fetal growth and low birth weight. Malnutrition during pregnancy will increase risk:
- Stillbirth (stillbirth)
- Premature birth
- Perinatal death (infant mortality seven days after birth). Babies who weigh less than 2.5 kilograms (kg) are likely 5 to 30 times more likely to die within the first seven days of life than normal-weight babies (≥2.5 kg). Babies who weigh less than 1.5 kg have an increased risk of death 70 to 100 times in seven days from birth.
- Nervous, digestive, respiratory, and circulatory system disorders.
- Birth defects
- Lack of development of several organs
- Brain damage
Long-term effects of malnourished pregnant women
The impact of malnutrition on pregnant women varies depending on when it occurs during pregnancy. This will have an effect in the long run that affects the quality of life for your baby to adulthood.
Malnutrition during pregnancy can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in your baby, heart disease, osteoporosis, chronic kidney failure, psychiatric disorders and organ dysfunction.
In childhood, poor development due to malnutrition can lead to poor performance in school.
