The best time to focus on nutrition and health is before pregnancy to insure optimal nutritional status for both the health of the mother and embryonic and fetal growth.  Nutritional deficiencies, some medications, drugs, and alcohol could cause detrimental effects to the embryo and later in the fetus. Medical nutrition therapy is essential for women considered to be high risk.  For normal pregnancy group classes for expectant mothers will increase the awareness regarding the importance of good nutrition in the development of a healthy baby and a healthy mother.

Diagnosis

It is very important to screen each individual carefully according to the lifestyle, quality of diet, weight gain history throughout life as well as before and during pregnancy. This information is crucial for proper screening.  For example, low birth weight infants are not typically born from underweight mothers. Medical nutrition therapy is provided according to the risk factors. 

Some of the prenatal conditions that are considered possible risk factors are:

• Inadequate weight gain

• Excessive weight gain

• Excessive alcohol intake

• Excessive nutrient intake

• Drugs, medications, and cigarette smoking

 Possible complications due to unmanaged risk factors are:

• Low infant birth weight

• Stillbirth

• Premature birth

• Anemia

• Spontaneous abortion

• Neural tube defects (folate deficiency)

• Gestational diabetes

• Pregnancy induced hypertension

• Postpartum problems for the mother

• Large baby and complications in labor and delivery

• Fetal alcohol syndrome

• Growth or mental retardation

• Congenital malformations

Normal Prenatal Nutrition