Pregnancy Diets: Nutritional Advice for Your Second Trimester
By now you have probably made a lot of changes to your pregnancy diets, but as your baby changes, so should you.
Your food for pregnancy should evolve with each transition to a new trimester.
The second trimester is generally the easiest for most women, as morning sickness usually abates by the fourth month and problems with sleeping, heartburn, and even moving around haven't presented themselves yet as they usually do by the third trimester.
The second trimester is about staying on track.
By now you have cut out caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol and tobacco from your diet.
You are working to eat fewer processed foods and more all-natural or organic foods.
So what more do you need to do? Well, let's take a closer look at the second trimester.
Your Baby's Development during the Second Trimester During the second trimester, your baby grows and develops at a rapid rate.
By now his fingers and toes have gained definition and he begins developing eyelids, eyelashes, eyebrows, hair, and nails.
Your baby may be able to suck his thumb and stretch or make faces.
Teeth begin being developed during this trimester.
Your baby's nervous system also begins functioning on its own, and his reproductive organs and genitalia are fully developed.
Your OB/GYN should be able to tell by the fourth month if you are having a boy or a girl.
Your baby's heartbeat should be picked up on a Doppler.
And finally, during this point in your pregnancy, your baby begins to move around, which is a thrilling experience.
Nutrition for the Second Trimester Your nutritional focus during this second three months will probably hone in on two factors: any cravings you might have, and your baby's development.
Let's talk about cravings first.
It's perfectly natural to crave sweets, salty foods, or even weird combinations of foods during your pregnancy.
Indulging these cravings should be OK as long as you do so in moderation and keep your weight gain under control.
Your baby grows and develops so much during this trimester that proper nutrition is essential.
You should be incorporating a healthy protein in with every meal if you haven't already.
Proteins contain essential amino acids that your baby needs for healthy neural and cognitive development.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats will help your baby get everything he needs for healthy development.
Strategies for Keeping Your Weight Down During this period, you may start experiencing weight gain.
This is perfectly natural, and we are now past the era in which women were told not to gain any weight during pregnancy.
But even so, you should only be gaining weight in a limited manner.
Your weight gain should be within 20-30 pounds throughout the course of your pregnancy.
Any more than that and you will struggle with an easy delivery.
You should be drinking half your body weight in water every day, so if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 80 ounces of water.
You should also eliminate sugar from your diet if you haven't already, and focus on all-natural sweeteners in moderation.
Eating protein will also help you feel fuller for longer and help you to avoid the tendency to overeat.
The Importance of Staying Active Another important strategy for staying healthy and keeping your weight in check is to stay active.
Look for low or no impact exercise that will help you feel good and stay in shape.
Pilates, prenatal yoga, swimming, water aerobics, and walking are all excellent sources of exercise that are not too stressful for your body or your baby.
Your food for pregnancy should evolve with each transition to a new trimester.
The second trimester is generally the easiest for most women, as morning sickness usually abates by the fourth month and problems with sleeping, heartburn, and even moving around haven't presented themselves yet as they usually do by the third trimester.
The second trimester is about staying on track.
By now you have cut out caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol and tobacco from your diet.
You are working to eat fewer processed foods and more all-natural or organic foods.
So what more do you need to do? Well, let's take a closer look at the second trimester.
Your Baby's Development during the Second Trimester During the second trimester, your baby grows and develops at a rapid rate.
By now his fingers and toes have gained definition and he begins developing eyelids, eyelashes, eyebrows, hair, and nails.
Your baby may be able to suck his thumb and stretch or make faces.
Teeth begin being developed during this trimester.
Your baby's nervous system also begins functioning on its own, and his reproductive organs and genitalia are fully developed.
Your OB/GYN should be able to tell by the fourth month if you are having a boy or a girl.
Your baby's heartbeat should be picked up on a Doppler.
And finally, during this point in your pregnancy, your baby begins to move around, which is a thrilling experience.
Nutrition for the Second Trimester Your nutritional focus during this second three months will probably hone in on two factors: any cravings you might have, and your baby's development.
Let's talk about cravings first.
It's perfectly natural to crave sweets, salty foods, or even weird combinations of foods during your pregnancy.
Indulging these cravings should be OK as long as you do so in moderation and keep your weight gain under control.
Your baby grows and develops so much during this trimester that proper nutrition is essential.
You should be incorporating a healthy protein in with every meal if you haven't already.
Proteins contain essential amino acids that your baby needs for healthy neural and cognitive development.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats will help your baby get everything he needs for healthy development.
Strategies for Keeping Your Weight Down During this period, you may start experiencing weight gain.
This is perfectly natural, and we are now past the era in which women were told not to gain any weight during pregnancy.
But even so, you should only be gaining weight in a limited manner.
Your weight gain should be within 20-30 pounds throughout the course of your pregnancy.
Any more than that and you will struggle with an easy delivery.
You should be drinking half your body weight in water every day, so if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 80 ounces of water.
You should also eliminate sugar from your diet if you haven't already, and focus on all-natural sweeteners in moderation.
Eating protein will also help you feel fuller for longer and help you to avoid the tendency to overeat.
The Importance of Staying Active Another important strategy for staying healthy and keeping your weight in check is to stay active.
Look for low or no impact exercise that will help you feel good and stay in shape.
Pilates, prenatal yoga, swimming, water aerobics, and walking are all excellent sources of exercise that are not too stressful for your body or your baby.
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