Nutrition for the Childbearing Years

Abstract

To review the literature on preconceptional nutrition and nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, focusing on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. Computerized searches on MEDLINE, CINAHL, National Institutes of Health and Institute of Medicine web sites. Articles from indexed journals and reports from government sources relevant to the topics of this review and published after 1990 (except for classic findings) were evaluated. Data were analyzed under the headings of preconceptional nutrition, prenatal nutrition, nutrition during lactation, and nursing implications. The nutrition a woman receives before conception, during pregnancy, and during lactation affects her health and the health of her child. Information on the amount and timing of prenatal weight gain, recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals, and nutrition and activity during lactation have been revised in the last 10 years. The health, size, and growth of the infant are dependent on the timing and amount of weight gain during pregnancy and on maternal nutrition during lactation. Prenatal weight gain also affects a woman's future risk of obesity.