Effects of Malnutrition on a Pregnant Woman
There are several ways that improper nutrition can affect pregnancy. Unfortunately many women do not think about the long-term effects of failing to take care of their nutritional needs when they find out that they are pregnant. This can cause serious health complications for the mother to be as well as the baby.
The baby is counting on the mother to provide it with all of the necessary nutrients for survival. When the mother does not consume enough calories during the day she will not have the proper nutrients within her body to make sure that the baby will develop properly. Happily a woman can change this factor very quickly without having to alter her lifestyle greatly.
While this is a worldwide problem it is more likely to affect women in underdeveloped countries who are going through pregnancy. If an individual has access to nutritious food they will be more likely to regulate their body properly during the pregnancy. Following a balanced diet is one of the most important things that women can do to ensure the continued positive development of the baby.
Babies born to a mother suffering from malnutrition will have various health-related issues. Some of these issues can carry on for the lifetime of the child. The development of strong bones is extremely difficult for children who do not have access to calcium in the womb. Sometimes, organs cannot grow properly when proper diets are not followed by the mother who is carrying the child.
When a mother is not following proper dietary suggestions she will very often be hampering the development of the organs of her unborn baby. Children can also have a negative growth rate during their life if they were weak at birth. Being underweight can also lead to problems with the development of the immune defence system of the baby. This can be detrimental because the child will always have difficulty fighting off infections properly.
Scientific research has also shown the correlation between cognitive behavior development and nutritional development in the womb. Children who do not have access to strong nutrition before birth can have cognitive delays and other unfortunate side effects. Mothers need to become very concerned about making sure that they and therefore their babies are properly cared for before birth by giving them a nutritious diet on a consistent basis while they are in developmental stages.