1. Pregnancy and Diet
By David “the man” Selles, Brian “the kid” van der Poll, and Dakota “the guy” Leenstra

2. Maintaining a second human being.
Calories are very important to maintain both the woman's own body as well as the growing needs of the infant inside of her. The amount of increased caloric intake will increase according to the person as well the stage of the pregnancy. During the first trimester an increase of 300 calories every day is usually sufficient. However, near the end of pregnancy caloric intake may have to be increased to 1200 calories above normal per day depending on the mother and child. Eating well in the first trimester is key to the initial and prolonged health of both the mother and the child. The first trimester should be a process of keeping up your energy more than packing pounds on for the baby.

3. Protein and fats
Proteins are essential for baby growth as protein and amino acids are the building blocks of the cells of the human body. The mother should intake upward of 60g of protein per day in order to support both growth of the baby as well as maintain the mothers body.
Fats, especially omega-3’s should be consumed during pregnancy to ensure proper brain growth and eye development. It is also vital to later in life: vision, memory, fine motor skill, comprehension, and language.

4. Calcium and iron
Calcium is important especially in the second and third trimesters because it vital for bone and tooth development. About 1000 milligrams of calcium should be consumed each day to fuel bone growth. Since Calcium works with vitamin D, vitamin D supplements may have to be taken or eaten in the mothers diet for calcium to work.
30 mg of iron should be taken in daily as it is important to support an increase of nearly 50% of the mothers blood volume. Iron is a key element oh hemoglobin which carries oxygen in the blood stream.

5. Vitamins and minerals
Many vitamins have key roles on bodily functions and since a mother is developing a baby in her womb, she will need to intake much more than usual. Vitamin C for example can’t be stored and needs to be replenished each day as it is required for a healthy immune system. Because iron and folic acid are hard to get sufficient quantities from regular diet alone, supplements are advised. Many green vegetables are important as they provide vitamin B, magnesium, riboflavin, and Beta-carotine

6. Problems from An improper diet
Common problems that result from lack of a sufficient diet can include, physical abnormalities such as spina-bifida, and or vision impairment and deafness. Consumption of drugs or alcohol can cause defects known as Fetal Alcohol syndrome, or sudden infant death syndrome. Smoking while pregnant is also a bad idea as anything that enters a mothers body is shared with the baby. Drug consumption during pregnancy can cause mental retardation, respiratory problems, seizures, stroke and learning disabilities.

7. Video