To achieve safety delivery during this lifecycle, an expectant mother is given a schedule to follow during the pregnancy period. The main aim being to check the growth of the child, and if it is not safe, correction is done and also the mother is advised on maintaining her pregnancy period. Failure to get prenatal care, there are higher chances of the baby having low weight and may increase the chance of the baby’s death. Further, the doctor may spot health problems early enough when a mother accesses health facilities regularly. In addition, the doctor will treat them at an early stage before they spread and affect the baby.
Prenatal care is not only on the checkups, but the doctor also gives the mother some advice on how to give her unborn baby a healthy start to life, for example by exposing her to exercises and good nutrition that will keep the baby on good health as he/she was before birth.
During this prenatal phase, nutrition is very important to the health of the mother and for the child. These nutrients enable the growth of the child and also enables prevention of diseases from attacking the foetus during pregnancy. On the other hand, poor nutrition results to some challenges to the pregnant mother and also to the child (Marie C & McCormick, 1999).
The nutrition challenge associated with the pregnancy include. morning sickness. It is a common nutrition-related problem during pregnancy. It usually lasts for six months during the first trimester. It frequently helps to eat little, or have regular meals throughout the day. Morning sickness is caused by strong flavored and highly seasoned foods, hence pregnant mothers are advised to avoid strong spiced and seasoned junks.
Heartburn is another common challenge during pregnancy due to the hormones released by the placenta’s relaxation in the lower esophagus sphincter, which keeps food in the digestive system