During pregnancy, a variety of nutrients are vital to the development of the baby and health of the mother. One important nutrient is calcium. Calcium is important to both mother and baby and not getting enough can have serious consequences, particularly for mom.
Calcium is vital for the development of the bones and teeth. This is how calcium is best known by most people. But that’s not all it does to aid in fetal development. This nutrient is also used in muscle growth in the baby and is important for maintaining a regular heart rhythm in both mom and baby.
Your body will naturally store calcium during pregnancy. This happens to prepare the body for breastfeeding. The calcium stored in the body and from the diet will be used to make milk for your baby after she is born. Getting plenty of calcium in your diet during pregnancy will provide enough for you, the baby and stored calcium for making milk for the baby later.
Foods that contain calcium include dairy foods: milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream and frozen yogurt. Certain foods, such as juices, cereals and breads are sometimes fortified with calcium. Include a variety of food sources in meals and snacks to get enough calcium and a wider range of other vitamins and nutrients.
Some women can’t eat dairy products for reasons that include lactose intolerance and vegan diets. Fortunately, there are non dairy sources of calcium that can, and should, be included in your diet. Some good plant based sources of calcium include tofu, soy milk, black eyed peas, baked beans, oranges and collard greens.
So how much calcium do you need? Most nutritional guidelines say a pregnant woman should have about 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day. To get an idea of how much this is, consider that one cup of whole milk and one serving of yogurt each contain approximately 300 milligrams of calcium.
Getting enough calcium is especially important for mom. If your body isn’t getting enough calcium from your diet, it will take it from your bones. This is how the old wives’ tale, “have a baby, lose a tooth” originated.
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