GENERAL INFORMATION

If there's ever a time to make sure you're following a healthy diet, it's during pregnancy. Eating properly is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your developing fetus. But being pregnant does not mean that you should "eat for two. What it should mean is eating twice as well," says Felicia Busch, a registered dietitian in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

The best way to ensure proper nutrition is to follow the Food Guide Pyramid, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But because pregnancy calls for additional calories and nutrients, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women try to get at least the following number of food servings each day:

Servings from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group

Servings from the vegetable group

Servings from the fruit group

Servings from the milk, yogurt, and cheese group

Servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group.

Pregnant women should also use fats, oils, and sweets sparingly, and make an effort to eat a variety of foods.

If you are pregnant or considering pregnancy, Busch recommends consulting a doctor, nurse, or dietitian about your nutritional needs; you might also consider taking a class on prenatal nutrition. After all, good dietary habits developed during pregnancy could translate into a lifetime of healthy eating for you and your family.

During the successful union between a healthy male and female, the female egg (ovum) and the male reproductive cell (sperm) come together in the uterus, and unite to form the fetus or the embryo. This process is known as fertilization. The fertilized mass, embryo, gets enlarged and embedded in the uterus. It contains all the qualities of both the parents, which are transferred through the genetic code (DNA/chromosomes) embedded in the egg and the sperm.

Signs of Pregnancy

There is stoppage of the monthly menstrual flow (amenorrhoea), weakness, lethargy, and muscular cramps, accompanied by mild to severe nausea and vomiting commonly known as morning sickness. In second and third trimester of pregnancy, signs such as darkening of the nipple and milk secretion, lower backache, due to stretching of the spine caused by the gradual enlargement of the uterus, stretch marks on abdomen etc. are observed