Safe Motherhood

Supporting Information

A pregnant woman needs the best foods available to the family: milk, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, grains, peas and beans. All these foods are safe to eat during pregnancy.

Women will feel stronger and be healthier during pregnancy if they eat foods that are rich in iron, vitamin A and folic acid. These foods include meat, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables, and orange or yellow fruits and vegetables. Health workers can provide pregnant women with iron tablets to prevent or treat anaemia and, in vitamin A deficient areas, an adequate dosage of vitamin A to help prevent infection. Pregnant women should not take more than 10,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A per day, or 25,000 IU per week.

Salt used should be iodized. Women who do not have enough iodine in their diet are more likely to have miscarriages and risk having an infant who is mentally or physically disabled. Goitre, a swelling at the front of the neck, is a clear sign that a woman is not getting enough iodine.

If anaemia, malaria or hookworms are suspected, the pregnant woman should consult a health worker.