Have you ever asked the question what do almonds, cottage cheese, oatmeal, figs and bananas all have in common?

These are just some of the VERY IMPORTANT food items that may just prevent you from miscarrying as they contain a very important vitamin.

What is this vitamin?  It Is Folic Acid

When we think about pregnancy we think about folic acid. But do you really know if you’re getting enough? And why it’s really important?

During pregnancy the body’s requirement for Folic Acid DOUBLES. And a deficiency in folic acid has been shown to cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida and low birth weight.

Folic acid supplementation has been shown to reduce the potential risk of Downs Syndrome, and gestational hypertension AND spontaneous miscarriage.

To protect yourself from these things, it’s important to get proper supplementation AND eat foods rich in folic acid as outlined below.

Most importantly, it’s CRITICAL to do the following…

1) DO NOT COOK AT HIGH TEMPERATURES
2) DO NOT FREEZE YOUR FOOD TOO OFTEN
3) DRINK TOO MUCH WATER!!!

When food is cooked at high temperature, the Folic Acid content is destroyed. And although the daily requirement for water increases during pregnancy, too high or excessive consumption water will facilitate increased loss of Folic Acid as will freezing foods.

Main Food Sources for Natural Folic Acid are:

• organic cottage cheese
• organic egg yolk
• wild salmon
• figs, ripe bananas, dates, ripe pineapple (including the stem), blackberries, loganberries, cantaloupe & watermelon
• wheat germ, rye, oatmeal & barley
• beef & beef liver, organic chicken & chicken liver
• kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, lima beans, chickpeas, mung beans, split peas & soya beans
• almonds, pecan, walnuts & coconut
• avocado, cabbage, green beans, kale, broccoli, corn, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower,  mushrooms, watercress & leeks. 

What To Eat Whilst Pregnant

Skinny Pregnancy Tip #1

Avoid pregnancy fatigue by limiting the amount of refined carbohydrates and sugar you eat.  Even though sugar may give you an instant energy boost, you will most likely feel tired soon after as your insulin levels spike and your blood sugar levels come crashing down again making you feel very weary and weak.

 To control your blood sugar, ensure you are eating     protein with every single meal during the day  (examples might be eggs at breakfast, or raw nuts for your morning snack) and also eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables.  The fibre in these will help stabilise your blood sugar also.  A better “quick fix” alternative to chocolate or sugary sweets  is a handful of almonds with an apple.

Skinny Pregnancy Tip #2

Pay attention to the colour of your wee!  Remaining well hydrated is very important for your own health and the health of your baby.  Dehydration is a common cause of premature labour.  If your urine is very yellow or strong smelling when you get up in the morning, you are dehydrated and need to drink a lot of water.

If you feel thirsty, it’s too late.  You’re already dehydrated.  Carry your water bottle with you and avoid caffeine as it’s a diuretic and will make you want to wee often, dehydrating your body further.

Skinny Pregnancy Tip #3

Reduce or eliminate sugar – leads to tooth decay, diabetes and causes excessive weight gain.  Focus on gaining a healthy amount of weight, not an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy.  If you’re eating a lot of sugar you will gain excessive weight.  You put yourself at risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and even a more challenging delivery due to excessive weight gain.

This doesn’t mean you have to torture yourself and not have a small piece of cake now and again, but the majority of the food you eat should not be sweet or contain high amounts of sugar.

We all know that social media has its uses and this usually involves telling people what you are having for dinner  or snooping through old schoolmates’ holiday photos.  But, now Twitter and Facebook are also fantastic during preganacy.  They are helpful in keeping people updated on your baby news too.

But as with everything there is definitely a right and wrong way to do things, so here is our brief guide to thoses dos and don’ts.  As a Dad To Be you want to get everything right and this includes #updating when you are expecting!

1. Do be sensitive until the first 12 week scan.  Before this scan you are probably trying to keep your news quiet so tweeting @night out. @the missus on the lime&sodas #not like her’ is a bit of a giveaway.

2. It is advisable not to post your news as soon as you walk out of the scan room as your family and close friends will prefer finding out the old-fashioned way.

3. Don’t let party posts get you down.  Your missus won’t be hitting the town as she usually does, and being the supportive bloke you will be turning down nights out to stay in with her.  So don’t let friends’ lively party pics make you feel like you are missing out.  It won’t be the last big night out and if it was so amazing, why were they spending it online?!!

4. Don’t give too much detail.  It’s fine and great to tweet or post facebook updates through the labour.  Friends and family will welcome regular bits of news but stay clear of TMI.  Although you are excited about your new life entering the world, you are not giving a blow-by-blow account of an episode of One Born Every Minute.

Having a baby in your forties carries some risks, but women who become pregnant naturally after the age of 44 are about 15% less likely to die during any given year beyond the age of 50 than friends who stopped having babies at a younger age. It has been stated ”If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that’s an indication that you have genes that are operating that will help you live longer.” So the big 4-0 isn’t something that needs to be dreaded, but celebrated!