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cofactor · 2
Developmental programming explains why the nutritional environment in pregnancy leaves effects on a child that last for decades; how much of each nutrient to take and when is a separate dosing table, and the two need to be read together.
Whether a nutrient gets delivered is one question and how much of each to eat is another; only together do they become practical. Take fish: the US FDA and EPA advise pregnant women to eat 8–12 ounces (about 225–340 g) of lower-mercury fish a week while avoiding the highest-mercury kinds, such as shark and swordfish.
depletes · 2
↮Iron
Blood volume expands by about 50% in pregnancy, and the fetus and placenta build their own blood on top of that, which pushes the US iron recommendation from 18 mg a day to 27 mg. That is not a matter of eating a bit more; the whole balance sheet has changed.
The neural tube closes about 24–28 days after conception, a time of very fast cell division, and folate supplies the one-carbon units needed to make DNA. Many people do not yet know they are pregnant at that point, so the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that everyone planning or able to become pregnant take 400–800 µg of folic acid a day, starting before pregnancy rather than at the first prenatal visit.
regulates · 1
About half the iron a baby needs for growth is transferred from the mother late in pregnancy, which is why a term baby's iron stores last about 6 months; babies born early or small have less. In European studies, though, iron supplements in pregnancy have not been shown to improve the baby's iron status; delaying cord clamping at birth is the step that lowers the baby's risk of iron deficiency.