Eating well before and after baby arrives

Eating well before, during and after pregnancy can have a positive impact on how you feel and the health of you and your baby.

Before Pregnancy

Eating well and vitamin supplementation can influence the health of a baby even before pregnancy.

Become familiar with Canada’s Food Guide to learn more about eating well, meal planning, food shopping and cooking, including recipes.

The time to make sure that you are getting enough folic acid is before you get pregnant. Take a daily multivitamin that has 0.4 milligrams of folic acid to help prevent serious birth defects in the spine and brain.

For information about healthy before pregnancy, visit Preconception Health

During Pregnancy

Eating well during pregnancy by following Canada’s Food Guide along with a daily prenatal supplement will nourish you and help your baby to grow.

To support your pregnancy:

Enjoy a variety of foods, including:
- Vegetables and fruit
- Protein foods (includes animal and plant-based proteins)
- Whole grains
Take a daily multivitamin that has both 0.4 milligrams of folic acid and 16 to 20 milligrams of iron
Follow your appetite and have regular meals and snacks including breakfast. During the 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters, your body needs just a little more food each day, such as an extra snack, to support the growth of your baby
Limit caffeine to 300 mg a day (about two cups or 500 mL of coffee). Caffeine is also found in tea (green, black), some soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and herbs (guarana, yerba mate). Select decaffeinated options, when possible
Follow you thirst cues and drink water to stay well hydrated. Unsweetened lower fat milk and fortified plant-based beverages are also options that provide protein, calcium and vitamin D
Some supplemented foods contain ingredients, including caffeine, that can post a risk to your health during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Learn more about the new supplemented foods labels

Important Nutrients

Iron

Develops your baby's muscles and blood
Sources include beef, lamb, pork, dark meat turkey, chicken, tofu, eggs, beans, chickpeas, lentils, some nuts and seeds, spinach and some breakfast cereals
Take a multivitamin that contains 16 to 20 milligrams of iron during pregnancy
Include food with vitamin C (most fruits and vegetables) when eating non-meat sources of iron
For more information on iron, see our Iron and health fact sheet

Folic Acid

During the first four weeks of pregnancy, folic acid plays a key role in the growth of a baby’s spine, brain and skull
Most people do not get enough folic acid from food alone. In addition to a healthy diet based on Canada’s Food Guide, take a daily multivitamin with 0.4 milligrams of folic acid
Many foods contain folate, the form of the B vitamin found in food. Sources include green vegetables, orange fruit like mango or papaya, beans, lentils, sunflower seeds, eggs and grain products like pasta, bread and naan

Calcium and Vitamin D

Builds bones and teeth
Sources of calcium include milk, fortified plant-based beverages, yogurt, cheese and other non-milk sources such as firm tofu, canned salmon with bones, broccoli and kale
Food sources of vitamin D include milk, fortified plant-based beverages, fortified yogurt (check the label), margarine, eggs and fatty fish like salmon

Omega-3 Fats

Builds eyes, nerves and the brain
Nuts, seeds, eggs and fatty fish can be a source of omega-3 fats. Choose fish that is low in mercury.
Some foods are fortified with omega-3 fats. Read labels since some fortified products only have a small amount of omega-3 fats

Food Safety During Pregnancy

It is important to wash your hands well and often, follow safe food handling at home and avoid certain high risk foods.

For more information about eating safe foods during pregnancy and for a list of high risk foods to avoid during pregnancy, read the Food safety during pregnancy fact sheet.

Drinking Water Safety

Municipal water is regularly tested to ensure that it is safe.

If you have a well, test your well water at least three times per year to ensure the water is not contaminated with bacteria and is safe to drink. Water sample bottles are available at York Region Public Health offices.

Changes During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body will go through some changes. It is expected that there will be some weight gain due to normal pregnancy changes, including increased blood volume, uterus size and breast tissue, as well as the placenta and amniotic fluid.

Monitoring weight is one of many ways your health care professional will assess your pregnancy. If you do not want to be weighed, let your health care professional know.

Learn About Infant Feeding During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time to think about how you will feed your baby. Feeding decisions will impact you and your baby’s health as well as the household budget and your daily routine. Be aware of how infant formula marketing can influence feeding decisions.

Learn how to hand express your milk before baby arrives no matter how you plan to feed your baby. It can help reduce breast discomfort from full breasts when your milk comes in.

Human milk is the only food a baby needs for the first six months of life. Once solid foods are introduced, human milk continues to be an important source of nutrition and immunological support for up to two years of age or more.

In addition to being safe and cost-effective, human milk contains many protective factors. It supports cognitive development and will decrease a baby’s risk of:

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Diarrhea
Ear and lung infections

Breastfeeding* individuals also benefit from the protective factors and are less likely to experience the following the longer they breastfeed:

Breast and ovarian cancer
Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease

If you plan to offer infant formula, visit our Feeding babies and young children webpage for information about how to safely prepare infant formula.

York Region Public Health supports your feeding decision. To talk to a registered nurse, contact Health Connection for information and infant feeding support.

When Baby has Arrived

A new baby brings many changes. Taking care of yourself will give you energy to help care for your baby. For information about emotions and support, sleep, being active and nutrition (including quick meal and snack ideas) after having a baby, read our Taking care of you fact sheet.

To learn about parenting or mental health and wellness, as well as programs and services in York Region, visit our Parenting and newborns page.

Eating Well While Breastfeeding*

There is no special diet that you need to follow while breastfeeding*. Eat a variety of foods based on Canada’s Food Guide and drink to your thirst. While there is no special diet to follow:

Avoid high mercury fish like fresh or frozen tuna, swordfish, pickerel, shark or orange roughy. Choose lower mercury fish
Limit caffeine to 300 mg a day (about two cups or 500 mL of coffee). Caffeine is also found in tea (green, black), some soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and herbs (guarana, yerba mate). Select decaffeinated options, when possible
Some herbs and herbal teas may not be safe. Talk to your health care professional. Herbal teas, such as citrus peel, ginger, orange peel and rose hip are considered safe, in moderation

Learn more about the new supplemented food labels since some supplemented foods contain ingredients that can post a risk to your health while breastfeeding.

It is a myth that foods that may cause you gas (e.g., beans, lentils, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, high-fibre foods) will make your baby gassy. Gas is produced in the digestive tract and does not pass to human milk.

Current evidence suggests that while breastfeeding, you do not need to avoid eating common food allergens (e.g., peanut, tree nuts, eggs, fish, wheat, cow’s milk) to reduce the risk of your baby developing food allergies.

Related Resources

Talk to a Registered Dietitian

For free and confidential information on nutrition, call Health811 by calling 811.

External Resources

Disclaimer

*The terms breast milk/breastfed/breastfeeding are widely used, but human milk/chestfed/chestfeeding can be used interchangeably.

The terms mother/maternal are meant to be inclusive of all parents, caregivers and significant others. We are in the process of reviewing and revising our written materials to be inclusive of all families in York Region.