Nutrition during the first trimester is one of the most important things that a woman can focus on. Pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, is a critical time in terms of your baby’s development. It is during this time that your baby’s internal organs are forming, and your baby needs very specific nutrients to make things go together the way that they should.

One of the most important components of good nutrition during the first trimester is the prenatal vitamin. By taking the prenatal vitamin, you are helping your little one to get everything that he or she needs, in terms of nutrition, during the first trimester, as well as during the remainder of pregnancy. The fact of the matter is that your baby needs specific things such as folate and iron. A lack of folate has been shown, for example, to lead to a whole host of birth defects.

It is important to watch what exactly it is that you are eating during the first trimester. There are certain types of foods that you should make sure you are getting during pregnancy. Each and every day during the first trimester of your pregnancy and beyond, you should get between 3 and 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. Out of these, one should be of a dark orange vegetable, and two should be of leafy dark green vegetables. In addition, you should be having around two servings of extra-lean meats, chicken, fish, or cooked peas or dried beans daily. You should drink eight glasses of water. You should have six servings of grains, and three servings of nonfat or low fat milk products.

Remember, also, that while you are indeed “eating for two” that you don’t need to take in twice the amount of food that you would otherwise eat. During the first trimester, your nutritional needs should increase by only about 300 calories per day over what you took in prior to becoming pregnant. Even later on in pregnant, you should only need about an extra 300 calories a day.

If you are especially concerned about your nutritional needs during the first trimester, you should speak with your health care provider. She may be able to help address concerns that are unique to your situation.

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