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During pregnancy it is important to eat healthy foods for both you and the baby. Eating a variety of all of the food groups will help you to consume the nutrients that you need for you and your baby to stay healthy.

Holly Menino sits down with Danielle Conlon, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with Utah State WIC Program, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby podcast. Together, they discuss nutrition during pregnancy, weight gain guidelines, and tips for preparing to breastfeed.

 Prenatal Vitamins: Once you become pregnant, your doctor will prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you. The reason why it is important to take a prenatal vitamin during pregnancy is because nutrient needs increase during pregnancy, and prenatal vitamins will help you to meet those increased nutrient needs. Two of the nutrients that prenatal vitamins contain and that are critical during pregnancy are folic acid and iron. Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects, and iron helps your baby grow and develop.

Which Foods to Eat: During pregnancy, eating a variety of all of the food groups will help you to consume the nutrients that you need for you and your baby to stay healthy. General recommendations for each food group include:

•  Eat whole grains such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
•  Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. These can include fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables. When buying canned fruits and vegetables, look for “low-sodium” and “no-added sugar” or “canned in water” labels on the cans. These are healthier choices than canned fruits and vegetables that contain high levels of sodium and sugar.
•  Eat 3 servings of dairy foods each day. Dairy foods have calcium, which is essential to make sure that yours and your baby’s bones are strong. Dairy products include milk, cheese, and yogurt. If you aren’t able to have dairy products, soy milk is a great source of protein and calcium that is dairy free. You can also talk to your doctor about if you should start a calcium supplement.
•  Eat healthy fats from oils such as avocados, olive or canola oil, or nuts and seeds.
•  Eat a variety of lean protein foods such as poultry, fish, eggs, beans/lentils, PB, and nuts or seeds. A common question about protein is if fish is safe to eat during pregnancy. Fish is safe during pregnancy as long as the fish doesn’t have high levels of mercury and it is cooked all the way through. During pregnancy, avoid raw fish such as sashimi or sushi that has raw fish, and fish with high mercury content such as tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, or shark.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy:

• meats, poultry, and fish that aren’t cooked well-done
• unpasteurized or “raw” milk and juice
• raw or runny eggs
• raw sprouts
• deli meats and hotdogs unless they are cooked until they are steaming or reach a temperature of 165 F
• soft cheeses such as feta, brie, or queso fresco

 The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News. 

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During your third trimester, it is time to start thinking about what to bring to the hospital when you go into labor. There are some essentials that mom and dad need to pack ahead of time, but the hospital will also provide you with some things.

Holly Menino sits down with Nurse Diana Jensen from Intermountain Medical Center in this week’s Baby Your Baby podcast. They discuss what you should bring, what you should leave at home and what the baby will need.

 What you should bring to the hospital:

Nightgown (front-opening styles are easier for breast-feeding)

Bathrobe

Slippers

Bras (nursing style if you plan to breast-feed your baby)

Cosmetics and toiletries

Pillow (hospital has pillows, but some patients prefer to bring their own)

Journal, Thank You cards, writing paper, and pen

Phone, camera, film or memory card, extra batteries, and chargers

Clothes for you and your baby to wear home. For your baby, we suggest you bring a shirt, gown, hat, receiving blanket, and a heavier blanket (depending on the weather.) For you, clothes that fit in mid-pregnancy are usually best.

Pacifiers – some babies don’t like the ones from the hospital and it’s always good to have extras

Burp Cloths

Birthing Plan

Car Seat – this has to be installed in the care and checked to make sure the baby is in right before you leave.

Make sure you’re current on your immunizations

Choose a primary care provider for your baby

What you shouldn’t bring:

Any personal valuables, such as, jewelry, credit cards, or cash.

Intermountain hospitals provide:

Diapers, wipes, nasal aspirators, onesies

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News. 

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Moms may feel like they shouldn’t take medications during pregnancy to protect the baby  but, the illness or condition may be more harmful for the baby than the medication. Toughing out an illness usually isn’t better for baby.

Holly Menino sits down with Al Romeo, a registered nurse with the Utah Department of Health’s MotherToBaby/Pregnancy Risk Line program on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together they discuss the risks and benefits of taking certain medications and vitamins.

 *Correction: Carbamazepine use in pregnancy may have an increased risk of approximately 1% for neural tube defects (spina bifida). Ondansetron (Zofran) use in pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects (spina bifida). * 

 There is always a chance for a baby to have a birth defect since the background chance for a major birth defect for all healthy pregnancies is between 3% to 5%. When we look at the research studies, we expect to see some birth defects in each study. We are looking to see if the rate of birth defects is higher than that background risk and we are looking for the same pattern across the studies.   

Sometimes the condition is worse than the medication. Talk to your doctor to weigh the risks and benefits especially when it comes to fever, depression and diabetes.

Some vaccines do more to protect mom while other vaccines do more to protect baby. We’ll talk about 3 common vaccines. The influenza vaccine helps protect mom from the flu virus. Having the flu during pregnancy increases the chance that mom will have difficulty breathing and adults can die from complications of the flu. The varicella, or chicken pox, vaccine is one that helps protect baby. Getting the chicken pox vaccine before pregnancy helps mom avoid chicken pox during pregnancy which can lead to scarring in the fetus, limb defects, eye defects, and other complications. The tDap vaccine, tetnaus, diptheria, and pertussis, helps protect baby. Getting the Tdap vaccine late in pregnancy gives a boost of immunity just before baby is born in case baby gets exposed to whooping cough, which can be deadly for baby.

Listen to our podcast about immunizations here.

Protecting baby sometimes means that mom has to take care of her own health so that those illnesses and chronic conditions don’t harm the baby. It’s a complex balance that may require different decisions for different situations based on mom’s medical condition. If moms or providers have concerns or questions about a particular medication or the situation, they can contact  MotherToBaby.utah.gov.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News. 

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It’s summer — and a great time for families to spend fun days in the sun! Just remember to use extra caution with kids around water and cars to prevent tragedy — especially as we transition to summer and our schedules change.

Holly Menino sits down with Jessica Strong, Community Health Manager at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, in this week’s Baby Your Baby Podcast. They discuss three of the most dangerous ways kids can be injured during the summer and give tips on how to avoid a tragedy. 

Water Safety

In Utah, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under age 14.

Teach your children to swim and always supervise them around water.

Use extra caution and care to supervise children near lakes, rivers and streams.  

Water at any depth can be hazardous.

Prevent Heatstroke: Never Leave A Child Alone in a Vehicle

About 40 children across the country die each year after being left in a hot vehicle. Of these fatalities, 87 percent are children ages 3 years and younger. 

Never leave your child alone in a vehicle – even for a few minutes. A child’s body temperature can increase 3-5 times faster than an adult’s. 

Keep a visual reminder that a child is with you.

• Place a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the seat next to you
• Place something you will need when you arrive at your destination in the back seat, like a cell phone or purse
• Order your free Baby Safety Snap at PrimaryChildrens.org/safetysnap.

If you see a child left alone in a car, contact the police or call 911.

Spot the Tot

During warm weather months, Utah children are at increased risk for being accidentally run over by a vehicle in a driveway or parking lot, most often by a parent or caregiver. 

Prevent injury by doing these three things:

• Walk completely around the car before getting in to drive
• Eliminate distractions (put phone away, turn off music)
• Roll down windows and listen before backing up

Additional Information & Resources:

-Visit primarychildren’s.org/safety for more tips on how to keep kids safe this summer.

-Primary Children’s “Hold On To Dear Life” Water Safety PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vuSAzkBkwk&list=PL84577120D5FE83BE&index=20

-Child Backovers: National Data can be found here https://www.kidsandcars.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/backover-19-map.pdf

-Kids and Cars safety information: https://www.kidsandcars.org/

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.