Eating when expecting : getting the right nutrition in pregnancy

Assalamaualykum warahmatullahi wabaraktu. I've been inspired to write about this topic now rather than later as several people I know are expecting or have just had babies which is pretty exciting for everyone involved! Pregnancy is an amazing thing with its highs and lows; the cravings, the spurns, the tiredness as this little individual takes over your body. Not to talk about the heart burn, the nausea, the vomiting, the emotional turmoil and the fact that you will be needing to use the bathroom more times than you ever thought you were capable. Subhanallah, no organ in the body of a woman is spared of undergoing a change during pregnancy.
And although we all know that having a healthy diet is good; I'm sure you'll agree that it's even more important during pregnancy. Some consider the foetus as a "parasite" that will take all it needs from you; the good and the bad depending on what you're pumping yourself with making healthy eating necessary during this period. In fact pregnancy is known to act as a great motivator because most women will always want to do "what's considered best for the baby".
So what are the things you require to help get yourself and the baby through this period and beyond? I will discuss some important ones.

Energy : you will need more energy as the pregnancy progresses. This will obviously vary from woman to woman and whether or not you have a multiple pregnancy but it is estimated that you will require at least extra 200kcal per day in the 3rd trimester. Obviously if you were underweight to start with, you will probably require more. The good news is all foods and drinks will provide you with some kind of energy. But you want something that will hopefully provide a good souce of dietry fibre, good amount of protein, enough carbohydrate to keep you going and the good dietry fats (minimise the bad ones eg ghee, cheese, palm oil, coconut oil,etc). The aim is to have a little bit of these categories as too much of anything is bad as we all know. This is especially important if you've been told you have gestational diabetes which can be managed with diet.

Micronutrients :  These are your vitamins (A,B12,C,D,E, B12, Folic acid,etc)  and minerals (Iron, Calcium, Magnesium,etc) which are very important during pregnancy and although you'll expect that a healthy diet should provide all of your micronutrients in gestation, it often doesn't; leaving a lot of pregnant women deficient in one or more. And as people will usually overestimate their healthy eating habit, the additional nutritional requirements that pregnancy brings will tend to tip most expecting mothers into moderate to severe deficiency. Here are some of the common important ones.
Iron: this is very important for you and for your baby as it is essential in the making of haemoglobin which helps store and carry oxygen to your organs. This means lack of Iron can make you feel tired, short of breath and may even cause chest pain if severe enough. Iron deficiency can also lead to pre-term birth, growth restriction and spina bifida in the unborn. Most of this can be corrected by eating food rich in Iron such as pulses, dark green vegetables as well as foods fortified with Iron. The best way in which to get Iron absorbed is to have it with foods containing Vitamin C such as peppers, strawberries, oranges, etc which in itself is helpful to have during pregnancy. Having said this you may still require some supplements to ensure you get the right amount.
Folic acid : This is very important in preventing neural tube defect, growth retardation, pre-eclampsia and even autism. In fact, it is recommended that once you start planning a pregnancy, you should start taking folic acid so as not to take the chances of missing it during the essential period of the first few weeks of pregnancy. Even though you can get folate from spinach, oranges, okra, brocolli, I'd say most people tend to just take supplements as  it is a safer option.
Vitamin D: This vitamin which is often found in oily fish and now being commonly fortified in our foods  is particularly important in bone mineralisation and helps prevent rickets in the unborn child. Symptoms include joint pain particularly on exercise, feeling lethargic and just generally feeling unwell. Although you could do without vitamin D in your diet if you have plenty of sun around, most people from ethnic minorities, especially hijabis who live in colder climates will have some amount of deficiency, therefore, require supplements. In fact I believe 100% of black hijabis not living in the tropical region will have an element of vitamin D defieciency.
Let's not forget to add that you need to drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated especially when there is an element of morning sickness.

So I thought I'd share this recipe which I feel combines all the good stuff needed in one meal.

Grilled Salmon with spinach, brocolli and prawns
What you'll need (serves 2)
2 medium sized salmon fillets (without skin)
Black pepper
Chilli flakes
Pinch of salt
Juice of half lemon, keep the other half to garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground parsley
200g of Brocolli
100g of leafy spinach
100g peeled and cooked prawns (optional)

Preparation
Mix together the chilli, lemon juice, plenty black pepper, parsley and salt. Pour over the salmon and leave to marinate for 10-20 minutes.
Then place under a hot grill for 5 mins- on each sides. You might need to cook for longer if salmon very thick.
Cook the brocolli until tender;
Cook spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain immediately; stir in the cooked prawns.
Serve the salmon on the bed of brocolli and spinach. Lemon wedges to garnish
I'd also add some boiled potatoes on the side so as to have some carbohydrate in the meal. Best drink will be pure orange juice or any other fruit juice rich in vitamin c.

Grilled salmon

Of course if you have morning sickness,you probably don't care about any of this. And if unlucky enough to have the severe form known as hyperemesis; it wouldn't matter as long as you keep something down. Ginger (tea, cake, drink,etc) tends to help many people with nausea so does dry foods like toasts, crackers, etc. If possible, ask friends and family to cook for you as some people just can't stand the smell of their own cooking during this trying period. If you have any concerns, then do not hesitate to contact your doctor or midwife.

Let's not forget mental and spiritual requirements as it is just as important to keep your mind and soul nourished during this period as it is the body. Listen to the Qur'an a lot and recite aloud to the foetus too- so he or she can start getting familiar with hearing your voice as you recite the Qur'an.  And of course make plenty of duas for Allah to make the labour easy for you as well as make the unborn a child a pious one who would be of benefit to the whole ummah (never too early to pray for a child).
I am often asked by new mothers when they will return back to their normal self  and even though I say up to 6 weeks post-delivery, the real answer is never, not even when they grow old and have their own children because a mother never stops caring for their children. And this, is why paradise lies beneath the feet of your mother; may Allah bless our parents and grant them Al-Janat Firdaws and may we also be given children that will be of benefit to us in this life and the next.