Pregnancy Information

Pregnancy And Celiac Disease


If you have celiac disease and are well controlled because you stick rigidly to a gluten-free diet, you are as likely as anyone who has not got celiac disease to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Those who have celiac disease and who do not have a completely gluten-free diet have an increased risk of problems for themselves and their baby.

Pregnancy is demanding on the body; the mum not only needs a good supply of all the necessary nutrients to keep her healthy but also to support the development of the baby. To do this she will need to eat a good, balanced gluten-free diet. Foods rich in folic acid, iron and calcium are particularly important.

General Principles

Your diet should be as healthy as possible. Keep to the "5" rule for fruit and vegetables. Try and eat 5 different varieties every day. Fruit juice counts as 1 variety however many glasses of it you drink.

Eat food naturally rich in calcium: milk, cheese and yoghurts, sardines, pilchards etc. Commercially produced gluten-free flours and mixes are often enriched with calcium. It is a good idea to use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and low fat yogurts and cheese so you can keep the fat content down. Avoid unpasturised milk and soft cheese or mould-ripened cheeses as they can carry bacteria.

Eat food rich in the mineral iron, it can be found in lean red meat, eggs and fish - particularly the fish rich in natural oil - herring, mackerel, sardines and salmon. Soya, tofu, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables, lentils, beans, watermelon and black strap molasses are also rich sources of iron.

Avoid uncooked eggs, or partially cooked eggs found in mousses, eggnog, fools etc.

Avoid liver and pâtés

Eat plenty of roughage, as constipation is a common problem during pregnancy. Gluten-free foods which have high levels of fibre include brown rice, buckwheat, potatoes - particularly the skin, peas, corn, lentils, millet, seeds such as sunflower or linseeds, vegetables and fruit and dried fruits such as figs and dates. Drinking plenty of fluids will also help. A glass of hot water with a twist of lemon juice first thing in the morning can work well.

It is important for all prospective mums that they take proper care of themselves prior to becoming pregnant. The benefits of eating foods rich in folic acid for three months before becoming pregnant and during pregnancy, particularly in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is well documented. It helps prevent conditions such as Spina Bifida. Folic Acid supplements are easily available from the pharmacist or health food shop. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, which are naturally rich in folic acid.

Giving up smoking is very important as babies of smoking mothers are much more susceptible to low birth weight and other health problems.

Cutting out alcohol or at least cutting it down to no more than one or two units a week is advisable.

Gina Gardiner author of "Live Well Eat Well With Celiac Disease" writes from first hand experience of being a celiac. For more information go to http://www.celiacliving.com

Works as a professional life coach working with people developing their leadership skills, preparing people for promotion and supporting their ongoing development once in post. For more information contact gina.gardiner@ntlworld.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Salon

Pregnancy denial syndrome: a case for defence?
AFP
PARIS — Whether the French woman who killed eight of her newborns suffered from a syndrome known as pregnancy denial may determine if she faces major ...
Pregnancy Denial: A Horrifying Mental IllnessThe Frisky (blog)
Defending mothers who killSalon

all 8 news articles »


Reuters UK

Pregnancy-related diabetes likely to recur: study
Reuters
A child touches her pregnant mother's stomach at the last stages of her pregnancy in Bordeaux April 28, 2010. By Lynne Peeples NEW YORK (Reuters Health) ...
Pregnancy-related diabetes may recurArab Times
Study: Women with gestational diabetes at risk for recurrence in future ...Drug Store News
Number of births ups diabetes riskPress TV
A Sweet Life (blog)
all 21 news articles »



Telegraph.co.uk

At Large Bad mothers
Inquirer.net
Reports say that Cottrez, who is said to have had a bad experience with her first pregnancy (she and her husband are said to have two daughters in their ...
Ultimate rejectionBBC News
French woman accused of killing 8 newborns 'very distressed'CNN International
French Baby Killings: Was it Mental Illness or Murder?TIME
msnbc.com -Mirror.co.uk -The Australian
all 133 news articles »


New York Times

Another Pill That Could Cause a Revolution
New York Times
Using the drugs in combination produces a miscarriage more than 95 percent of the time in early pregnancy. But mifepristone is difficult to obtain in much ...

and more »


Jury sides with woman fired over pregnancy
MiamiHerald.com
Ryan Barack says the sheriff's office told Holland she was demoted "because of her pregnancy," but they never gave her further explanation. ...
Former sheriff's employee fired during pregnancy wins back payTbo.com

all 14 news articles »


Daily Mail

Christina Applegate: 'Pregnancy Made Me A Little Cuckoo'
Musicrooms.net
By MusicRooms The star, who has beaten breast cancer, appeared on a US talk show with a sweatshirt stuffed under her dress to emphasize her pregnancy. ...
Christina Applegate's Fiance Delivers Her Home from 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'OK! Magazine
Christina Applegate on pregnancy cravingsHollywoodnews.com
Christina Applegate's pregnancy cravingsStuff.co.nz
Digital Spy -Daily Mail -The Gossip Girls (blog)
all 83 news articles »


Meth use in pregnancy endangers mom and baby
Reuters
Life-threatening pregnancy complications, such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, are also more common among women who use methamphetamine while pregnant, ...
PSA: Meth is bad for pregnant ladiesmsnbc.com (blog)

all 7 news articles »


TopNews Arab Emirates

Ali Larter shows off her pregnancy curves in a tight black dress
Daily Mail
But Ali and Hayes made the decision to keep the pregnancy a secret. 'It was a very private time for me and my husband and something that I just wasn't ready ...
Ali Larter is now very happy for her pregnancyTopNews Arab Emirates

all 4 news articles »


Telegraph.co.uk

UK Freak Out Over Pregnancy Diet Recommendations
Babble (blog)
Over in the UK, headlines are telling pregnant women they can no longer eat “for two” and should head to the gym between pregnancies. The story is spinning ...
Obese English Women Told To Cut Calories Before PregnancyNPR (blog)
Mothers who lose weight before further pregnancy 'reduce risks'The Guardian
Women should maintain healthy weight before, during pregnancyTopNews Arab Emirates
BBC News -New York Daily News -International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics
all 175 news articles »

Google News

home | Index | site map
© 2010