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Pregnancy diet by week

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The pregnancy diet by week includes a special diet depending on the pregnancy period. It is important for a pregnant woman to remember the need to consume only healthy, "correct" foods, since uncontrolled food intake can provoke constipation, digestive problems and edema, and also become the main cause of excess fat deposits.

It should be emphasized that the correct, balanced diet of a pregnant woman, calculated by week, has its own norms and takes into account, first of all, the characteristics of the intrauterine development of the baby in different periods.

Diet during pregnancy is the basis for successfully carrying and giving birth to a strong, healthy child, as well as strengthening the health of the mother.

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Dietary nutrition during pregnancy by week

So, let's look at the main principles of rational nutrition for the expectant mother throughout pregnancy, week by week.

1-2 weeks

This is a very important period, which generally begins even before the planned pregnancy, so a woman should start eating right in advance, thus preparing her body for successful bearing of a child. She will have to gradually give up fatty, salty, smoked, fried and spicy food, fast food dishes and products, and also, in order to avoid early toxicosis, limit the consumption of sweets to a minimum. At this stage, it is necessary to increase the intake of folic acid, since it plays an invaluable role in the full intrauterine development of the baby. Folic acid is contained in greens, leafy salad, and cereals. Fresh fruits, especially bright yellow ones, are very useful for the expectant mother: bananas, peaches, pears, melon, mango. Necessary food products in the first weeks of pregnancy are various berries, as well as cereals, hard cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt.

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Week 3

In the early stages of pregnancy, a pregnant woman needs to consume a lot of calcium, which is mostly found in green vegetables, as well as fruit juices, various dairy products and broccoli. You should also remember about products that contain manganese and zinc - they can be called real "bricks" necessary for building a healthy child's body. Among such products, it is necessary to note raisins, almonds, beef, poultry, eggs, carrots, spinach, nuts, oatmeal, bananas.

Week 4

This week, the expectant mother is advised to completely abstain from drinking strong tea and coffee, and also to take care to eat foods that are most beneficial to the body.

Week 5

Usually, early toxicosis begins during this period of pregnancy, and the expectant mother is often bothered by symptoms such as nausea, heartburn, stomach pain, and vomiting. To prevent these symptoms, protein foods should be replaced with legumes, raisins, and nuts, as well as various soy products; it is recommended to increase the consumption of "orange" fruits and vegetables: mango, apricots, bananas, and carrots. If even the thought of milk makes a pregnant woman feel sick, it can be replaced with hard cheese or yogurt that does not contain harmful dyes and flavors.

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Week 6

At this stage of pregnancy, it will be useful to have a habit of eating rusks or crackers after waking up. It will not be superfluous to have a snack before going to bed, for example, a small portion of raisins. It is also recommended to drink more water - 8-10 glasses per day. A pregnant woman should avoid any food containing a large amount of fat.

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Week 7

At this stage of pregnancy, you should avoid excessive consumption of foods that promote gas formation: peas, fried potatoes, cabbage, beans, etc.

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Week 8

Often at this stage, a pregnant woman continues to be bothered by toxicosis. To avoid unpleasant sensations of this kind, you can try tea with ginger, as well as nuts in the morning.

9-10 weeks

During this period of pregnancy, the expectant mother is advised to give up sweets and limit sugar consumption as much as possible. It is best to replace white bread with bread baked from wholemeal flour, and eat rice in its unrefined form.

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11-12 weeks

At this stage of bearing a child, the body gives the pregnant woman all sorts of "hints". It is necessary to trust the instinct and eat what you especially want, naturally, within reasonable limits. In this way, the baby will get exactly what he lacks.

13-16 weeks

This is a period of intensive growth of the child. Therefore, the expectant mother needs to increase the daily diet by approximately 300 kcal, which means eating in the form of additional snacks of fruits, products from coarse flour, and dairy products. If constipation occurs, kefir should be included in the diet.

16-24 weeks

The child's sense of smell, vision, hearing and other senses are developing rapidly. Therefore, a pregnant woman should eat more foods that contain provitamin A, i.e. beta-carotene. These are carrots and carrot juice, cabbage, yellow peppers, green onions, spinach, and parsley.

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24-28 weeks

During this period, gastrointestinal tract disorders may manifest themselves in the form of heartburn or heaviness in the abdomen. These symptoms are explained by the pressure of the uterus on the stomach due to its enlargement. The expectant mother needs to eat often, but little by little, refusing spicy and fatty foods, coffee, smoked foods, and carbonated drinks. The woman should have her last meal 2-3 hours before going to bed.

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29-34 weeks

During this period, the baby needs a lot of calcium for the development of skeletal bones, teeth, as well as useful fatty acids that participate in the development of the brain. It is also necessary to consume foods containing iron in sufficient quantities, which can prevent the development of anemia in the child. The diet during pregnancy by week implies the inclusion of fatty fish in moderate quantities, red meat, as well as dark green vegetables, seeds, and yogurt in the diet of the expectant mother in the last trimester. You should not get too carried away with sweet foods, pastries, cakes - this threatens such a problem as obesity in the child in the future. Porridge, nuts, and fresh fruits are best suited for snacks.

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35-40 weeks

At this stage, the body of the expectant mother needs support, because soon it will face a difficult test - the birth of a child. Therefore, before giving birth, a woman should give preference to those products that contain complex carbohydrates - because they are rightfully considered a source of energy. During this period, it is recommended to eat more bread products made from wholemeal flour, cereals, as well as vegetables in any form - raw, boiled or stewed. You need to eat little by little, in moderation, even if you want something special.

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Diet in the last weeks of pregnancy

A diet during pregnancy should not be exhausting, on the contrary, it involves following a diet that would contribute to the overall strengthening of the female body. It is especially important to pay attention to the issue of proper nutrition directly at the last stage of bearing a baby. After all, a woman is about to give birth - a very difficult and labor-intensive job.

The diet in the last weeks of pregnancy should include products containing large amounts of carbohydrates, which are considered the main source of vital energy in the human body. Daily consumption of products containing healthy carbohydrates should become the norm of nutrition for a woman who is preparing to become a mother any day now. Vegetables, meat, dairy products, potatoes and cereals are the products that a pregnant woman must eat in this final period.

An approximate menu for pregnant women during this period may look like this:

  • First breakfast. Boiled egg, a slice of black bread (or toast), butter (10-15 g), a glass of kefir.
  • Second breakfast. Green vegetable salad, a glass of weak tea.
  • Lunch. Boiled chicken fillet or baked potatoes, apple, drinking yogurt.
  • Afternoon snack. Boiled or baked fish, vegetable salad, brown rice porridge, weak tea or compote.
  • Dinner. A glass of kefir or fresh fruit.

There are cases when women in the last stage of pregnancy suffer from various pathologies that require, in turn, special nutrition. For example, if a pregnant woman has anemia, then good nutrition is simply necessary for her. In this case, it is recommended to increase the amount of iron-containing products, but before establishing the appropriate diet, it is imperative to consult with your doctor. If a woman has developed obesity due to improper pregnancy, you need to pay attention to dietary nutrition. However, in this case, you cannot do without consulting an experienced doctor.

When following various diets for weight loss, unwanted deviations and all sorts of pathologies may arise, both in the expectant mother and in the child's body. The maximum level of "harmfulness" is mono-diets, which are designed for long-term starvation. As a consequence, there is the development of vitamin deficiency and physical exhaustion. At the same time, the period of recovery of the young mother's body can drag on for a long time, and it is almost impossible to compensate for all the harm that such diets cause to the small body of a still unformed child.

Diet during pregnancy by week does not exclude the desires of the expectant mother to indulge in what she really wants. You just need to remember about monitoring your diet and its correct regime.

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