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Have you seen the latest infographic on Maternal, Infant and Child Health?

The well-being of mothers, infants, and children determines the health of the next generation and can help predict future public health challenges for families, communities, and the medical care system. Moreover, healthy birth outcomes and early identification and treatment of health conditions among infants can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential.

Despite major advances in medical care, critical threats to maternal, infant, and child health exist in the United States. Among the Nation's most pressing challenges are reducing the rate of preterm births, which has risen by more than 20% from 1990 to 2006, and reducing the infant death rate, which in 2011 remained higher than the infant death rate in 46 other countries.

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The well-being of mothers, infants, and children determines the health of the next generation and can help predict future public health challenges for families, communities, and the medical care system. Moreover, healthy birth outcomes and early identification and treatment of health conditions among infants can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential.

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Maternal and Infant Health | Reproductive Health | CDC

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CDC collaborates with partners to reduce the higher rates of poor outcomes experienced by some racial and ethnic groups, to improve the pregnancy and delivery experiences of all women. Our goal is to help ensure that all women have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

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Questions answered..

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Considering Pregnancy

How do you know when the time is right to get pregnant? The decision is totally yours, but here are some things to think about.

Pre-Pregnancy Health

Want to have a healthy pregnancy and baby someday? Going to the doctor and taking care of your health will help you be ready when the time comes.

Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy tests are easy to use and very accurate after a missed period. Get the facts on how to use them, where to find them, and what to do if the test is positive.

Think You Might Be Pregnant? Take Our Quiz.

Thinking you might be pregnant can be scary or exciting, depending on your situation. The only way to know for sure if you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. Take our quiz to find out if it's time to take a test.

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Pregnancy Information | Everything You Need to Know

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How do you know when the time is right to get pregnant? The decision is totally yours, but here are some things to think about. Want to have a healthy pregnancy and baby someday? Going to the doctor and taking care of your health will help you be ready when the time comes.

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Pregnancy can be stressful if you are worried about affording health care for you and your unborn baby. For many women, the extra expenses of prenatal care and preparing for the new baby are overwhelming. The good news is that women in every state can get help to pay for medical care during their pregnancies.

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What to eat?

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Dieting During Your Pregnancy

What does diet during pregnancy mean? When we refer to diet during pregnancy, we are not speaking about restricting calories or trying to lose weight. Dieting to lose weight during pregnancy can be hazardous to you and your baby, especially since a weight loss regimen may restrict important nutrients such as iron, folic acid, and other important vitamins and minerals.

Therefore, we recommend avoiding popular diets such as Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Raw Food Diet, and so on.

The type of diet we encourage during pregnancy refers to fine-tuning your eating habits to ensure you are receiving adequate nutrition for the health of you and your baby. Healthy eating during pregnancy is critical to your baby's growth and development. In order to get the nutrients you need, you must eat from a variety of food groups, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, protein sources and dairy products.

Typically, you will need to consume an extra 300 calories a day.

Food Groups

It is always important to eat a variety of foods throughout the day making certain you get the nutrients both you and your baby need. Here is a look at the food groups and some suggested sources for creating a healthy diet during pregnancy.

Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables contain many important nutrients for pregnancy especially, Vitamin C and Folic Acid. Pregnant women need at least 70 mg of Vitamin C daily, which is contained in fruits such as oranges, grapefruits and honeydew, and vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, and brussel sprouts.

In order to prevent neural tube defects, 0.4 mg of folic acid per day is recommended. A good source of folic acid can be found in dark green leafy vegetables (other sources of folic acid include legumes, such as black or lima beans, black-eyed peas, and veal). You should have at least 2-4 servings of fruit and 4 or more servings of vegetables daily.

Breads and Grains: The body's main source of energy for pregnancy comes from the essential carbohydrates found in breads and grains. Whole grain and enriched products provide important nutrients such as iron, B Vitamins, fiber and some protein, even. You can get the required amount of folic acid from fortified bread and cereal.

Depending on your weight and dietary needs, you should consume anywhere between 6-11 servings (6-11 oz) of breads/grains daily.

Protein: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and beans contain the protein, B vitamins and iron needed in pregnancy. Your developing baby needs plenty of protein, especially in the second and third trimesters. Iron helps to carry oxygen to your growing baby, and also carries oxygen to your muscles to help avoid symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, irritability, and depression.

The U.S. RDA recommends about 27 mg per day. Lean beef, chicken, lamb, liver, turkey, and veal are good options. Fish and some other seafood can be a good nutritional choice for pregnancy, within guidelines. Fish that contain high levels of mercury should be avoided. ( Read more about Fish and Mercury Levels). You should consume at least 3 servings of protein daily.

Dairy Products: At least 1000 mg of calcium is needed daily to support a pregnancy. Calcium is essential for building strong teeth and bones, normal blood clotting, and muscle and nerve function. Since your developing baby requires a considerable amount of calcium, your body will take calcium from your bones, if you do not consume enough through your diet (which can lead to future problems, such as osteoporosis).

Good sources of calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, cream soups, and puddings. Some calcium is also found in green vegetables, seafood, beans and dried peas. You should consume at least 4 servings of dairy products daily.

A Complement to Nutrition

Prenatal Vitamins: Although the main source of vitamins and nutrients needed during pregnancy should come from your diet, a daily prenatal vitamin can help fill small gaps-just in case you unintentionally do not get enough key nutrients. Prenatal vitamins should be taken up to three months before conception, if possible.

Consult your healthcare provider about which supplement is best for you.

REMEMBER - a prenatal vitamin, or any other supplement can only complement a healthy diet during pregnancy.

Sample Daily Menu

The following sample menu will give you some idea of what a pregnant woman should typically consume in a day for a healthy diet during pregnancy. Three small, but balanced, meals and three light snacks throughout the day are a good rule of thumb to ensure you and your baby's nutritional needs are met.

Breakfast: Oatmeal cereal, banana, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 2 tsp jam, 1 cup skim milk

Snack: 1 cup yogurt, grapes

Lunch: Turkey (if deli meat, do not eat cold - heat to steaming to avoid Listeria) and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, small bag potato chips, pear, and 1 cup skim milk

Snack: Raw veggies and low-calorie dip

Dinner: 4 oz chicken, 1 cup wild rice, 1 cup veggies, 1 cup skim milk

Snack: fresh fruit or low-fat frozen yogurt

Last Updated: 07/2015
Compiled using information from the following sources:
Mayo Clinic Pregnancy and nutrition: Healthy-eating basics. - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20046955

WebMD.com, "Eating Right When Pregnant"- http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/eating-right-when-pregnant

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Diet During Pregnancy: Healthy Eating While Pregnant

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What does diet during pregnancy mean? When we refer to diet during pregnancy, we are not speaking about restricting calories or trying to lose weight. Dieting to lose weight during pregnancy can be hazardous to you and your baby, especially since a weight loss regimen may restrict important nutrients such as iron, folic acid, and other important vitamins and minerals.

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Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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Leading Health Indicators Webinar: Maternal, Infant, and Child Health (Part 1 of 6)

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Dr. Don Wright, Director, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Dr. Howard K. Koh, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, provide an overview of the March LHI topic Maternal, Infant, and Child Health. This Webinar was the third installment of the monthly "Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators?"

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Pregnant Women & Prenatal Care Presentation

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Pregnant Women & Prenatal Care Presentation

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Please download presentation

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Relationship between prenatal care and the outcome of pregnancy in low-risk pregnancies

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Please click on YouTube link to play video.

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Obstetrics and Gynecology - Preterm Labour: By Leslie Po M.D.

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medskl.com is a global, free open access medical education (FOAMEd) project covering the fundamentals of clinical medicine with animations, lectures and concise summaries. medskl.com is working with over 170 award-winning medical school professors to provide content in 200+ clinical presentations for use in the classroom and for physician CME.

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Please click on YouTube link to play video.

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Obstetrics and Gynecology - Prenatal Care: By Fiona Mattatall M.D.

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medskl.com is a global, free open access medical education (FOAMEd) project covering the fundamentals of clinical medicine with animations, lectures and concise summaries. medskl.com is working with over 170 award-winning medical school professors to provide content in 200+ clinical presentations for use in the classroom and for physician CME.