Webchat about pregnancy and post-natal nutrition with Jane Clarke, Tuesday 7 February, 11am - midday

[RachelMumsnet]

We're running a webchat on Tuesday ​7th February between 11am and midday about pregnancy and post-natal nutrition with Jane Clarke.

Mothers-to-be are bombarded with information on what to eat and what to avoid while pregnant and after the birth – but how much of it is useful, and how much can be ignored? Jane Clarke​ will be on-hand on Tuesday morning to answer all your questions and to ​ give you the essential info on what's needed to provide the best nutrition for you and your baby.

Jane Clarke, BSc (Honours) SRD, is Britain’s most trusted nutritionist and believes that “food nourishes your life, not just your body”. As a qualified dietician, Jane spearheads nutrition and dietetic practices in London, advising some of Britain’s leading sportspeople and media personalities, while also continuing to treat children and adults.

​Join us on Tuesday morning from 11am - midday or if you're unable to join then, post your question in advance on this thread.​

[MrsBellefleur]

I have been told my baby is small. I'm nearly 33 weeks pregnant and she has dropped to the bottom of her centile line. As I am overweight I have tried it to put much weight in as per guidelines and I have only gained 3kg so far. Could this have had an affect in my baby's growth? Is there anything I can or should be eating to help her get bigger?

[FriendofBill]

Advice for anemic vegetarian/vegan mothers to be please.

[LovelyBranches]

I have a 5 day old DD who is ebf. She's starting to show signs of reflux and I was wondering if there was a realistic* diet I could follow to help her.

*Realistic for a mother who also has a toddler and who barely has time to wee let alone cook elaborate meals

[Phalarope]

Any suggestions for nutritious snacks/meals that can be prepared quickly, one-handedly, with a whingy baby on your shoulder? Am mostly eating oatcakes straight out of the packet (er and biscuits) and probably not enough protein or fruit and veg.

[krisskross]

I'd love ideas for healthy, filling snacks. I am 29 weeks and seem to be constantly ravenous.

[Sweetpeabec]

Staple ingredients/meal ideas to have in the house before baby is born to use for quick and easy meals between feeds/sleep please

[chelle85]

Ideas for healthy snacks to satisfy carb cravings and protein ideas when just the thought of meat now makes me feel sick would be great

[Mullerstein]

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and a bit confused by all the pregnancy supplements on offer. I've been taking folic acid but wondered what you think of the others on the market? I want to give my baby a good start but wonder if it is necessary if I have a healthy diet. Also can you tell me how long I need to take folic acid?

[HHHelenG]

After giving birth to my first child three years ago, I suffered with the worst constipation. I was in agony for days and in the end had to go back to the doctors. I had such a bad stomach for the first few weeks of my son's life that I had trouble breastfeeding. I'm 30 weeks pregnant with my second child and wonder if there's anything I can do this time to ensure I don't go through this again. I would prefer not to take any medication because of breastfeeding but wonder if there's anything I can eat to help me avoid constipation and stomach upset.

I'm also determined to try and avoid snacking on biscuits and crackers this time when I'm breastfeeding. Last time I didn't put on much weight during pregnancy but put on so much in the first six months of my son's life and I did seem to be constantly hungry when I was breastfeeding. How many calories do you actually burn whilst breastfeeding? Is it okay to eat more calories than normal? Thank you Jane.

[llemma]

I would love some advice on gluten intolerance during pregnancy and as most gluten free foods are rice based can you eat too much rice?

[eenymeany]

Are there any particular foods to eat after a c section that can help with recovery?

[RachelMumsnet]

Jane Clarke is about to join us to answer your questions about nutrition both during pregnancy and after birth. Welcome to Mumsnet and over to you Jane...

[stillspring]

Can you give me some advice on eating low carb during pregnancy? I cut back drastically last year (no bread, cereal, rice, pasta but not totally carb free e.g. porridge for breakfast) and I'd like to keep it up as I feel so much better in myself with less carbs, but is it safe to low carb in during pregnancy? I'm only 6 weeks at the mo.

[JaneClarke]

Hi everyone. Great to be with you. Thanks for the questions, keep them coming and I'll try to cover as many as possible.

[Barnettsbump]

I’ve just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and really need some ideas for meal planning. I usually eat lots of fruit and also love carbs and have been told I should cut out both of these. I'm 22 weeks. Can you help? thanks

[RachelMumsnet]

Apologies for the delay - the site was down for a while. Jane will be back posting up Qs now.

[Williethewizard]

I have suffered with bad post-partum hair loss since the my dd (6 mo) was born. Can you suggest any food or dietary supplements that will help with this?

[JaneClarke]

@FriendofBill

Advice for anemic vegetarian/vegan mothers to be please.

Thanks for the message. Being anaemic when you're pregnant can be a little tricky, particularly if you're not wanting to eat any animal products, but if it's a mild anaemia, or you are just concerned with not getting enough iron, it's possible to find other iron rich foods. The most fashionable is the kale which seems to be everywhere, as it's the dark green pigment in the vegetables which provides our body with iron. So the other dark greens like the dark cabbages, spinach, fresh herbs like parsley also provide iron. Chickpeas and beans along with figs, dried apricots, watercress and slightly more abstract sea weed are great. Sea weeds now you can find in some snacks, which rather strangely can be a taste some pregnant women crave! Egg yolks contain iron, if eating eggs is part of your diet.
Try to include some fresh lemon before serving the vegetables as this helps your body to absorb the iron.Thanks for the message. Being anaemic when you're pregnant can be a little tricky, particularly if you're not wanting to eat any animal products, but if it's a mild anaemia, or you are just concerned with not getting enough iron, it's possible to find other iron rich foods. The most fashionable is the kale which seems to be everywhere, as it's the dark green pigment in the vegetables which provides our body with iron. So the other dark greens like the dark cabbages, spinach, fresh herbs like parsley also provide iron. Chickpeas and beans along with figs, dried apricots, watercress and slightly more abstract sea weed are great. Sea weeds now you can find in some snacks, which rather strangely can be a taste some pregnant women crave! Egg yolks contain iron, if eating eggs is part of your diet.
Try to include some fresh lemon before serving the vegetables as this helps your body to absorb the iron.

[JaneClarke]

@LovelyBranches

I have a 5 day old DD who is ebf. She's starting to show signs of reflux and I was wondering if there was a realistic* diet I could follow to help her.

*Realistic for a mother who also has a toddler and who barely has time to wee let alone cook elaborate meals

Reflux can be upsetting for new mothers, especially when you feel it's something you're doing wrong, but it seldom is. It's very common and can settle after the first few days. A few things to try are giving your baby small feeds more often rather than larger feeds and try to keep her upright as much as possible. It sometimes can be exacerbated by foods you eat if you're breastfeeding with the most classic culprits being spicy food, citrus, so it's worth keeping a little note of what you're eating and her reflux, to see if there are any links. Breast feeding is less likely to cause reflux, but when it comes to Formula feeding you might find that the timing of feeds and sleep can be juggled around a little to help.

If it becomes a real issue, seek some professional support to see if other formulas or a little medication can help ease the problem

[JaneClarke]

@Phalarope

Any suggestions for nutritious snacks/meals that can be prepared quickly, one-handedly, with a whingy baby on your shoulder? Am mostly eating oatcakes straight out of the packet (er and biscuits) and probably not enough protein or fruit and veg.

One of the things I found most useful when maya was young was my slow cooker, as I lived off casseroles which I could put into the pot any time I had the energy and then hours later they would be ready when I had time to eat, so you might like to try this.
If it's quick things then try baked eggs, which even now I use as a quick meal, simply adding anything at the bottom of the ramekin, from mushrooms, frozen peas, cheese mixed in the egg to make a meal in ten minutes. Another favourite I relied on was to make a quick steamed vegetable combination which I tend to use frozen peas, spinach, broad beans, steamed until cooked then drizzle with olive oil, a little salt, a big dollop of hummus on top or some feta cheese and sliced tomatoes.
The soups are the other way to go, which if you make a big vat of them and freeze in smaller portions, they're perfect. Favourites at the moment are pea soup which you can quickly make from frozen peas. Check out the recipe on my website if you need an idea

[JaneClarke]

@stillspring

Can you give me some advice on eating low carb during pregnancy? I cut back drastically last year (no bread, cereal, rice, pasta but not totally carb free e.g. porridge for breakfast) and I'd like to keep it up as I feel so much better in myself with less carbs, but is it safe to low carb in during pregnancy? I'm only 6 weeks at the mo.

Being low carb can be fine when you're pregnant if you are eating plenty of other nourishing foods, and include other root vegetables such as carrots, parsnip, swede etc and include fruits which provide natural sugars. If you feel at your best being low carb then you need to ensure that you're gleening enough calories from the foods too, so using good fats such as avocado, olive oils, nuts etc can help this, as can making swaps like using quinoa in salads and other grains, even in a small amounts. Even though rice is a carb, think about having a little whole grain rice in say some soup or a salad as it can provide you energy but not make you feel lousy.
I wonder if you've tried spelt, as pearled spelt in salads or casseroles is delicious and it might sit easily in your gut. If you get on well with oats, then another option is to use as a savoury crumble topping, or in meat dishes such as chicken rissoles.

[JaneClarke]

@llemma

I would love some advice on gluten intolerance during pregnancy and as most gluten free foods are rice based can you eat too much rice?

You can't really eat too much rice, but as with all things, I'd like to understand why you are avoiding gluten. If it's because you feel better not eating gluten as opposed to being diagnosed as coeliac, then perhaps think about spelt as one option, which although it contains gluten it is often easier to digest than classic wheat. But if you need to avoid all gluten then potatoes can provide some nourishing starch without the gluten, as can using a spiruliser to make vegetable spaghetti from butternut squash and courgettes, etc...

[JaneClarke]

@llemma

I would love some advice on gluten intolerance during pregnancy and as most gluten free foods are rice based can you eat too much rice?

You can't really eat too much rice, but as with all things, I'd like to understand why you are avoiding gluten. If it's because you feel better not eating gluten as opposed to being diagnosed as coeliac, then perhaps think about spelt as one option, which although it contains gluten it is often easier to digest than classic wheat. But if you need to avoid all gluten then potatoes can provide some nourishing starch without the gluten, as can using a spiruliser to make vegetable spaghetti from butternut squash and courgettes, etc...

[Magicpenny]

Hi Jane, I have two young children aged 4 and 3 and just had my third baby. He’s 4 weeks old and as you can imagine I’m pretty exhausted at the moment. I seem to be producing enough milk for him during the day but in the evenings I don’t think I have enough milk and he’s screaming all evening - just at the time my other 2 are getting tired and need lots of attention. A friend said this is because I’m so tired. Can you suggest any foods that help with milk production and also keep my energy levels up - particularly for the evening.

[JaneClarke]

@Mullerstein

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and a bit confused by all the pregnancy supplements on offer. I've been taking folic acid but wondered what you think of the others on the market? I want to give my baby a good start but wonder if it is necessary if I have a healthy diet. Also can you tell me how long I need to take folic acid?

You are right to have taken folic acid during your first trimester as 400mcg is the ideal. The other one to consider would be a vitamin D supplement at a dose of ten micro grams as this can be good too. You shouldn't need to take a pregnancy vitamin and mineral formulation above this, if you feel you're eating a good diet, but again if this gives you peace of mind there is nothing wrong with taking a general pregnant women formula.