The Importance of Eating Protein for Two

One of the most important things you can do for your baby as well as yourself, also happens to be one of the easiest... make smart choices every day when you eat! Hey, you were already planning on eating something anyway! And you can start this right away in your pregnancy.


When you hear that the Bradley Method® teaches about nutrition to stay low-risk, you may want to groan and roll your eyes. Not an uncommon response, by the way. But really, it is not that hard and you can probably keep eating many of the things you already eat; just take note and make some healthy changes. To get an idea of just how important we are talking, here is a list of things that are more likely to become a problem if your diet is inadequate in any area (from Dr. Brewer's Pregnancy Diet website):

• spontaneous abortions (miscarriages)
• abruption of the placenta (premature separation of the afterbirth from the wall of the uterus)
• intrauterine growth retardation (a slowdown of the baby's growth during pregnancy)
• prolonged and difficult labor
• increased need for Cesarean delivery
• increased need for intravenous fluids and/or blood transfusions due to hemorrhage
• metabolic toxemia of late pregnancy (a shrinkage of the mother's blood supply due to a damaged liver; may end in convulsions or coma for mother; a leading cause of maternal and infant death)
• premature labor
• premature/immature/underweight babies (at highest risk for breathing problems at birth and long-term aftereffects such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and poor motor coordination)
• higher rates of severe infections or mother and baby after delivery
• increased difficulties with breastfeeding (cracked, sore nipples, scanty milk supply, milk of compromised nutrtional value, a weak suckling reflex in the baby, breast infections)
• increased rates of admissions to "high risk" hospital units during pregnancy and after birth

One area of the Brewer Pregnancy diet that I will highlight today is protein. You may not be aware of the importance of protein for a non-pregnant person, but it is such a necessary component of a healthy diet. For the prego mama and the baby growing inside of her, it is absolutely imperative. You probably know someone who was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia (which can lead to metabolic toxemia of late pregnancy - see 7th bullet point above) during her pregnancy. This is a condition that can oftentimes be avoided by eating 80-100g of protein per day, as recommended by the Dr. Brewer's Pregnancy diet! What a deal - you get to eat good stuff to help avoid having a serious condition that could affect you, your baby and your choices in pregnancy and birth.