Women who are planning for their pregnancy or the pregnant women are given lot of attention by the obstetricians as their health is more important for giving birth to a healthy baby. Nowadays researches have proved that similar to the
folic acid supplements that are essential for the pregnant women, the Omega 3 fatty acids are also essential.
Earlier Researches Regarding Omega 3 Foods
Earlier it was considered that the Omega 3 rich foods are not suitable for pregnant women. So the obstetricians never prescribed Omega 3 rich foods or
supplements to the pregnant women.
Earlier researches showed that the Omega 3 rich foods such as certain fish varieties or the sea food contain certain contaminated contents in them including mercury, which will not be suitable for the brain development of the baby inside the womb. Moreover, it was also found that these sea foods rich in mercury were also likely to cause early delivery causing birth defects as well. Due to all these reasons, the obstetricians did not suggest the pregnant women to take
Omega 3 fatty acids in the earlier days.
Benefits of Taking Omega 3 Fatty Acids for Pregnant Women
Nowadays, it is found that the intake of Omega 3 fatty acids is highly beneficial for pregnant women. The Omega 3 rich food contains the required elements for the development of foetal brain. It also helps in other aspects of the foetal developments such as eradicating certain types of food allergies and eczema in the babies in the womb, so that the babies born are healthy without any birth defects.
Omega 3 Rich Food Items Suitable for Pregnant Women
In general, when thought about the Omega 3 rich food items, one of the important aspects to be noted is that certain varieties of sea food which are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids but do not contain much of mercury content are much suitable for the pregnant women. However, such sea foods should be included in the
pregnancy diet only after consulting your doctor.
Moreover, there are vegetarian foods also containing Omega 3 fatty acids required for the pregnant women, which include oils such as flaxseed oil. These vegetarian food items containing Omega 3 content can also be included in the food items so that the pregnant women get the Omega 3 content required for the foetal development.
Advice of the Obstetricians with Respect to the Omega 3 Content
Nowadays, obstetricians advise the pregnant women to start consuming plant oils containing Omega 3 fatty acids instead of taking regular groundnut or sunflower or vegetable oils. In spite of this, if the pregnant women prefer taking non-vegetarian food, they are advised by the obstetrician to consume the sea food containing Omega 3 fatty acid with very little amount of mercury which would not harm the health of the baby and the expectant mother.
Effects of Deficiency of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Pregnant Women
The Omega 3 content is normally stored in the brain. When the pregnant women do not take Omega 3 content regularly, the baby gets the Omega 3 content through the placenta from the Omega 3 fatty substance stored in the brain of the expectant mother. When this process continues for a longer duration of time, there is a possibility that the baby may suffer from improper brain growth or suffer due to birth defects caused due to the lack of Omega 3 fatty acids required for the development of the foetus.
In order to cope up with the needs of the Omega 3 fatty acid requirement of the baby and the mother during the course of the pregnancy and later, the doctors prescribe Omega 3 supplements during pregnancy. However, pregnant women should not take any supplements which are not prescribed by their doctor.
