Pregnant? Omega-3 is much needed!

The daily intake of at least 450 mg omega-3 fatty acid DHA by the mother contributes to the normal development of the brain and eyes of the fetus and breastfed babies.

In this blog I make you aware of the importance of omega-3 for a good start for your child and its importance for your good health as a mother.

EFA: Essential Fatty Acid

Omega-3 fatty acids are “EFAs”. That stands for Essential Fatty Acids. Fatty acids that you desperately need but cannot produce yourself. You must get them through your diet or supplement. See “Why Omega-3” for further explanation. Omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated into our cell walls, among other things. And from there they perform useful functions. They support healthy brains and eyes and good blood pressure.

Your body is aware of these health benefits and pumps your unborn child full of omega-3 until an omega-3 index of between 8 and 11% is reached.

As soon as you are pregnant, your baby uses your omega-3 supply and your supply starts to decline rapidly. You must therefore ensure that you consume enough omega-3 fatty acids every day to maintain your levels.

Start building up a good omega-3 supply in your body 3-6 months before you want to become pregnant.

Then you will be in plenty of time and you will create a good breeding ground. At Care By Nature we offer very high quality omega-3 supplements .

Healthy brain and eye development during pregnancy

Your child's brain and eyes are being built up, especially in the first 3 months of your pregnancy. These contain a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids.

Fortunately, you have now built up a good stock that your child can draw from and you are giving your child a good start:

Maternal intake of omega-3 fatty acid DHA contributes to normal brain and visual development in the fetus and breastfed infants

The prerequisite is a daily intake of 200 mg DHA in addition to the recommended daily intake for omega-3 fatty acids for adults, i.e.: 250 mg DHA and EPA. That means 450 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA .

The birth

For Worldbreastfeeding Week came GOOD (The Global Organization for EPA and DHA omega-3s) with the following infographic:

The first 1000 days are very important for your child. Also take a look at the TNO site .

Are you breastfeeding? Omega-3 is an important component of your breast milk and make sure you maintain your own supply. Do you give the bottle? Then look for a milk powder that contains DHA (these days this applies to most brands).

Until the age of 2, babies absorb significant amounts of DHA to build their brains and eyes.

Omega-3 reduces the risk of dangerous premature birth

The Cochrane Institute is an international, independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to help healthcare providers, policymakers and patients make healthcare decisions.

They recently compared 70 studies into the influence of omega-3 on pregnancy in which 20,000 women participated with as the most important outcome :

• 500 mg DHA per day reduces the risk of life-threatening premature birth (before the 34th week) by almost half.
• omega-3 intake can extend the duration of pregnancy.
• and increase the weight of the newborn through better blood flow to the placenta.

The researchers concluded that the results are so convincing that further research is not necessary.

Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide. Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under 5, with 1 million deaths annually.

And premature birth can have effects later in life, such as problems with vision and be the basis of learning and development problems.

High omega-3 levels good for mother and baby

Your omega-3 content is measured with the Omega-3 Index Test. With this test you measure the percentage of omega-3 fatty acids that are built into your cell walls.

An omega-3 index of 8-11% is seen as a healthy level to aim for

The omega-3 index of pregnant women decreases during pregnancy if not enough omega-3 is consumed daily. Indexes of 4 or lower are regularly measured.

This can have an effect on the health of the mother (think of healthy functioning of the brain and eyes, blood pressure, blood fat) and is possibly related to postpartum depression.

Would you like to read more about the index or take an index test, then click here . Looking for a good supplement, then click here .