NUTRITION AND EMOTIONAL STRESS DURING PREGNANCY

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of nutrition on psychological wellbeing of the pregnant women during the last trimester of pregnancy. We examined retrospectively 2 groups of women. 1st group: In this group 57 women were included. These women had a balanced diet and had taken special supplements for iron, folic acid and calcium. The mean dietary intake of these women was 2700 kcal/day with a weight gain of 9-13 kg during pregnancy. 2nd group: In this group 33 women were included. These women did not comply with all the above. The mean dietary intake of these women was 3100 kcal/day with a weight gain of 14.5-29 kg during pregnancy. In our study we tried to include women with as close as possible a same profile (age, parity, difficulty in previous labours and attitude towards their pregnancies). Results: 1st group: 51 (89.5%) women approaching delivery thought that the experience was one of the happiest times of their lives. 2nd group: 30 (90.9%) women underwent severe emotional stress during the third trimester, and were afraid for the possibility to have a macrosomic infant or pre-eclampsia with subsequent difficulties in labor. These difference are statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Our results show that nutrition can influence, in a great degree, the psychological well-being of the pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy. Of course, we have to take into consideration that other factors may also influence the psychological profile of a women nearing labor.