Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation: An Implementation Guide

Authorities agree that nutritional care for pregnant, about-to-be pregnant, and nursing women can prevent health problems that are costly in terms of both dollars and quality of life. Yet many women still receive little guidance regarding maternal nutrition.

Now, health care professionals can turn to a handy, practical guide for help in smoothly integrating maternal nutritional care into their practices. Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation provides physicians, nurses, primary care providers, and midwives with a ready-made, step-by-step program for helping new mothers.

The guide―based on the two most authoritative volumes available on the topic, both from the Institute of Medicine―Nutrition During Pregnancy (1990) and Nutrition During Lactation (1991)―makes the findings and recommendations detailed in these books readily accessible for daily use. In keeping with recommendations by the U.S. Surgeon General, the guide promotes breastfeeding and includes practical information for mothers on how to breastfeed.

Providing background details, resource lists, and a "toolbox" of materials, this implementation guide makes nutritional care simple and straightforward.

Part I walks the health care professional through the process of providing nutritional advice for new mothers―from the pre-pregnancy questionnaire to the final postpartum visit. It includes helpful tools such as weight charts and checklists to follow during each patient visit. It also offers suggestions on encouraging nutritional eating habits and helping patients with problems such as nausea and nursing twins.

Part II offers a wide range of practical information and guidelines on important topics, such as serving culturally diverse populations, making dietary assessments throughout pregnancy and lactation, and providing dietary advice in understandable, day-to-day terms. The guide explains how to determine if patients need vitamin-mineral supplements and what regimens to recommend. And, it includes information on referring patients to federal food and nutrition programs.

The guide is tabbed for quick reference and each page is designed for the reader to find information easily.

Subcommittee for a Clinical Applications Guide, Institute of Medicine