Have any mothers-to-be had this experience? During pregnancy preparations, quit smoking and drinking, stay up less late, and change bad living habits in the hope that you can have a healthy baby; after the baby is born, in order to develop the baby\’s intelligence, buy various picture books and educational toys; babies in early childhood are Send them to expensive early education institutions to study. And all this is to better develop the baby\’s intelligence. But there is one most basic common sense that is often ignored, and that is the nutrients needed to promote brain development. 200 examples of nutritional recipes for 3-month pregnant women in ultra-clear, full-color PDF. In fact, the development of our brain begins before birth. From the 4th week to the 40th week of pregnancy, the brain gradually develops from a simple tubular structure to a complex structure. , but this process is not smooth all the way and is extremely easily affected by the external environment. Therefore, in addition to necessary pre-pregnancy examinations and changing bad living habits during pregnancy preparation, the nutritional status of women of childbearing age who are preparing to have a baby is also very important. Lack of nutrition will affect the development of the fetal brain and increase the risk of behavioral problems after birth. . Some people may say that with today’s material living conditions so good, who would still lack nutrition? Many expectant mothers are even required to control their own and their fetus\’s weight gain. Strengthening nutrition before and during pregnancy is not a random supplement. Once some expectant mothers are sure that they are pregnant, in order to ensure the good development of the fetus in their abdomen, they start a crazy food supplement mode and consume extremely high calories, causing themselves and their fetus to gain too much weight. There are also some expectant mothers who, after experiencing morning sickness in early pregnancy, \”eat randomly\” in revenge in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, unscrupulously ingesting foods high in oil and sugar such as barbecue, spicy strips, hot pot, cakes, ice cream, and bread. As a result, I found that I failed the glucose tolerance test and had some abnormal prenatal check-up indicators before I started to control my diet. Little did I know that the fetal brain was always developing, and these inappropriate \”supplements\” and unruly \”eats\” were threatening the fetal brain. development. Despite this, why do some expectant mothers still give birth to fetuses with intact limbs? There is a built-in safety mechanism that, in order to better protect the fetus, will allocate the various resources obtained to the uterus as much as possible, regardless of whether this approach will endanger the health of the mother. Dr. John Denning from the University of Glasgow described this mechanism in depth: \”The fetus is tightly protected from maternal malnutrition. This is much like parasites that unknowingly threaten the health of the host.\” For example. , the central nervous system of the expectant mother is the reserve warehouse of various nutrients needed to build the fetal central nervous system. If the mother is undernourished, the fetus will select and absorb nutrients from the mother\’s brain. Research shows that there may be atrophy in the hippocampus and temporal lobe areas of the maternal brain. These areas mainly control short-term memory and emotions, which may explain why women become \”stupid\” after pregnancy. What nutrients do expectant mothers need to supplement during pregnancy? 01 Folic acid It is well known that folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy is very important to prevent fetal neural tube loss. The generally recommended dose is 400ug/day. Studies have shown that if expectant mothers take medication 10 weeks before conception,If folic acid supplementation is started, the cognitive and behavioral performance of their offspring will be better in early childhood. It is of little significance if folic acid supplementation is started after 22 weeks of pregnancy. A study on 8-year-old children\’s cognition from the United Kingdom also found that in addition to supplementing folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy, expectant mothers can also benefit from folic acid supplementation after the third month of pregnancy. 02 Vitamin D The vitamin D level of expectant mothers during pregnancy will affect the development of the fetal brain. The generally recommended dose is 15ug/day or 600IU/day. The source of fetal vitamin D depends entirely on maternal supply. When the expectant mother is deficient in vitamin D, the fetus will also be deficient. Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy may increase the risk of ADHD in offspring. It is also related to some subsequent mental health conditions in offspring, such as anxiety and depression. 03 Choline Choline exists in the cell membranes of animals or plants in the form of phosphatidylcholine and can promote the development of the brain and other tissues, so it is in high demand during pregnancy. The FDA recommends a minimum intake of 550mg/day during pregnancy. Choline deficiency during pregnancy is strongly linked to lifelong learning disabilities. In addition, the levels of folate and methionine consumed affect choline levels in the body, which in turn affects folate and methionine levels in the body. For example, excessive drinking, resulting in a lack of folic acid levels in the body, will further increase the demand for choline. Therefore, nutritional supplements during pregnancy are also complementary to each other. 04 Iodine One of the leading causes of childhood cognitive problems worldwide is iodine deficiency during pregnancy. Iodine is an essential trace element used in the synthesis of thyroxine and must be obtained from the diet. Thyroxine is involved in neurogenesis, neuronal migration and other neurogenesis processes. Especially in the early stages of pregnancy, since the fetal thyroid gland has not yet begun to function, thyroxine needs to be taken in from the mother. Severe maternal thyroid hormone deficiency during this critical period may lead to intellectual problems in children. 05 Iron Iron deficiency during pregnancy and infancy can cause irreversible neurological problems. Women who have high blood pressure or smoke during pregnancy will have reduced maternal iron transport to the fetus. In addition, gestational diabetes will also increase the fetus\’s need for iron. Fetal development requires adequate iron to support nerve energy metabolism and the formation of dendrites and synapses. A Swiss study found that the offspring of women who were diagnosed with anemia during the first 30 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood compared with women who were diagnosed with anemia after 30 weeks of pregnancy. Increased chances of disabilities and intellectual problems. 06DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, is a polyunsaturated fatty acid necessary for the human body. It is an indispensable component of cell and nerve function because it and other fatty acids form a phospholipid double layer. The fetus requires large amounts of maternal fatty acids. Although it is not clear whether DHA supplementation during pregnancy is beneficial to improving fetal cognitive function, DHA supplementation during pregnancy has a positive effect in reducing neurological diseases, language disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental delays. Another study found that DHA supplementation during pregnancy has a positive effect on offspring.It can only be reflected when higher-level brain cognitive functions called executive abilities (such as working memory, impulse control, planning, etc.) appear during the school age. In addition to the above nutrients, attention should also be paid to the intake of protein, taurine, lutein, calcium, zinc, etc. Nutritional supplementation is very important throughout pregnancy. Expectant mothers should understand that optimal nutritional status during pregnancy can benefit the fetus throughout its life. Equally important is postpartum nutrition, since brain development does not stop until the second decade of life (when optimal nutrition is needed to prevent the onset of aging). Nutritional supplements should first be taken from food. When the intake is insufficient, appropriate nutritional supplements are also available. Nutritional supplements are recommended to be extracted from natural plants rather than synthetic chemicals. CCTV recommends over 500 high-scoring excellent documentaries. The child will become self-disciplined and addicted after watching it. Conclusion In addition to balanced nutrition, the development of the fetal brain is also closely related to the expectant mother’s emotions, stress, drug exposure, diabetes, external environment, etc. during pregnancy. , when in these dangerous situations, it is even more necessary to reasonably supplement nutrition to reduce the impact on fetal brain development. After all, it is not easy to give birth to a healthy life.