Fasting During Pregnancy – Safety Tips and Warning Signs

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Seeing your mom and grandmom fasting on several
occasions, you must have also developed the habit
of fasting as a part of your occasional routine.
But you followed this routine at a time when you
were not pregnant. Now that you are an expectant
mom, you might want to know whether fasting is
safe during pregnancy.
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Can You Fast During Your Pregnancy?
Well! A very short answer to this would be No.
Why? Your energy and nutrient requirements during
your pregnancy are high both for you and for the
developing baby nurturing inside you. In fact,
you need healthy and nutritious food to eat
during your pregnancy.  So, when you are fasting
while pregnant, you will not be able to meet your
nutritional requirements. By fasting during
pregnancy, you can put your pregnancy through a
lot of challenges. It can also affect your
developing baby in several ways.
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The Risks of Fasting During Pregnancy
As far as fasting while being pregnant is
concerned, there are various risks involved.

• According to studies, fasting during the first
  trimester along with morning sickness is not
  quite effective. Not eating for quite a long time
  at this stage, may increase your risk of
  dehydration, make you feel low in energy, and
  make you prone to urinary tract infections.
• As you step into the second trimester, your
  energy requirements are increased by 340 kcal/d. 
  Studies indicate, undernutrition during pregnancy
  can be linked to promoting weight loss, increased
  risk of preterm birth, and low birth weight.

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• Pregnancy constipation is a common symptom of
  pregnancy. Fasting while you are pregnant, might
  just aggravate your chances of constipation.
• 3 to 8 of pregnant women suffer from diabetes
  during pregnancy. Studies also show that you must
  not fast over 12 hours to increase the potential
  health risks related to diabetes. 

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What Are The Safety Tips For Fasting During
Pregnancy?
Fasting for a certain period may not be
advisable, but if you still desire to fast on
some occasions, here are a few tips that you need
to follow

• Drink a lot of water, and fresh fruit juices to
  stay hydrated, before and after you are fasting.
  You can alternatively have soups to give you some
  energy.
• As a result of fasting, you might feel deprived
  of food for quite a long time. Try to have food
  with plenty of fibre including fruits, veggies,
  and whole grains. But try and avoid fatty or
  fried or processed food.
• Since there is an increased chance of
  constipation, you should try to eat in small
  quantities and quite often.

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• Try not to include sugary food in your diet. As
  there are chances that sugar-coated food might
  raise your blood sugar level fast. After a sudden
  shoot-up of your sugar level, if your sugar level
  drops suddenly, it may make you feel hypo
  glycemic or hyper-glycemic
• If you start feeling weak, break your fast
  immediately
• Plan your whole day in a way so that you can take
  enough rest
• You can alternatively try out intermittent
  fasting during pregnancy, in which you can eat a
  meal in a couple of days or after 8 hours
• Try to avoid stress
• Stay positive

However, if you are still not sure about fasting
while you are pregnant, consult your doctor
immediately. Along with this if you need any
other information on pregnancy, postpartum, and
the benefits of cord blood banking follow our
blog page.
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THANKS!
Do you have any questions? You can find us at
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6200 Website www.cordlifeindia.com
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