How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy

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With pregnancy and all the pleasant and not-so-pleasant symptoms associated with it, taking care of your bones might be the last thing on your mind. But it’s important for women to maintain good bone health during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Your body’s growing needs to accommodate the baby in your womb demands an extra dose of TLC when it comes to bone health. Continue reading our article to know all about pregnancy and bone health.

A pregnant woman needs plenty of calcium for the fetus to develop its skeleton. This is especially true during the last trimester. When the expectant mother lacks calcium in her body, the baby will absorb the needed calcium from the mother’s bones. Thus pregnant women need to make sure that they get enough calcium throughout their pregnancy. Fortunately, being pregnant does put women in advantage of protecting their calcium reserve in the following ways (1):

  • Pregnant women’s bodies are better at absorbing calcium from supplements and foods than non-pregnant women, especially towards the end of their pregnancy when the baby needs the most calcium for growth and development.
  • The body of a pregnant woman produces more estrogen. One of the significant benefits of estrogen is that it strengthens and protects bones.
  • Some women might notice a decrease in their bone density after pregnancy. This, however, gets restored in the following months after delivery or after a woman has stopped breastfeeding.
How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy
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Pregnancy is typically considered good for the overall health of the bones. According to certain evidence, the more times a woman is pregnant, the greater her bone density. It also indicates a low risk of getting fractured (2).

In some rare cases, pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause women to develop osteoporosis, which leads to weak and brittle bones, increasing the risk of fracture. Though it is a serious condition, most women recover lost bone after giving birth or after they stop nursing. On the other hand, teenage mothers may be more at risk of bone loss and osteoporosis even later in life. This is because their body has not yet built the total bone mass and has compromised her own bone mass for the baby’s growth. To minimize the risk of bone loss during and after pregnancy, pregnant mothers need to follow a healthy lifestyle and include foods in their diet that aids towards strong and healthy bones. Below, we list down some bone-bolstering tips for your pregnancy arsenal.

How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy
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In This Article

Get Enough Calcium

Calcium is good for bone health, so make sure you get enough of it during pregnancy. The recommended calcium intake for pregnant women is 1,000 milligrams a day. Pregnant teens are recommended to consume 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day (3).

Calcium-rich foods include:

  • Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
  • Green leafy vegetables such as kale, bok choy, collard greens, and broccoli.
  • Calcium-fortified cereals and bread.
  • Calcium-fortified juices which include orange juice and soy beverages.
How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy
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Vitamin D For Healthy Bones

Your body needs to get the right amount of vitamin D to ensure strong and healthy bones for you and your baby. Pregnant women are recommended to consume 600 IU of vitamin D every day. This may be hard to achieve from diet alone. Hence pregnant women are advised to take supplements to make sure they get the recommended amount (4).

Foods that are good sources of vitamin D include eggs, oily fishes such as mackerel, sardine, salmon, fortified breakfast cereals, and fortified spreads (5).

How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy
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Follow A Healthy Lifestyle

Eat a balanced diet, and ditch all and any unhealthy habits during pregnancy. Besides calcium and vitamin D, it is essential to follow a balanced diet for the health of you and your baby. Make sure you include fruits, vegetables, nuts, pulses, and cereals in your daily diet.

Keep yourself hydrated and avoid drinking and smoking during pregnancy. Smoking is bad for your lungs, heart, bones, and your baby. If you are finding it hard to quit, talk to your doctor, and seek help.

Similarly, avoid alcohol during pregnancy. It’s best to steer clear of alcohol until after childbirth for the sake of your baby. Excess alcohol is also bad for your bones; another reason to quit drinking during pregnancy (6).

How To Keep Your Bones Healthy During Pregnancy
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Exercise

Exercise can help in strengthening bones. But first, talk to your doctor to check if it’s safe for you to exercise during pregnancy. Each pregnancy is different, so make sure you get the OK from your doctor before you engage in any form of physical activity. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, dancing, and climbing stairs are good for bone health. Discuss with your doctor about safe exercises during pregnancy. Being active not only makes your bones stronger, but it also has several other amazing benefits during pregnancy. Exercise can elevate your mood, boost energy, improve posture, treat and prevent gestational diabetes, reduce bloating, constipation, and backaches, and promote strength and endurance (7).

Being pregnant changes your body, and it affects your bones too. We hope our article helped you understand the importance of bone health and how to maintain healthy bones during pregnancy.

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