Children who are provided with enough nutrition for the first 1000 days of life will have the maximum capacity to develop physically and intellectually.
The first 1,000 days of life are considered “1000 golden days“, which is the time from the formation of the fetus in the womb until birth and full 24 months of age. This period is divided into 3 important stages: fetus – birth to 6 months of age – from 6 to 24 months of age.
At each stage, mothers and children need to have proper nutrition to help children develop best. Children who are properly raised in these stages will prevent diseases better and develop physically and intellectually better in the future.
Conversely, poor feeding can cause irreversible damage to a child’s brain development, which can lead to lifelong health problems. Maternal undernutrition in early pregnancy, children are at high risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Maternal undernutrition at the end of pregnancy, the baby will be at higher risk of glucose tolerance, leading to diabetes. Undernourished women give birth to malnourished children and then these children grow up to become malnourished, stunted mothers, forming a vicious circle.
Therefore, proper nutrition from an early stage is not only considered a matter of parental responsibility but also a social and economic requirement. To give birth to healthy, intellectual and physically capable children, every woman of childbearing age needs basic knowledge about nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.
All parents want their children to be healthy, happy and reach their full potential. To achieve this, children need a good start. The beginning is the right nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.
Pregnant women should take 400 – 600 mcg of fl olic acid daily supplement before 3 months of pregnancy and continue to drink until 1 month after delivery.
Getting enough folic acid is really important, helping to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the fetus, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. Preparations containing high doses of vitamin A should be avoided above 5000 units