Teen girls urged to place special focus on proper nutrition

Teen mothers are being encouraged to make a special effort to ensure that they receive proper nutrition during and after pregnancy to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their children.

Addressing a forum held at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica on Tuesday, Sabrina Palomino, regional diietician at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, spoke about the need for pregnant women to take heed of the types of food they consume. She highlighted that during pregnancy, women experience a change in appetite. In some cases, pregnant women may not find the taste of meat appealing. Despite this, it is important for teen moms to be properly nourished, especially at this stage of their life.

“You’re in the teenage years, so you’ll be experiencing a growth spurt, so what that means is that you need additional nutrients,” Palamino said.

“You have a baby on the way. That means you’re going to need even more nutrients and you’re going to need a balance.”

She highlighted the common thought that pregnant women should ‘eat for two’. This means that pregnant women should eat for both themselves and the baby. However, Palamino advised against this as it could lead to weight gain from overeating. Overeating could lead to weight gain, which could negatively affect both them and the baby. She also discouraged skipping meals as this could lead to undereating, which would negatively affect them and the child.

“When you are with child, you have to eat your regular meals,” she said. “Don’t skip your meals. You have to eat breakfast, you have to eat lunch, you have eat dinner, and, of course, you have to eat your snacks in between.”

Pregnant women, according to Palamino, need iron, folic acid, and calcium during pregnancy. Foods rich in these nutrients include liver, kidney, green leafy vegetables like bok choy and callaloo, and red meats like beef. She recommended having something with Vitamin C as this could help the body absorb the iron. She also recommended drinking tea before or after eating iron-rich food. This is because all tea can prevent the body from absorbing iron.

Palomino said all pregnant women should consumer folic acid as it is important for the baby’s brain and spinal development. Folic acid is present in green leafy vegetables and meat. Dairy foods like milk and cheese are rich in calcium, which is needed for healthy teeth and bones in the baby and the mother. However, if the mother is lactose intolerant or requires a substitution for dairy products then other foods they could consume include vegetables like cabbage, nuts, and oats. Towards the end of her presentation, Palamino said that for a snack, pregnant women could eat fruits as they are an excellent source of vitamins like Vitamin C. She also said that small quantities of bread and crackers could be ideal as well.

Palamino told The Gleaner that the presentation was extremely important for her to conduct because of how vulnerable a lot of young mothers are during and after pregnancy.

“Nutrition is important throughout the life cycle, especially during pregnancy. With our young ladies here, they’re already a vulnerable group in terms of nutrition, so to come here and educate them about how to eat properly, for themselves and also for the baby, is of the utmost importance.”

Supporting growth, education

The Kiwanis Club of New Kingston was the organisers of the forum. Audrey Brown, president and project leader of the Young Children Priority One Committee at the club, said the committee felt it was important to support teen mothers and their babies and teen mothers-to-be.

“Our committee deals with zero- to five-year-olds, so it’s part of our programme to support moms. These are teen moms, and so we support them in their growth, education and nutrition,” Brown told The Gleaner.

Brown also noted that through talks with some teen mothers, the committee noticed that many had issues with regard to proper nutrition.

She noted that for many of them, their socio-economic background posed a challenge to getting proper nutrition.

“We have given them other stuff, and just by having a one-on-one talk with them, we learnt that there is so much more that they need to know as young mothers,” Brown said.

“Although they’re in the situation of being a teen mom, they can enhance themselves. It’s also a growth factor for them in being a better, more responsible adult.”

– Leon Thomas