Optimizing nutrition for you and your baby
Good nutrition before and during pregnancy improves your chances of having a healthy baby. However, getting all the nutrition you both need can be challenging with IBD. This is especially true with active IBD, since bowel inflammation and diarrhea can prevent proper absorption of nutrients. It can also reduce your appetite and make certain foods harder to digest.
Healthy nutrition for the duration of your pregnancy actually starts before you become pregnant. Talk with your gastroenterologist or doctor several months before trying to conceive. This gives your doctor time to perform diagnostic tests and find any nutritional deficiencies you may need to correct before you become pregnant.
Every pregnancy is different
It's important to talk to your doctor about what you need to eat and avoid in order for both you and your baby to thrive during pregnancy. This can vary greatly from IBD patient to IBD patient and simply from woman to woman, especially when taking into consideration dietary restrictions that are a result of faith or allergies. Talk to your doctor about a strategy that is right for you specifically.