You are excited and feeling joyful when the pregnancy test is positive. You find yourself already caressing your stomach in hopes that your little one can feel your touch. The next nine months are going to be an exciting time for you and your baby. You have a human life growing inside of you and will feel him or her move as they get bigger. Your baby will soon be a bundle of adorable goodness that you can’t help but kiss over and over again. Pregnancy truly is a miracle.

To help this miracle along, it is essential for you to eat as well as you can throughout your pregnancy. The first three months might be a little difficult to eat balanced meals when you are dealing with food aversions and morning sickness. If you are one of the rare lucky ones whose stomach doesn’t so much as move during your first trimester, then you can take full advantage of eating healthy right out of the gate.

Making sure you eat balanced nutritious meals also lays down the foundation for your baby. A diet of junk food is not going to help your baby with bone development and organ formation. Potato chips will not help with brain development. Your baby and your body need calcium and vitamins to achieve all of this.

Eating well during pregnancy is going to help your baby eat well after it is born and on solid foods.  As your pregnancy progresses, some of what you eat will cross the placenta and the taste will be in your baby’s amniotic fluid. Babies swallow this fluid and their taste buds are so developed that even in the womb they are able to taste the flavors. Doctors believe that babies who are exposed to a wide variety of fruit and vegetables while in utero have less of a chance of being a fussy eater later in life. They believe that these are the babies who will eat their fruit and vegetables without putting up any fight.

Doctors also believe that moms who drink milk throughout their pregnancy have an easier time weaning their babies from formula or breast milk to regular milk.  This, however, is only one benefit, the other benefit of drinking milk throughout your pregnancy is all the calcium you will be giving your baby’s bones. Many doctors recommend that you drink at least one eight oz glass of milk, usually fat-free, a day. Calcium is a must have your baby’s bones and his teeth, even though you won’t see his teeth for at least a few months. If you’re not a milk drinker, you can get calcium from many other foods including: Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Dried Figs, Kale, Yogurt, Mustard Greens, Broccoli Raab, Soybeans, Rhubarb, Okra, Quinoa, Navy Beans, Oats, Broccoli, Cannellini Beans, and so many more vegetables that surely you will find something that is calcium-rich that fits your taste buds.

This isn’t to say that you have to stay away from all sweets or treats or occasional junk food all the time. You can indulge every now and then and thanks to cravings you may find yourself wanting sweets more often than not. You do have to keep it in moderation. Being pregnant should not be looked at as an excuse to eat whatever you want for nine months. But instead look at it as a way for you to prepare your baby for happy, healthy life. And that means that after your baby is born you both are happy and healthy.