Teen Pregnancy: Dietary Needs for Developing Mom and Baby

Every woman knows she must be mindful of her daily iron and calcium intake, which is especially important during pregnancy. But what happens when a teenage child, who is still in her own developing stage, becomes pregnant? What does this condition do to the percentage of the recommended daily allowance of iron and calcium she will need?

Many of the daily requirements of vitamins and minerals necessary for good health are minimal and are not required in large doses. One such vitamin is Vitamin D. Women only need 5 mcg (microgram) of Vitamin D to provide the necessary health benefits of calcium absorption, bone growth, aiding in immune and neuromuscular function, and reducing inflammation. This can be easily received by having a bowl of cereal with milk, an egg, some fish with the skin, or by about 15 minutes of sun exposure a day.

Calcium and iron, on the other hand, are needed in greater quantities. Children need 1300 mg (milligrams) of calcium a day to maintain healthy blood vessle expansion and contraction, muscle contraction (vital during childbirth), hormone and enzyme secretion, and impulse transmitting of the nervous system, not to mention good bones and teeth. This is 300 mg more than a woman of 19 needs since a child's bones are still in a rapid stage of development.

Iron is an essential mineral to life, it aids in oxygen transport, which happens as it is stored in hemoglobin (the part of blood that makes it red), and is necessary for cell growth regulation and function. It is often easy to recognize when there is a deficiency of iron, especially in women and girls after the onset of menstruation. Anemia, a condition occurring when there is a significant deficiency of iron, can be characterized by a feeling of weakness and tiredness, inability to concentrate, difficulty in regulating body temperature, decreased immunity function (catching a cold or infection easily), and in children, slow social and cognitive development.

According to a chart on the National Institute of Health's web site, the recommended daily allowance of iron for a fully developed woman, beginning at age 19, is 18 mg a day. For a young girl, age 9-13, the RDA of iron is only 8 mg and jumps to 15 mg at the age of 14-18 years of age. These requirements are listed for non-pregnant women and girls, but the daily requirement of iron leaps significantly to 27 mg a day for pregnant women and girls of all ages. Although there is no data for a pregnant child under the age of 14, this is a drastic increase even for a 14 year old and it stands to reason that a younger child, say 12 or 13, who becomes pregnant, would also be in need of a much greater daily requirement. This shows how important iron is to a teenage pregnant girl who is still developing herself and is now nurturing a fetus.

Pregnancy is one of the most important times in a woman's life when she should be mindful of her diet and daily nutritional intake and especially if she is still in the developmental stages of her own life. Calcium is needed for the development of healthy, strong bones in both the mother and child and requires Vitamin D to help the body absorb it. Iron is an essential mineral for effective oxygen absorption by the cells, which will help to keep the mother energized and feeling good. This will be particularly important during labor and delivery and to aid in a speedy recovery after birth.

During pregnancy, as with any other health related issue, always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health practitioner for all nutritional requirements.

Source: National Institute of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements (2004). Dietary Supplement Factsheet web site, Retrieved on August 18, 2009 from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium.asp, http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.asp