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Our publications are available as hard and digital copies.
Digital copies are free or 'pay what you can'. The price of the hard copy of these resources are informed by design, print and administrative costs and subject to change.
Please note that First Steps Nutrition Trust does not make a profit from selling these resources and as such bulk purchase or NHS discounts are unfortunately not possible at this time.
This resource is currently being updated
Please note: This is the digital version only. All our resources are free to download but please consider making a contribution to enable us to keep this and all our resources updated and in line with latest UK public health recommendations.
Written by Dr Helen Crawley, First Steps Nutrition Trust (2013). A4 with spiral binding. ISBN 978-1-908924-03-2
Revised and printed edition March 2017 ISBN 978-1-098924-06-3
This publication has been updated to reflect the new Eatwell Guide, new guidance on Vitamin D and changes to prices, links and resources.
The aim of this practical guide is to illustrate what a good diet looks like for young women in pregnancy. The advice is tailored to women aged 15-19 years, but the general advice is suitable for all women.
The aim of all health advice in pregnancy is to ensure the best outcome for mother and infant, and that includes having a baby born at term, at a good birth weight and with adequate nutrient stores for early development.
Poor diet in pregnancy has been associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes in a number of studies, and there is evidence that the diets of many younger and teenage mothers lack some of the essential nutrients associated with good outcomes.
There is no doubt that a good diet in pregnancy provides the best start in life for all babies, regardless of the age of the mother, but younger women may also require additional nutrients for their own growth and so they need particular support in pregnancy.
Despite a popular myth that a baby will take what it needs nutritionally from its mother, neither mother nor baby will thrive if the diet is poor.
First Steps Nutrition Trust is an independent public health nutrition charity that provides information and resources to support eating well from pre-conception to five years.
OUR MISSION
* To ensure that everyone working to support mums-to-be and young families has access to independent, expert and practical 'eating well' resources.
* To provide up-to-date information on infant milks for sale in the UK and promote better regulation and marketing of breastmilk substitutes.
* To contribute to good policy and practice throughout the UK and ensure that the importance of good nutrition from pre-conception to five remains on everyone’s agenda
OUR RESOURCES:
* Are put together by nutrition experts, are regularly updated and are reviewed by policy makers, health professionals, independent experts and users.
* Can be used in Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative accredited settings.
* Are available to purchase here in printed form or as free pdf downloads from the main website for use by anyone promoting better public health on a not-for profit basis.
Dr Vicky Sibson
Director
Everyone who works at First Steps Nutrition Trust feels passionately about the need for better information and support for good nutrition – and good food – from pre-conception to five years. First Steps Nutrition Trust is supported by generous individual donations and research funding. All the work we do at First Steps is open access for use by anyone working in a not-for-profit capacity in public health, particularly midwives, health visitors, nursery nurses, children’s centre staff and those working in health and social care in Local Authorities. First Steps Nutrition Trust does not work with organisations or individuals that work with, or take funding from, the breastmilk substitute industry and reserves the right not to host those that do at our conferences or sell them our subsidised resources.