Protein: Food which contains protein is very
needed to build the baby, to protect pregnancy and
foetus from diseases. Protein transport through the
placenta is mainly amino acids, which are then
synthesized by the foetus into tissue proteins.
Protein is needed for foetal growth, uterus, breast,
hormones, addition of maternal blood fluids, and
lactation preparation. Protein requirements are 9
grams / day. 1/3 of animal protein has a high
biological value (Institute of Medicine, National
Academy (2005)). Protein requirements for the
foetus are 925 grams for 9 months. The protein
efficiency is 70%. There is protein loss in urine +
30%. WHO recommends protein intake for pregnant
women around 1.01 g / kg. BB / day and calories
around 46 kcal / kg.BB / day for the average woman
weigh 55 kg.
Fat: During pregnancy, there is 2-2.5 kg of fat
and the increase starts from the 3rd month of
pregnancy. The addition of fat is unknown, but it is
likely to be needed for future lactation. 500 g of
foetal body fat is stocked between week’s 35-40
pregnancies. In the early stages of pregnancy, there
is no fat accumulated except essential lipids and
phospholipids for growth of the central nervous
system (CNS) and nerve cell walls. Until
mid-pregnancy, only about 0.5% of fat in the body
of the foetus, after which the number increases,
reaches 7.8% at 34 weeks and 16% before birth. In
the last month of pregnancy, around 14 g of mother's
milk per day are piled up. Fatty acid transport
through the placenta is about 40% of maternal fat;
and the rest is synthesized by the foetus. Both fat
and protein increase rapidly in the last three months
of pregnancy along with increased foetal weight.
Most of the fat is deposited in the subcutaneous area;
therefore 80% of body fat tissue is present in body
infants in subcutaneous tissue. So, there is a great
need of fat for the pregnancy.
Iron (Fe): Needed for haemoglobin, (Hb)
formation, especially hem dilution, intake must be
sufficient during pregnancy in order to prevent
anaemia. Pregnant women need 800 mg or 30-50
grams / day (Irianto, 2017). Maximum
recommendations: additions from the beginning of
pregnancy, because administration of only the third
trimester cannot pursue the needs of the mother /
fetus and also for foetal reserves. Iron requirements
increase, so that it takes an additional 700-800 mg or
30-60 mg per day obtained from supplements to
replace iron use by the bone marrow, foetus, and
placenta. Pregnant women who are anaemic due to
iron deficiency will have an impact on increasing
spontaneous abortion, early birth, low birth weight
(LBW), infant mortality at birth, and infant mortality
before birth. Iron sources are obtained from the liver,
bone marrow, eggs, meat, fish, chicken, and dark
green vegetables.
Calcium (Ca): Calcium needs in pregnant
women have increased due to an increase in bone
turnover (turn over), decreased calcium absorption,
and calcium retention due to hormonal changes.
Calcium is needed for the growth of bones and teeth,
vitamin D helps to absorb calcium, needs 30-40 g /
day for the foetus, pregnant women need an
additional 600 mg / day and the total need for
pregnant women during pregnancy is 1200 mg / day.
Calcium can be obtained by consuming milk, cheese,
anchovy, dried dried or wet soybeans, and fresh
broccoli (Irianto, 2017).
Supplement: Multivitamin and mineral
supplements are supplements that contain a
combination of vitamins and minerals, and do not
contain other active ingredients. Vitamin and
mineral supplements are recommended to contain at
least 10 vitamins or minerals with varying doses,
which can be vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin
D, zinc, selenium, magnesium, iron and calcium
(Irianto, D. J. 2017). The Role of Multivitamin
Minerals in Physical Fitness The role of vitamin
minerals is as an antioxidant which greatly affects
the quality of human life. Some mineral vitamins
have a role as antioxidants are vitamin E, vitamin C,
vitamin A, selenium, iron and zinc. These
substances are often called antioxidant nutrients
(Yaya et al., 2018).
How do you exercise during pregnancy?:
Exercise is needed during pregnancy; its function is
for maternal and fetal fitness (Gregg and Ferguson,
2017). Besides that, there are several types of
exercise such as yoga that trains breathing to help
mothers relax, relieve stress, fatigue, calm the mind
and train mothers to control breathing well because
during the pregnancy process maternal breathing
arrangements are very essential (Wen, Flood,
Simpson, Rissel, & Baur, 2010; Babbar & Chauhan,
2015). Besides yoga, Pilates are quite popular with
pregnant women. Pilate’s exercises are focused on
the hips in the hope of being able to train the
mother's hips to be more flexible during the birth
delivery process. Kegel is also included in the
exercise during the pregnancy process. Kegel
exercises focused on female organs to be prepared
when facing the pregnancy process. And the latest is
exercise in water (aerobics-aquatic) (Riaz et al.,
2018). Besides that, Active video games or exercise
apps have the potential to overcome some of the
barriers to exercise, while pregnant as addition to