RCM: Good diet is vital
Wednesday, 23 Apr 2008 12:01
Pregnant women should concentrate on having a healthy diet rather than changing what they eat in the hopes of influencing the baby's sex, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has said.
Its comments follow a study from UK researchers which found that higher calorie intake around the time of conception is linked to the birth of sons.
As well as consuming more calories, women who had sons were more likely to have eaten a higher quantity and wider range of nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12.
They also discovered a strong correlation between women eating breakfast cereals and producing sons.
RCM deputy general secretary Louise Silverton said the college empathises with mothers who want a baby of a particular sex.
But she cautioned: "Having a good diet before conception and during pregnancy can lay the foundations for a healthier life for the unborn child, and the mother.
"We would be concerned for the health of mothers and babies if women were adapting to a less healthy diet – for example stopping having a breakfast or reducing the range of nutrients they eat - in order to produce a child of a specific sex. For midwives, the health and safety of the mother and child is and has to be paramount, not the sex of the baby."
Ms Silverton added that midwives can advise and support mothers about a healthy diet that produces a healthy child and one that will also improve and sustain the health of the mother.
