One of my employees in pregnant and I want to help her with her health?

Question

One of my employees is a 24 year old woman from Mexico who is about 3-4 months pregnant. She isnt very educated but is very sweet and a terrific worker. She never eats when she is working with me and only drinks water b/c she dis terrified of gaining weight. Im worried because I tell her she needs to eat and she needs more calories. How many calories should she be eating? What should she be eating daily? Is there a website I can go to? She does take a milti vitamen that her Doctor gave her, but she isnt get that much prenatal care. What can I tell her? She is very open to hear me, but I dont know that much.
Thanks!

What an idiot to assume she is illegal because she is from Mexico! NO STUPID!!! She has her Visa! I have a very small company and she only works part-time so I dont offer her medical. That wasnt my question!

Answer 1

Wow. She really needs to get some information.

She should be eating an additional 300 calories a day for the first trimester (until she's 13 weeks) then an additional 500 a day. She will gain weight. That's a no brainer. She should gain between 20 and 35 pounds! Most of it will fall off right after giving birth and the rest usually comes off in the next two to three months.

She should be eating nutritiously- vegetables, fruits, proteins. I ate a peanut butter sandwich and banana for lunch everyday. The banana helps with the leg cramps you get mid-pregnancy- something about the potassium.

She needs to be on a prenatal vitamin and must see a doctor every month until she hits 36 weeks- then, it's every week. She can probably find a planned parenthood clinic if she doesn't have good insurance.

Good luck and good for you for being so concerned.

Answer 2

For starters, go to you local welfare office and see if she can get on some kind of emergency medical assistance insurance plan. This will get her coverage so that she can get hooked up with regular prenatal care. (Even if she were undocumented, in many areas she would still qualify because the baby is considered a citizen.) Also, ask if there is any kind of local Maternity Support Services agency in your area. This should help a lot.

Then, I heard that it takes 300 extra calories a day to be pregnant. Tell her that, and let her know she can eat at least 300 calories more than normal every day. Also, if she's into drinking at work, see if she'll at least have a glass or two of milk, even if it's skim milk, per day. She needs the calcium. Especially if she's little.

Also let her know about the importance of keeping regular blood sugar levels. Nobody knows why women get gestational diabetes, but we do know that weird or fluctuating blood sugar levels can affect the fetus adversely.

Also, I heard that breastfeeding takes an extra 500 calories a day. So let her know that, and encourage her to plan on breastfeeding when she has the baby to help her lose any baby weight.

Answer 3

Is her primary language Spanish? If so, talk to her about her doctor and try to find out if he is a Spanish-speaker or if she has access to a translator. If she mostly speaks spanish, and she's being taught what to do in English, then she might not understand the importance of taking care of herself. If she speaks fluent English and knows what to do then there may be some other underlying issue. For example, she may not have the money for doctor's visits, or she may hae other issues that are interfering with her getting pre-natal care. Perhaps she doesn't like her doctor. If that's the case, maybe you could suggest one for her. Bottom line is that you have to find out why she's not getting care, and explain to her how important it is to nourish the baby.Explain to her that most women gain 25-35 lbs. Only 2-5 of those lbs are actually extra fat. The rest of the weight is due to the increase in blood volume, the placenta, the amniotic fluid, the breast tissue, and of course, the baby! Once the baby comes, most of the weight is gone within a couple weeks. Also explain to her that in order to be healthy, she doesn't need to eat a whole extra cake or a pound of pasta. She only needs about 300 extra calories a day to keep baby healthy, and that can be done with a piece of fruit and a yogurt! Also explain the importance of pre-natal care, not just for the baby, but for her too. Pregnancy takes a huge toll on the body, bith physically and emotionally, and the doctors and nurses can help to alleviate some of these things. Good luck, and I hope you can talk her into getting some prenatal care.

Answer 4

Wow, the most you can do is encourage her to eat whenever she's hungry- her little baby needs nutrition. And not chips or candy bars, but fruit and veggies and pasta, things that will feed her little brain and developing organs. It's good she's taking a multi-vite, but she should take it with food. Little meals every two hours will help her baby, even if it's just a banana and a piece of bread, slow steady energy is best. She should NEVER go hungry, that's just bad for the fetus. Good luck!

Answer 5

She MUST see a doctor throughout her pregnancy; if you can, go with her but she MUST be seen by an OB-GYN. Not eating and trying to diet is very bad, of course, and could harm the baby. The doctor can give her an eating plan what she should eat during her pregnancy. She can diet AFTER she has the baby, not before!

Answer 6

She really does need to eat!! Try finding yummy healthy food you think she will like... anything with protien, calcium.. just keep encouraging her. They make bars that are especially made for pregnant women.. try and find some of those. Tell her its possible to be healthy and not gain more than the recommended amount. Good Luck!!

Answer 7

This woman will lose her baby, it will be born undeveloped ( or dead)if she doesn't eat a proper balanced diet. Tell her she is not eating just for herself. She must eat for the child or it will not grow. She needs to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and cheese and milk for calcium to form the baby's bones and teeth and care for her own. She has to put on weight anyway because the child will have its own weight. Normal, healthy babies will normally weigh between 6'5 - 10pounds. I hope you can convince her to eat.

Answer 8

Do you have a refrigerator where she works? if so, buy a bunch of yougarts, some fruit, and some V-8 juice cans, and tell her that you expect her to have at least one of each every day during working hours, it will make YOU feel better. That is one serving each of dairy, fruit and vegetables. Don't make it a suggestion---make it a kindly requirement. She will appreciate it...say "yo estoy la patrona---y necessito comida por el nino, ou nina. Uno de esso, uno de esso, y uno de esso todos los dias esta necessito. Todos los dias, comprende? Yo estoy la patrona. No comida, no trabajo.

Answer 9

the main thing is to get her eating and going to her doctor regularly. if shes scared of gaining weight other than the prego belly then tell her good things to eat. boneless, skinless chicken breast is good for protein meat wise and get her to eat lots of fruit and veggies. lots of milk and then get her eating wild or brown rice. its hard to think your getting fat when your eating healthy. it makes you feel better and work better and be more energized. I think if you tell her that if she doesn't eat something light even when shes hungry she can mentally deprive her child of nutrition. Nobody wants to bring on a mentally disabled child on their account.


good luck

Answer 10

She needs better prenatal care. Almost any pregnancy website can help her with the nutritional needs