Pregnant mothers are under too much pressure, and concerns about childbirth account for a large part of it: Can the baby be born smoothly ? This is also something that many mothers often worry about. Zinc is an essential substance in important physiological processes such as human body growth development, reproductive inheritance, immunity, endocrine and so on. If the expectant mother takes in zinc reasonably during pregnancy, it will help to give birth to smoothly!
Why do pregnant mothers need to zinc supplements
From the perspective of pregnant mothers:
For pregnant women, lack of zinc on the one hand will reduce their own immunity and make it easy to get sick, especially during pregnancy, pregnant women should not take medicine ; on the other hand It will cause the taste of pregnant women to deteriorate, reduce their appetite, and aggravate pregnancy reactions, which will inevitably affect the nutrients needed for fetal development. Therefore, zinc and related trace elements must be supplemented in time during the perinatal period. Otherwise, zinc deficiency in pregnant women will lead to congenital zinc deficiency in the fetus, causing various induced diseases. Even zinc supplementation after birth will not help.
From the fetal point of view:
Zinc deficiency in pregnant women will affect the growth of the fetus in the womb, and will affect important organs such as the brain, heart, pancreas , thyroid , and lead to fetal dysplasia. Especially in early pregnancy , maternal zinc deficiency will reduce enzyme activity , which will inevitably seriously affect the growth and development of embryos and fetuses. As a result, infants with anencephaly, cerebellum, spina bifida, skeletal malformations, and congenital heart disease The increased birth rate of infants, hypospadias, testicular dysplasia, renal malformations, retarded infants, and low-weight infants can also cause miscarriage, premature birth, or expired pregnancy . Therefore, in order to avoid these situations, it is necessary for pregnant women to supplement zinc appropriately.
The importance of zinc to expectant mothers
Under normal circumstances, expectant mothers require more zinc than the average person. During childbirth, it mainly depends on uterine contraction, and the activity of ATPase in uterine muscle cells depends on the maternal blood zinc level. The risk of zinc deficiency among expectant mothers is as high as 30%. If expectant mothers pay attention to zinc supplementation during pregnancy, especially before delivery, there will be a certain amount of zinc reserves in the body, which is beneficial to both delivery and postpartum recovery.
The main effect of zinc on expectant mothers during childbirth is to enhance the activity of uterine-related enzymes, promote uterine muscle contraction, and drive the fetus out of the uterine cavity. Zinc plays an important role in the biosynthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. Zinc is one of the components in the synthesis of insulin and participates in the metabolic process of carbohydrate and vitamin A. Maintain normal functions of the pancreas, gonads, pituitary gland , digestive system and skin.
If a pregnant mother contains a sufficient amount of zinc in her body, it can ensure strong uterine contractions during delivery, promote the smooth progress of natural production, and shorten the labor process. However, pregnant mothers should be careful not to overdose on zinc supplements, otherwise it will affect the mother's absorption of iron.
