Food Intake in Pregnancy, Lactation, and Reproductive Rest in the Human Mother

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Abstract
The food ingested by rats in pregnancy, lactation, and post-lactation, as based upon the intake over the three weeks immediately preceding conception, increased on an average of 19 per cent in pregnancy, 111 per cent in lactation, and 21 per cent in post-lactation. This paper records the intake of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, and phosphorus at intervals throughout a complete reproductive cycle for three women whose physiological processes are known to be adapted to the requirements of pregnancy and lactation. The food requirements for pregnancy and for recuperation in post-lactation are of approximately the same magnitude. There is a curtailment of food consumption near the close of pregnancy. Lactation increases the food demands approximately 60 per cent over and above those of pregnancy. There are marked daily fluctuations in food intake during lactation, the maximum being at times more than twice the minimum.

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