Adequate maternal nutrition during the “first 1,000 days” window is an especially critical window for improving a child’s health and nutrition outcomes. Improving nutritional status of the woman before and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of adverse birth outcomes, such as low birthweight and pre-term birth. Targeted approaches to address maternal nutrition and appropriate weight gain during pregnancy are essential to improve maternal, infant and child nutritional status, as well as associated health and nutrition outcomes.
This brief operationalizes the revised WHO 2016 antenatal care recommendations by providing guidance on how programs can plan and implement nutrition and anemia interventions for pregnant women. This brief is intended for program implementers, district- and health facility-level program managers, and policy makers and provides guidance on healthy diet during pregnancy, weight gain during pregnancy, and information on nutrition interventions for roll-out during routine ANC contacts.