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Healthy baby depends on good nutrition by Ellen Cary and Paige Thurmond Dietetic Interns  Are you pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant? If so, it is important to know the facts about good nutrition for you and your baby.  Pregnant women require more calories and essential nutrients than other women. After all, pregnant women are no longer feeding just themselves but also their unborn baby. Poor nutrition can result in low birth weight and premature babies. In 1998 South Carolina ranked 48th with having 9.5 percent of pregnancies resulting in low birth weight babies.  The nutrients you will need more of include calcium (1300 mg/day), protein (60 g/day), zinc (15 mg/day), iron (30 mg/day), and folic acid (400 mcg/day). Folic acid is important in reducing the risk of birth defects, specifically spina bifida, which is the most common defect because it develops during the first 28 days of conception. The good news is that the FDA has made it easier to meet the folic acid requirement by requiring all flour products to be fortified with extra folic acid. You can also get folic acid by eating green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, and citric acid. It is often difficult for women to meet all of their nutrient needs through their diet; therefore, a supplement is necessary. In recognition of the National Nutrition Month theme: Healthy Eating/ Healthy You, nothing offers a greater start for your baby than good nutrition during pregnancy.  It is vital that pregnant women and those planning to become pregnant follow recommended dietary allowances. If you have any questions about what to eat before you get pregnant or while you are pregnant, seek guidance from a registered dietitian.     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.