Nutritional Care Plan for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy Case Study
K.C. is a 30-year-old Caucasian female, who was admitted to the Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital on March 11th at 5PM. She is a University graduate and is currently a stay-at-home wife and an expecting mother with 21 weeks of gestation. She has a family history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. K.C. reported that she started facing shortness of breath and feels tired almost all the time. She had a physical exam, diet history interview, and routine lab work. Her physical exam showed that she had normal temperature and blood pressure, and no irregularities with heart rate or alertness. However, her general appearance, sclera, and skin were pale with no signs of acute distress. K.C. did not have any outstanding conditions with her ears, nose, throat, skin, genitalia, lungs, chest, extremities, or abdomen. Her neurological and muscular reflexes were also normal. K.C. is 5.5 feet tall, her pre-pregnancy weight was 125lbs and her current weight is 135lbs, which is only a 10lb weight gain in 21 weeks, which is below the recommended level of 12-16 lbs at mid-gestation for her body mass index (Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, 2010). Thus, K.C. has not gained the adequate weight for 21 weeks gestation.
Nutritional Assessment
A balanced diet is one of the main conditions for a favorable course and outcome of pregnancy and normal fetal development. The body of a pregnant woman requires more than normal amounts of nutrients needed not only for the mother but also for the growing child (Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, 2010). During K.C.’s stay at the hospital, her diet pattern prior to admission was taken. K.C. reported that she does not have any food allergies. She usually has three meals a day without any snacks in between. Her appetite is good and she did not report any problems with chewing or swallowing prior to admission. There was no account of gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation or diarrhea. K.C. does not have any food allergies or intolerance, or any ethnic or religious food restrictions or
preferences. Her morning typically starts with a cup of green tea, followed by two cups of cereal with a cup of whole milk. Her lunch is typically a soup, while her dinner is a full meal with meat or fish and vegetables. In addition, K.C. does not take any prescription, recreational or over-the-counter drugs but was prescribed prenatal vitamins to be taken every morning.
The treatment plan for K.C. was bed rest, and the diet order was nil per os. Her initial blood lab results did not show any significant red flags since most values were within the normal limits. The physician then requested a complete blood count test which evaluated Hgb, Hct, RBC count, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume and RBC distribution width. A number of red flags were identified from the CBC report, particularly the low …
