When a woman becomes pregnant her doctor informs her of the things that are best for her and the baby including what to eat and what to avoid.  But what happens if you are pregnant or breastfeeding when a disaster strikes?  Is your food storage ready with the special needs of your family?

Your food storage can be full of great food but making sure that you have the proper nutrients needed by a pregnant or nursing mother can be hard, women especially need folate and protein during this time. Make sure to store pre-natal vitamins or even multi vitamins as a supplement to your long term food storage.  When choosing which foods to store look for food with nutritional value, a lot of food that you can store for long periods of time is great filler food but has little to no nutritional value.  Having nutritional freeze dried food is important for everyone in the family, not just the women.

Pregnant women and especially nursing women are going to need more water than the suggested amount.  They need to be able to supply nutrients to their infants and need more water as part of the breastfeeding process.  Make sure that you have enough water stored and a way to filter water in case you run out of your filtered water.

Pregnant women may also experience nausea, keep things on hand to settle their stomach and if you can find the food they crave during pregnancy, and it will last, make sure to stock up on that item to make the mother comfortable.  One last thing to consider is storing formula for the infant.  While breastfeeding will be cheaper and better for the baby, it may not always be an option.  Having some formula on hand will provide peace of mind that they baby is still taken care of in case the mother is unable to breastfeed.

Looking at the special needs of those around you will guarantee that your long term food storage will keep your family healthy in case of an emergency.