[Answered]: Kelly Rodriguez is a 27-year-old client seeing…

Kelly Rodriguez is a 27-year-old client seeing you for her first prenatal visit. She is 20 weeks pregnant according to the date of her last menstrual period and explains that she did not know that she was pregnant until approximately three weeks ago. Kelly is 5’3″ and weighs 187 lb. This is her first pregnancy, after being married for six months. The dietitian reviews Kelly’s diet history and asks about her food intake. Kelly admits that she likes sweets and that she could “do better” with choosing nutritious foods. She often selects items that contain excess sugar or fat for her meals, including cakes and coffee for breakfast, fast food during the day, and candy or chocolate for snacks. She has something to eat several times throughout the day and rarely eats during scheduled mealtimes. She complains of frequent heartburn that often wakes her up at night. Because of her diet history and discovery of her pregnancy at approximately 17 weeks’ gestation, it is possible that Kelly was malnourished during a critical period of her pregnancy. What are the most likely effects of malnutrition during critical periods of pregnancy?