Cost of Living

The Hon. S.L. GAME (15:49): We know we are in a cost-of-living crisis in our state, a crisis where families are struggling to pay their electricity bills, mortgages, petrol and rent; in short, the basic essentials. What is more alarming is families in South Australia with pregnant mothers who are going without food and vital supplements during their pregnancies.

An Australian survey conducted this year of 1,500 pregnant women by Professor Danielle Gallegos, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in Queensland University and Technology, found that more than one in 10 pregnant women were regularly going hungry during their pregnancy, but were not accessing food services such as Foodbank for fear that any of the children they do have could be removed from their homes by the government department under the auspices of neglect if they deem this to be occurring.

And because these pregnant women are not eating properly, as Professor Gallegos highlighted, it led them to be severely lacking in the nutritional levels necessary for healthy outcomes for their babies. Furthermore, this was not isolated to single pregnant women or women of lower socio-economic status but also affected families with two incomes. This is very concerning, yet it can be easily rectified.

South Australian hospitals and clinics need to be providing pregnant women with the knowledge of how important eating nutritional foods and taking supplements is for themselves and their unborn babies. Folate (or folic acid) is a vitamin that helps build the baby's cells and reduces the risk of certain birth defects such as spina bifida. It is found in a variety of foods, such as green leafy vegetables, fruit, wholegrain breads and cereals, fortified breakfast cereals, legumes and nuts. It can be difficult to get enough folate, so having a supplement of folate before planning a pregnancy and during the first three months of pregnancy is needed.

Iodine is another nutrient that is important for the baby's brain development. It is vitally important that the pregnant mother gets adequate iodine in her diet, either by eating fish at least three times a week, along with using iodised salt or taking a multivitamin supplement for pregnancy.

Iron is a nutrient which makes red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. During pregnancy, a woman needs more iron because the volume of her blood increases, and the baby's blood is also developing. Iron is in meat, chicken, fish, legumes or nuts, wholegrain breads, cereals, and green leafy vegetables. Having foods high in vitamin C in conjunction with these foods helps to boost the iron absorption.

Calcium helps form healthy bones. The richest source of calcium is found in dairy foods. Vitamin D is mostly made in the skin by the action of sunlight, but a small amount can come from foods like oily fish, egg yolks, margarine and some brands of milk. Vitamin D is important for the development of the baby's bones and teeth. Low levels can cause muscle weakness and pain in women, and skeletal problems (called rickets) in their babies. Many pregnant women need vitamin D supplements to build up their levels during pregnancy.

What I am getting at with all of this is that our state provides tens of millions of dollars towards health care each year, yet it is failing to help pregnant women with eating healthy and being able to obtain vital vitamin supplements. We need to ensure that pregnant mothers and their unborn children are healthy during pregnancy, and for years to come.

It is a known fact that pregnant mothers who do not receive adequate and nutritional food in pregnancy are more than likely to have children with lower birth weights, leading to poor outcomes, and can even be linked to chronic disease in later life. There are programs in the United States and United Kingdom that provide pregnant women with nutritional foods and supplements during pregnancy, and these mothers and their unborn and born children are having less health problems. Therefore, early intervention at minimal expense will alleviate more blowout costs to an already under stress health system.

We want the future generation of South Australian children to be healthy and happy. This can be achieved by providing nutritious food and supplements to every pregnant mother when she attends her antenatal appointments in our South Australian hospitals or clinics. This will help to give each unborn child the best start in life. Surely, the members of this house would agree with me on this.

I will be introducing a bill early next year into this place that will bring in much-needed reform in this area, a reform that cherishes the lives of pregnant mothers and their unborn children, and a reform that acknowledges the science that nutritious foods and supplements play a big role in keeping pregnant mothers and their children healthy.