A research team at the Alberta Children's Hospital is looking into the role nutrition plays in the development and health of pregnant woman and their babies.

The team is studying the correlation between the foods that pregnant women eat and the way a baby's brain develops.

Researchers want to know what the long term affects will be on the baby if they improve and refine a pregnant woman's diet.

They are hoping to follow 10,000 pregnant women in Calgary and Edmonton and record what they eat and take blood samples to determine nutrient status.

The researchers will investigate how nutrients impact the physical and mental health of mothers and their babies on a microscopic level.

"Maternal mood is very important and also the temperament of the children," said Bonnie Kaplan, of the University of Calgary," for women we are interested in depression and anxiety throughout pregnancy so not just post partum but perinatal depression and anxiety as well."

Post partum depression and nutrition is another one of the focuses of the study.

For more information on the study and how you can join click on the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition Website.