Prenatal Vitamins
|
Prenatal vitamins feed your baby's intelligence. Do you keep hearing about prenatal vitamins and you don’t know what are they and what they do for your pregnancy?
One of the fundamental pillars for you to have a healthy pregnancy is undoubtedly a balanced diet. However, as far as the development of your baby's brain is concerned, it has been shown that the composition of the membranes of nerve cells varies depending on your diet, particularly certain essential fatty acids.
If you want to enhance the intelligence of your unborn baby, you should pay attention to have in your diet some nutritional supplements, commonly known as prenatal vitamins.
If you are eating a well-rounded diet, you may not need to take extra vitamins, except for folic acid which helps to prevent neural-tube problems in your baby, which is a defect of the brain and spinal cord. However you know very well that sometimes it is really hard for us to follow a strict diet, we eat everything without knowing if we ingest the right nutrients to our body. So taking daily a prenatal multivitamin will ensure that we are getting enough nutrients.
Other vitamins like Calcium can prevent you from losing your own bone density, as the baby uses the mineral for bone growth. Iron helps you and your baby's blood carry oxygen.
When do I have to start taking prenatal vitamins?
Considering that many pregnancies are unplanned, some health providers suggest taking supplements, particularly folic acid, during the time that you are trying to get pregnant, preferably three months before conceiving. Similarly it is suggested to continue taking multivitamins at least during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.Although these vitamins are available at any pharmacy without a prescription, I suggest you consult your doctor before buying any brand of multivitamin. Your doctor may consider specific recommendations.
How much is enough?
It is a fact that some supplements like folic acid and iron, your diet will not provide the enough amounts for your pregnancy. Therefore, you need to add to your diet an extra amount of these nutrients. However there are other supplements that are not recommended to take in high doses. For example, high doses of vitamin A may cause birth defects in your baby.
What are the right prenatal multivitamins?
Prenatal vitamins are not all alike. Unfortunately the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate what goes into vitamin and mineral supplements, not even the amount of each supplement.My doctor recommended me any brand of vitamins but with the following amount approximately:
- 200 to 300 mg of calcium
- 1.5 mg of thiamine
- 2.6 mg of pyridoxine
- 1.6 mg of riboflavin
- 17 mg of niacinamide
- 15 mg of zinc
- 10 mg of vitamin E
- 30 mg of iron
- 70 mg of vitamin C
- 4,000 and 5,000 IU vitamin A
- 400 IU of vitamin D
- 800 and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of folic acid
- 2.2 to 12 mcg of vitamin B-12
IU = international units
mg = milligrams
mcg = micrograms
These quantities do not harm your body.
Why prenatal vitamins cause me nausea?
There is a primary reason why these supplements can cause you nausea; they may contain a lot of iron. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the right amount of iron is 30 mg, so be very careful when you read the label of these vitamins.However, even taking the right amount of iron, you may continue feeling nausea. Here you have some recommendations that can help. I tried them and gave me good results:
- Take your daily dose before bed, so any nausea can happen when you are sleeping.
- Try some meal before.
- The size of the pill may make you gag, so you can break the tablet in half and take it in divided doses.
- Try chewable, liquid supplements or a smaller pill without calcium.
Final Thoughts:
You should take into consideration that prenatal vitamins do not replace any food. You should follow a balanced diet during pregnancy. Look for healthy food choices.
Remember, your baby will be as strong as your pregnancy healthy diet. Watch your nutrition during pregnancy.
Ask your doctor to recommend you some prenatal multivitamins.
|
Healthy Food Choices continue even after delivery. |
Return from Prenatal Vitamins to Healthy Pregnancy Diet Page
FOR YOU MOM
Subscribe to our Newsleter and
Get FREE ebooks
|
I feel so fortunate to be a part of SBI world. I am living with all I want... at home to raise my kids, giving them the gift of always being there for them, while running a successful business at the same time.
Read my Story