When you are pregnant, or planning a pregnancy, you need to be careful about taking vitamins or any other type of supplements. Some can do more harm than good, so it's always best to check with your doctor before taking supplements.
Any woman who has been pregnant will remember how much effort she put into eating a healthy diet. Many expectant mums also turn to prenatal supplements to optimise their chances of producing a healthy baby and, in later years, a more
“intelligent”
child.
What are Prenatal Vitamins?
Vitamins are essential nutrients for healthy bodies of both mums-to-be and their babies. They are helping your body perform hundreds of roles all the time, but you can’t produce vitamins in adequate quantities on your own.
Compared to a regular multivitamin, they have more of some nutrients that you need during pregnancy. Your health care provider may prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you, or you can buy them over the counter without a prescription. Take a prenatal vitamin every day during pregnancy. If you’re planning to get pregnant, start taking prenatal vitamins before you get pregnant.
Your body uses vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in food to strong and healthy. During pregnancy, your growing baby gets all necessary nutrients from you. So, you may need more during pregnancy than you did before. If you’re pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets or more), you may need more nutrients than if you’re pregnant with one baby. Your prenatal vitamin contains the right amount of nutrients you need during pregnancy.
If you’re a vegetarian, have food allergies or can’t eat certain foods, your provider may want you to take a supplement to help you get more of certain nutrients. A supplement is a product you take to make up for certain nutrients that you don’t get enough of in foods you eat. For example, your provider may recommend that you take a vitamin supplement to help you get more vitamin D, iron, or calcium.
Essential Vitamins and Minerals in Pregnancy
Good nutrition in pregnancy is vital for the healthy growth and development of your baby. You need to consume enough nutrients to meet your baby's needs, as well as your own.
When you're pregnant, you need more of some nutrients, including protein, folate, iodine, iron, and some vitamins.
Folic Acid
Folate (vitamin B9) is required by the body in higher quantities during pregnancy to help development of your baby’s neural system and for decreasing the chance of birth defects of the brain, spine, and spinal cord (neural tube defects) such as spina bifida. So, when pregnant or planning to conceive, it is important to ensure folate requirements are being met.
The best way to ensure you are getting enough folic acid (a form of folate) while pregnant or planning on pregnancy, is to incorporate a daily supplement of 400 micrograms from one month prior to 3 months post conception. Foods’s rich in folate to incorporate into your diet include:
Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli
Legumes such as chickpeas and beans
Foods fortified with folic acid like breakfast cereals and bread
Iodine
Another nutrient in the top 4 for pregnancy is iodine. Unborn babies are at risk of iodine deficiency, resulting in decreased learning ability, hearing impairment and physical development issues. Because of this and the body’s increased requirement of iodine while pregnant, Australian Health authorities recommend an iodine daily supplement for the entire duration of your pregnancy and breastfeeding. Look for one with 150 micrograms per dose!
Some rich sources of iodine for your diet include:
Seafood
Seaweed
Iodised salt
Bread made with iodised salt
Iron
Iron is vital for blood production. So, it makes sense that your body is asking for more while growing your little one.
At present, routine iron supplements for pregnant women is not required in Australia. A well-balanced diet should provide enough iron for a healthy pregnancy! Although, if you were already taking an iron supplement due to a history of low iron stores before pregnancy, it is likely this should continue if your doctor recommends you do so.
Some foods rich in iron include:
Red meat
Chicken
Fish or shellfish
Eggs
Tofu
Nuts
Iron-fortified bread and breakfast cereal
If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet it is extra important to make sure you’re getting enough iron from plant-based sources.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D aids the body in calcium absorption, immune function, and muscle health. The vastly superior source of vitamin D is sunlight exposure so soak up some sun when you can. Vitamin D can be sourced from some foods including:
Oily fish
Liver
Egg yolk
Mushrooms
Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy include increased chances of food allergies in babies. Testing should be considered for women at higher risk of suboptimal vitamin D levels (such as women of a darker skin tone, office workers), and supplementation advised for women with low levels.
It is important to note that folic acid, iodine, iron, and vitamin D supplements are not substitutes for a well-balanced healthy diet. Pregnancy supplements should be taken to compliment a well-balanced diet, not replace it.
Why Take Supplements During Pregnancy? During pregnancy, macronutrient intake needs grow significantly. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You may need to take vitamin and mineral supplements for various reasons, including:
Nutrient deficiencies
Hyperemesis gravidarum
Dietary restrictions
Smoking
Multiple pregnancies
Genetic mutations like Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)
Poor nutrition
Although supplements can be necessary and helpful in certain circumstances, always check with your doctor regarding doses, safety, and potential risks and benefits. Sources:
Comments