There are numerous prenatal vitamins and supplements on the market for pregnant women and those planning to be mothers, from fish oil capsules to chewable gummies.
Pick the right prenatal pill so you and your baby can have a healthy existence.
Maybe you are newly pregnant or trying to conceive for the first time or even on your second or third child.
Either way, start paying close attention to your nutrition by taking a daily multivitamin in the form of a proper prenatal pill.
Being that prenatal vitamins have a multitude of ingredients listed, it is important to take these eight things into consideration when choosing the best prenatal vitamin for you and your soon-to-be-born child.
How Many Supplements Do You Need
First of all, it is important to know that prenatal vitamins generally offer 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of folic acid and 100 percent or more of the recommended daily allowance for iron, even though you may find that they only have around 250 mg of calcium.
If you aren’t getting enough calcium in your diet because you are vegan or lactose intolerant, you may need to take an additional supplement.
Take your calcium supplement at a different time of day than you do your prenatal vitamin because big amounts of calcium can’t be absorbed along with the iron in your prenatal vitamin.
You could take your iron supplement in the morning and your calcium supplement at night.
Iodine
According to the March of Dimes, during pregnancy, it has been said that your body needs 220 micrograms of iodine each day in order to help your baby’s brain and nervous system.
Typically, your prenatal pill has at least 150 micrograms, which requires that you get the rest of the. The iodine that you need from food consumption lies in fish and dairy.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, one of the vitamins that are a friend to your immune system, is found in fresh vegetables and fruits, with the ability to help with the development of a baby’s cartilage, tendons, bones, and skin.
You should be getting approximately 85 milligrams of Vitamin C a day.
Vitamin D
This vitamin helps you absorb calcium and is important for your baby’s bones, teeth, eyes, and skin.
March of Dimes suggests getting 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D a day during pregnancy, and many doctors recommend even more—800 or 1,000 IU—because many people are deficient.
Ongoing studies are evaluating if higher doses of Vitamin D may decrease the risk of preeclampsia.
Calcium
The mineral known as calcium is vital for the proper development of your baby’s heart, teeth, bones, muscles, and nerves.
Expectant parents need to get 1,000 milligrams daily.
Getting enough calcium should be a priority: Skimping now could increase your risk of osteoporosis later in life.
If the fetus doesn’t get through the diet, the fetus will take out the parent’s bones. A supplement protects mom from being the calcium reservoir.
Iron
Prenatal vitamins that have iron have to be a top priority when you are shopping for prenatal vitamins.
Once you are pregnant, you will need twice as much iron to ensure that you are making extra blood on your baby’s behalf.
Pregnant women really need about 27 milligrams of iron every day.
Folic Acid
The key ingredient in a prenatal vitamin is folic acid, a vitamin that could assist in preventing birth defects of the spine and brain.
According to March of Dimes, women of childbearing age should be getting 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis, and once they become pregnant, that amount of daily folic acid should increase to 600 micrograms because folic acid found in supplements is more easily absorbed by our bodies than folate is.
Are There Side Effects?
Taking prenatal vitamins may be difficult for some people when morning sickness is beginning to really take a toll on them.
To fight back against nausea, take your prenatal vitamins with foods like smoothies, applesauce, or ice cream that have a smooth texture.
It has been stated by the National Institutes of Health that you can even cut your prenatal vitamins in half and take one part in the morning and the other at night if need be.
Over-supplementing is typically not a problem, but overdosing on vitamin A has been said to potentially lead to birth defects.
In Closing
If you have any doubts about what the proper approach is that you should take for your own body while balancing pregnancy and personal health, make an appointment with your doctor about your choice of prenatal vitamins and other supplements.
Make sure that you have a vitamin that you are comfortable with because you are going to be taking it during and after your pregnancy as well.
Vegan prenatal vitamins are something that is typically recommended to behave while you are breastfeeding and even longer if you are looking to have another child soon after.
