Prenatal Vitamins for women during pregnancy

The time of pregnancy is always a risk task, the baby organs growth and development are not in our hands. Though you are having the proper diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and dairy products still there is no guarantee that your baby gets sufficient nutrients from those foods.

Prenatal Vitamins are the multivitamins which are designed to by keeping in mind both pregnancy and also breastfeeding. The vitamins and the minerals involved in these supplements are safe and perfect for the female when conceived,  during the pregnancy and also after the delivery at the time of baby feeding. Some of the prenatal vitamins have additional pregnancy-related features, along with DHA.

Why should you take Prenatal Vitamins?

Prenatal vitamins are used to maintain vitamins and minerals that our body needs for the better health of the baby and to sustain the pregnancy. They work better when better nutrition is added. Prenatal vitamins help in getting folic acid. Folic Acid helps in reducing the occurrence of neural tube defects like spina bifida and anencephaly. Other than this the important vitamins and minerals useful at the time of pregnancy are Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, DHA, and Iodine. Your body needs twice the iron at the time of pregnancy than the normal situation because it builds red blood cells to bring oxygen to the baby.

Basically, your body needs 1000mg of calcium daily in order to develop bones, teeth, and muscles for the baby.  Vitamin D is useful for Calcium absorption and iodine helps in the development of the brain and nervous system of the baby.

The right time to take prenatal Vitamins

Generally, the right time to start taking the prenatal vitamins is few months prior you wanted to try to conceive. So generally folic acid is the most important multivitamin for the women at the time of childbirth and also before getting pregnant.

Process for taking Prenatal Vitamins

Before taking prenatal vitamins it’s better to consult your doctor. Generally, prenatal vitamins are in different forms like Pills, Capsule and also in liquid forms. Based upon your requirement you can choose your own form. You can have the vitamins once or twice per day and also follow the precautions while taking the vitamins like taking with an empty stomach and taking with water.

Folic Acid and benefits for pregnant women

Folic acid helps in inhibiting Neural Tube Defects like birth defects of the spinal cord and also the brain. The baby’s spine and brain develop from the Neural Tube. In the USA yearly 3000 pregnant ladies are affected by the NTD’s

The reports from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that women who take folic acid as per the recommended quantity at least before prior to conceive are away from the risk of Neural Tube Defects by 70 percent.

Some of the researches have stated that folic acid helps in some of the baby-related risks like Cleft lip, Cleft Palate and few types of heart defects.   It may also avoid the risk of Preeclampsia which is a serious blood pressure disorder which affects pregnant women .Generally the Neural Tube Defects starts at the early stage of the development i.e., before many of the women even get to know that they are pregnant. That is the reason it’s important to take folic acid before you’re thinking of getting conceived.

Folic acid is needed to make red blood cells and prevent some type of anemia. It is helpful for the production, repair and in the functioning of DNA. Intake of sufficient folic acid is important for the cell growth of the placenta and for the developing baby.

How much amount of folic acid is needed?

Experts recommend 400 micrograms of folic acid a day is needed to avoid the risk of developing Neural Tube Defects. Many of the US health-related organizations like CDC, the U.S Public Health Service, the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly recommend 400 mcg of folic acid daily.

Whereas the U.S National Institute of Health, suggests that it’s better to take 600 mcg of folic acid when you are pregnant.

At some of the situations like women who are obese are more likely to have babies with Neural Tube Defects, those women are recommended to take more than 400 mcg and some cases like if you already have a baby with Neural Tube Defects you’ll be recommended with nearly 4000 mcg per day.

If the women carrying twins then they are advised to take up to 1000 mcg per day. Women who are suffering from diabetic problems are more likely to get baby with NTD, in such cases it better to consult your provider what quantity is to be taken and need to monitor whether your condition is normal or not.

Food sources for folic acid are enriched grain products like breakfast cereals, bread, pasta and also rice.  The fortified cereals have the exact recommended quantity of the daily dosage. But there are some cases even if you take fully fortified cereals with a complete serving it’s not sure that you get what you need. Its proven that folic acid in supplements is absorbed much better than any folate-rich foods. Folate-rich foods are not a good source either. Folate-rich foods are added as complimentary for the folic acid supplements.

Calcium and its Benefits for pregnant women

Calcium is essential for the development of teeth and bones. Calcium helps in blood and muscles moving and besides, it helps the nerves to send messages from the brain to the other parts of the body.

The human body cannot make Calcium on its own we need to get it from foods or vitamin supplements. Calcium is important at the time of pregnancy for the skeletal development of the fetus. At the pregnancy stage, you need to take at least 1000 mg of calcium per day.

At the time of breastfeeding, you need more calcium because you may lose 3% -5% of calcium at the time of feeding.

Foods sources for calcium

Oranges are one of the best sources to get calcium as they are rich in antioxidants they boost immunity and let you have a healthy pregnancy.

Dates are also one of the source of calcium it is rich in calcium it keeps bones and teeth healthy.

Dried figs help to strengthen your baby bones and you can have it as a midday snack.

Green leafy vegetables are also a better source of calcium the women who are not likely to have the dairy products they have these foods are daily diet.

Oats provide full-fledged nutrition as it contains carbohydrates, folic acid, potassium, riboflavin, and calcium. It keeps your stomach full.

Almonds are the combination of wellness of Calcium and Vitamin E. you can have these for a better pregnancy glow.

Iron

Firstly iron is used to make hemoglobin which is present in red blood cells carries oxygen throughout our body. At the time of pregnancy, body supplies oxygen and blood to the baby so the need of iron increases. So you need to take a double amount of iron.

There is nearly 15 to 20 percent of women are with iron deficiency which results in anemia. Severe deficiency of iron may cause premature birth, low birth-weight and infant and maternal mortality.

Basically, there are two types of iron Heme and Non-Heme

Non-Heme iron is mostly found in some of the foods like beans, vegetables, dry fruits, eggs, whole grains and iron-fortified products.

Heme iron can be found in animal sources like red meat, fish, and poultry

Our body absorbs heme iron easily and best so it’s better to choose those kinds of food sources to gain iron at the time of pregnancy.

DHA- Omega 3

DHA Docosahexaenoic Acid is an omega 3 fatty acid which is often recommended for the pregnant women. It is useful to prevent a lot of pregnancy-related complications and also it used to promote the child’s health. It is generally found in the cold-water oily fish and also our body produces a small amount of DHA.

DHA can treat some of the health issue related to the pregnancy like preeclampsia. In addition to this DHA is also used to treat the miscarriage and early delivery. Some of the women take DHA at the time of pregnancy to reduce the risk of Postpartum Depression.

A study in the year 2011 stated that consumption of DHA at the time of pregnancy help in protecting babies from general illness.

According to the national institute of health and illness, the people consuming DHA in the form of foods sources like fish are likely to be safe during the pregnancy.

Another study in the year 2011 researchers found that DHA level is low in those women with preeclampsia. This study proves that DHA helps in preventing Preeclampsia.

Other Vitamins and Minerals

Some of the other vitamins and minerals that are useful for pregnant women are Vitamin A, B3, B6, C and D and minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, and zinc contribute for better baby health.

Vitamin B6 helps you to get relief from nausea and vomiting that come at the initial stages of pregnancy and also helps in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. In addition to these, it also supports the formation of new blood cells, antibodies, and neurotransmitters.

Vitamin C helps to rescue some of the health issues like internal depreciation due to fetal expansion. It also helps in healing wounds, rebuilds the tissues and also repairs the brittle bones.

Vitamin D is helpful in such a way that it gets combines with calcium and builds fetal bones and teeth and also helps in maternal bones

It’s always good to take prenatal vitamins at the time of pregnancy in order to avoid any risks associated with the pregnancy. As the supplements are perfectly made only for the particular health reasons it’s better to prefer and also it should be taken along with our diet.

The supplements contain the detailed description of what quantity of vitamins are included and prescribed quantity of intake. So always choose wise supplement products in order to avoid side effects or any other reactions.