The Best Vitamins for Pregnant Women
Pregnancy is a delicate but happy condition for women. During this time, its important for women to take prenatal vitamins to ensure that her and her unborn child’s nutritional needs are well satisfied.
Folic Acid; also known as Vitamin B9, is arguably the most important vitamin that pregnant women need. Sufficient consumption of folic acid will help prevent your unborn child from having any serious birth defects, specifically with the brain and spinal cord. Together, both parts form the neural tube.
Spina bifida is the most common defect of the neural tube, and it refers to an unclosed spine. Babies diagnosed with this condition could end up mentally retarded, paralyzed, or suffer from other serious complications.
The importance of folic acid is emphasized by the US Department of Food and Drug Administration as it encourages women of childbearing age to have a daily intake of 400mg of folic acid and require manufacturers of flour products to fortify their goods with extra folic acid.
Leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and nuts are considered excellent natural sources of folic acid. Prenatal vitamins also often contain folic acid.
Vitamin D and Calcium A baby inside his mothers womb uses his mothers bone density to form his own bones. Because of this, pregnant women must increase their calcium intake to reduce bone loss. Foods rich in calcium are once again; leafy green vegetables as well as breads and soy milk.
Vitamin D on the other hand will ensure that you enjoy maximum advantage from calcium rich food. Besides improving yours and your baby’s teeth and gums, vitamin D will also help your body absorb calcium. To get adequate Vitamin D, eat lots of fatty fish, drink lots of milk, and enjoy a few hours of sunlight everyday.
Vitamin C and Iron Iron is a mineral that improves blood circulation and the flow of oxygen within the body of both mother and child. Sufficient iron intake will also reduce chances of pregnant women going into premature delivery and babies from having low birth weights. Iron can also prevent anemia and improve hemoglobin production.
Good sources of iron are spinach, iron-fortified grains, beef, dried beans and fruits, and pork.
Vitamin C helps pregnant women take in as much iron as they need from food. Besides that, vitamin C or ascorbic acid is also an antioxidant and therefore protects pregnant women from the harmful effects of toxins.
Other vitamins may be needed depending on a case to case basis. Consult your doctor for best results.