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| ASHLEY RAPPLEYEA / Scroll |
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Prenatal vitamins can provide essential ingredients for women during pregnancy.
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Some may say that prenatal vitamins are only more pills, but according to experts, they have too many nutrients, essential for both the pregnant woman and her unborn child, to overlook.
In fact, they’re so important medical assistant Betty Peterson said even women who eat a balanced diet will benefit from the nutrients the prenatal vitamins supply.
“They do need those extra [nutrients], especially if they’re not eating quite right,” Peterson said. “Even if they are eating right there are always vitamins that help the baby.”
“A prenatal supplement is a vitamin and mineral supplement you can take daily to make sure you’re getting the right amount of certain important nutrients during pregnancy,” according to www.babycenter.com. “…it’s up to you and your practitioner to make sure you choose one that’s safe and appropriate for you.”
Women should consult with their doctors about which prenatal supplement to use since the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t monitor the vitamins. It’s important to look for a vitamin with a large amount of folic acid and iron, according to www.babycenter.com.
Doctors recommend that expecting mothers take 27 millegrams of iron per day to make up for the scarcity of iron in the bloodstream as she produces more blood.
Getting plenty of folic acid is also important because “research has shown that doing this can reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your baby by up to 70 percent,” according to www.babycenter.com. “If you do take a prenatal supplement, it’s likely to contain between 600 and 1,000 micrograms of folic acid. If you don’t take one, make sure you still take a separate folic acid supplement.”
Besides taking vitamins containing folic acid, women can also be conscious of the food they eat that contains this nutrient. The best sources of folic acid are from boiled or steamed vegetables like peas and broccoli and fresh fruits like strawberries and oranges, according to www.babycenter.com. The FDA also requires many food manufacturers to put folic acid in grains, cereal and pasta.
Peterson said that getting enough folic acid is important for all women of child-bearing age to prevent neural tube defects. But she added that prenatal vitamins don’t have to be used immediately after conception as long as enough folic acid is taken.
“As soon as you find out you’re pregnant you don’t have to start taking them right away.” Peterson said. “This is because a lot of times it causes nausea.”
Nausea is a problem for many women who take prenatal vitamins early on in their pregnancies, according to www.babycenter.com. But Peterson said there are new vitamins, called pre-emisis, that contain extra B-6, a vitamin to help stop nausea. Some women may need to take extra vitamins with B-6 if they still experience nausea with the pre-emisis vitamins, she said.
“Making sure you get all the percentages of vitamins you need really does make a difference,” Peterson said.
