When Should I Start Taking A Prenatal Vitamin?
The best time to begin taking prenatal vitamins is before you conceive. The folate in a prenatal vitamin taken before conception significantly reduces the chances of neural tube irregularities like spina bifida. A baby’s neural tube, which will develop into both the brain and spinal cord, develops during the first month of pregnancy.
If you aren’t already taking a daily prenatal vitamin, start taking one as soon as you find out you’re expecting. Your doctor might also recommend you continue to take prenatal vitamins after delivery, especially if you decide to breastfeed. Some may be sold in 60- or 90-serving packages.
Best Prenatal Vitamins 2022
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes taking a prenatal vitamin and eating nutritious foods should provide a person with all the vitamins and minerals they need during pregnancy. A prenatal vitamin is important for pregnant people, as the growing fetus requires certain nutrients that can be hard to get through diet alone. Acog recommends pregnant people consume certain amounts of calcium to help build strong bones and teeth, iron to help red blood cells deliver oxygen to the fetus, iodine and choline to aid in brain development, and folic acid to help prevent birth defects.
While much of these nutrients can be obtained through a healthy diet, a prenatal vitamin provides the extra assurance your daily nutrition needs are met, no matter what’s on the menu. Getting the recommended amount of certain nutrients—especially folic acid—can be hard to do, even if you eat a healthy diet. For example, ACOG recommends pregnant people consume 600 micrograms of folic acid daily during pregnancy to help prevent brain and spinal birth defects.
Do You Need Prenatal Vitamins?
“Prenatal vitamins are important before and during pregnancy to help your body meet the demands of pregnancy and aid in your baby’s development,” says Dr. Nwankwo. Your body is able to absorb more from your diet than from supplements. However, your prenatal will help fill in the gaps.”
A run-of-the-mill multivitamin won’t cut it when you’re pregnant.
Prenatal vitamins are specially designed multivitamins that deliver the extra amounts of nutrients needed during various stages of your baby’s development. For example, they contain folic acid, which is important for baby’s brain development in the earliest stages. And many have vitamin D and calcium to build strong bones and teeth during the third trimester of pregnancy.
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Nutrient Needs Are Increased During Pregnancy To Support The Growth And Development Of The Fetus While Also Supporting The Health Of The Mother. But With So Many Prenatal Vitamins Out There, How Do You Make The Right Choice?
A prenatal vitamin is a multivitamin that is designed with pregnancy and breastfeeding in mind. The number of vitamins and minerals in these supplements are safe and appropriate when trying to conceive, during pregnancy, and postpartum while you are breastfeeding. In addition to purity tests and transparency, it is important to consider the amounts of key prenatal nutrients—such as calcium, vitamin d, iron, folate, and choline—that the supplement contains in each dose.
Women may need to try a few different prenatal supplements before finding one that does not have undesired side effects, such as nausea or constipation.