Pregnancy Diary

What Are The Prenatal Vitamins We Need?

According to the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, we need higher doses of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy. Most of these we can get in a proper healthy diet while avoiding certain foods, but sometimes we need extra supplementation for others.
Those vitamins that are sufficiently available from our daily diet, thus not routinely recommended for supplementation during pregnancy are:
• Vitamin A, available from green leafy and yellow-orange vegetables
• Vitamin B-1 or thiamine, available from milk and whole grains. Vitamin B-2
• Vitamin B-2 or riboflavin, available from green vegetables, dairy products, eggs and fish.
• Vitamin B-6, available from most vegetables you eat
• Vitamin B-12, available from animal proteins
• Vitamin C or ascorbic acid, available from fruits and vegetables
• Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin, available from exposure to sun and vitamin-D-fortified milk
• Vitamin E, available from animal fats and proteins
• Vitamin K, available from green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, dairy products, and eggs
• Niacin, available from poultry, fish, and nuts
Some vitamins and minerals are not sufficiently available in our daily diet for many reasons. Thus, in order to ensure the well-being of both mom and baby, supplementation is recommended.

Most Commonly Prescribed Prenatal Vitamin Supplements

• Folic acid/folate is available in vegetables and grains but in small amounts. In the US and many countries, flour is fortified with folate, the synthetic version of folic acid. However, even this fortification is not sufficient for pregnant women, thus folic acid supplement is highly recommended during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency has been linked to neural tube defects in fetus (e.g. spina bifida) and to maternal megaloblastic anemia. If you are planning to get pregnant, taking folate supplements in advance is advisable. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of folate supplement for pregnant women is 0.6 mg. In women who had a previous child with neural tube defects, the RDA may even be increased up to 10 mg.
• Iron is available in our daily food but the absorption in the gastrointestinal tract is rather inefficient. Iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin that enables our blood to transport oxygen. In a pregnant woman, hemoglobin is very important in supplying blood to the placenta and the fetal tissues. Iron deficiency anemia is a common complaint during pregnancy. Thus, iron supplementation is highly recommended, with an RDA of 30 mg.
• Calcium is essential in the synthesis of bones. It is not surprising that as the baby grows in the uterus, the calcium requirement of the mother also increases. The RDA for calcium in pregnant women is 1200 mg.