A Few Things Women Should Know About Prenatal Vitamins
How can you select the best prenatal vitamins? Are more expensive vitamins actually better? Are some vitamins more crucial than others? With so many options on the market, it can be confusing to figure out which one to pick and if you should be spending more for better quality.
Unless you’re already having trouble with certain vitamin deficiencies, you’re likely getting enough vitamins and minerals from eating a varied and nutritious diet. To ensure you get enough while you’re pregnant, HappyMom.Life recommends the best prenatal vitamins need to have the followings.
Folate
Whether you choose to take folate or folic acid, this vitamin in particular is important for prenatal health. Folate is instrumental in preventing neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube birth defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord.
Neural tube defects develop in the first 28 days after conception, before many women know they are pregnant. Because about half of all pregnancies are unplanned, it's recommended that any woman who could get pregnant take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily, starting before conception and continuing for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Iron
Iron is crucial for making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. When iron levels are low, this increases risk for anemia.Iron helps blood -- in both the mother and baby -- carry oxygen.
Vitamin D & Iodine
Vitamin D is important for proper immune function and bone growth. Iodine is critical for a woman’s healthy thyroid function during pregnancy. A deficiency in iodine can cause stunted physical growth, severe mental disability, and deafness. Not enough iodine can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth.
Calcium
Calcium is important for health bone development and heart development. Calcium is also important for a pregnant woman. It can help prevent her from losing her own bone density as the baby uses calcium for its own bone growth.
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