What Are Prenatal Vitamins Exactly And Why Do They Matter
Prenatal vitamins are a multivitamin specifically formulated for someone who is pregnant or trying to have a baby, explains Katharine O’Connell White, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University and the author of Your Guide to Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss. They have specific amounts of nutrients and minerals that are safe for pregnant people. For example, certain ones need to be taken in lower doses when pregnant because consuming too much can harm the developing fetus, Dr. White explains.
On the other hand, sometimes prenatals will have more of certain nutrients, such as folic acid, which prevents some birth defects, or iron, which prevents anemia, a common symptom during pregnancy.
What If I Follow A Special Diet
If you are a vegan, a vegetarian, or follow any other kind of special diet due to food intolerances or religious reasons you may not be getting enough of certain nutrients from diet alone. For example, you may find it difficult to get enough iron or vitamin B12 through food alone. Let your doctor know about your dietary habits and she will be able to check what additional supplements you may need to take.
When Do You Need To Start Taking A Prenatal Vitamin
Before my first pregnancy, my nurse-midwifesuggested starting a prenatal after removing my IUD. We were at least six months to a year away from officially starting to try to conceive, and taking a prenatal supplement hadnt crossed my mind.
I thought a prenatal vitamin was only for women who were pregnant, not someone like myself who, at the time, knew I wanted kids someday down the road. I was wrong.
Carley Schweet
According to the Mayo Clinic, its ideal for any woman of reproductive age to take a prenatal vitamin regularly, but, if possible, at least a minimum of one month before conception.
If you found yourself unexpectedly pregnant and werent taking a prenatal try not to freak out. Just start taking one as soon as possible to ensure that both you and your baby reap the benefits of the essential nutrients and vitamins.
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Prenatal Vitamin Side Effects
Some prenatal vitamins can cause nausea in an already nauseated pregnant woman. If that happens to you, talk to your health care provider. They may be able to prescribe a different kind of prenatal vitamin that you dont have to swallow whole. Options include:
- Chewables
- Liquids
The iron in prenatal vitamins may also make you constipated. If youre constipated it can help to:
- Eat a high-fiber diet
- Exercise if your doctor says its safe for you
- Take a stool softener with your doctors OK
Are All Prenatal Vitamins Pretty Much The Same
No. Prescription vitamins are regulated by the Food and Drug administration, but they’re not required to contain certain nutrients. “There are many different formulations available, with different concentrations of each nutrient,” says Kukreja. Some have a little of everything others contain only a handful of nutrients. If you have special health considerations, your OB may suggest a supplement with added nutrients to meet your needs.
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Meet Beli Prenatal Multivitamin
Beli for Women prenatal vitamins are vegan capsules that provide both mom and baby all the nutritional value they need to stay healthy from preconception to delivery. Gentle on the stomach, gluten-, allergen-, and dairy-free, this prenatal vitamin helps boost fertility and improve egg quality, making it ideal for the pre-conception window. During pregnancy, its chelated form of iron and other minerals are easy to absorb in the stomach to help reduce morning sickness.
It also contains choline, an important nutrient during all five stages of pregnancy, from preconception through all three trimesters and after delivery. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends that women planning to conceive consume 450mg of choline daily, but most prenatal vitamins come up well short of that amount.
“It’s shocking that most prenatal formulas don’t contain choline, or have it in such low amounts, considering how critical it is for baby’s brain development. Ninety-two percent of pregnant women don’t get the recommended amount of choline in their diets that helps build the baby’s brain, protect placenta function, and support normal fetal neural pathway growth,” said Dr. Taylor Wallace, America’s favorite food scientist and expert on choline research.
“Beli’s new modern prenatal is one of the first to include 400mg of a highly absorbable form of choline that gives women the nutrients they need to support a growing baby in pregnancy and post-pregnancy.”
Where To Buy Prenatal Supplements
These are available online, and you can take prenatal one a day with dha. All the buyers require guidance that is important for picking the right dealer to buy their favorite products. All these brands are not as excellent as they claim for. There are many things that you need to know about those brands. Therefore, the best way to find an excellent brand online is not easy, but with the help of the appropriate guidance, it is simple to choose a trustworthy dealer. Everyone wants to get 100% guaranteed quality when they buy their favorite products.
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The Most Important Vitamins And Nutrients For Pregnancy
Taking a prenatal is not an excuse to not eat a well-rounded and varied diet, but the right supplement can help fill in the gaps in your daily intake of food. Heres some information about the most important nutrients during pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Folic acid can help prevent fetal abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord.
- Iron helps make blood which supplies oxygen to your developing fetus and placenta.
- Calcium and Vitamin D both help the development of a babys teeth and bones.
- Omega-3 fatty acids and DHA help promote the healthy development of your babys brain.
What Happens If Prenatal Vitamins Are Not Administered
Deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals during pregnancy may increase the risk of complications in both fetus and to-be mother. For instance, deficiency of folic acid may cause neurological disorder and deficiency of iron may lead to iron. However, if you are on a healthy diet, you may either require a small dose of prenatal vitamins or may not require them at all. We hope now you got a clear idea of when to start taking prenatal vitamins.
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Why Is It Important To Take Prenatal Vitamins
Pregnant women have increased nutritional demands, both because of the needs of the baby developing inside and the changes that their body is going through to accommodate the pregnancy. While most women get sufficient nutrition through a well-balanced diet, its helpful to take a multivitamin to make sure that all the nutritional requirements of the pregnancy are met.
What Are The Benefits Of Taking Prenatal Vitamins Early
The benefit of starting vitamins early is that some very important nutrients, particularly folic acid, will be up to par during the first few weeks of your pregnancy. Even before you get the positive pregnancy test.
If you wait until you find out that youre pregnant, you may miss the window of time where the extra nutrients are the most beneficial!
Some people maintain a diet that contains all the vitamins and minerals they need, and more. However, most of us dont, and thus supplementing is necessary.
Prenatal vitamins by no means guarantee that you will have a healthy baby. But they certainly do help set you on the right track.
Lets break down the most important components in your prenatal vitamins and how they can help you and your developing baby.
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What To Know About Prenatal Vitamins
Between morning sickness, fleeting cravings and random aversions, getting good nutrition during pregnancy can be rough. Even if youre eating a balanced diet, its still possible to miss some essential nutrients.
Enter prenatal vitamins. Theyre an easy way to fill in any gaps and support both your body and your babys growth and development. Heres what pregnant women need to know about them.
Theranatal One Prenatal Vitamin & Mineral Supplement
This prenatal contains iodine, a mineral vital to hormone regulation, fetal growth, and brain development, Wright says. Ideally, you want to take in about 150 micrograms of iodine every day, according to Wright, who also notes that this product in particular is independently tested and has a high standard of quality.
There is just one major downside: They don’t come cheap. These are by far one of the most expensive OTC options on the list, although you may be able to get them at a lower price through your doctor’s prescription.
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When Do You Stop Taking A Prenatal
Not only was when to start taking a prenatal a surprise to me, so was when to stop taking one. Its suggested that new mothers continue to take their prenatal supplements at least four to six weeks after birth. Some experts even suggest continuing your prenatal vitamin up until six months after birth.
Should I Take A Prenatal Vitamin When Trying To Get Pregnant
Yes! Taking a prenatal vitamin will help ensure that your body has everything it needs for the months to come. By taking folic acid while trying to conceive, the baby will get everything needed to develop their brain and spinal cord before you even know you are pregnant. During the first 28 days is the time that neural tube defects can occur, which are from a lack of folic acid. By taking a prenatal vitamin while trying to conceive, it can help to prevent these defects and allow your baby to have additional vitamins and minerals during the early stage of pregnancy. Most prenatals are designed for conception up until after birth but read your label carefully.
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Best Ways To Take Prenatal Vitamins
Its easy to say, take your prenatal vitamins, but its an entirely different thing to get them down and/or deal with their side effects. Some people have difficulty taking any kind of pills even without morning sickness, so here are some suggestions to help make them go down a bit more easily.
Chewable flavored gummies are easy to get down and digest, but they dont usually have iron or calcium, so be sure to find other alternatives.
Try a multivitamin supplement drink, or other drinks that are available like Pink Stork.
Always check with Dedicated to Women ObGyn about the prenatal vitamins you are taking and the proper amounts for you
As always, if you have any further questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call 674-0223 today!
The Best Prenatal Vitamins Include:
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When To Start Taking Prenatal Multivitamins
Pregnancy can be hard to predict. Its impossible to know whether it will take a month or a year to get pregnantand, oftentimes, someone may not know they’re actually pregnant until a few weeks later.
Because so much of a babys development happens during the early weeks of pregnancy, its important to start taking prenatal multivitamins before trying to get pregnantthree months is a good rule of thumb.
Vitamin C In Pregnancy
Vitamin C protects cells and helps keep them healthy.
It’s found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, and a balanced diet can provide all the vitamin C you need.
Good sources include:
- soya drinks with added calcium
- bread and any foods made with fortified flour
- fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards
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A Limited Amount Of Lactose:
Lactose is a kind of simple sugar. It is heavily included in milk. So, try to avoid milk and take any other source of calcium like soda with the squeeze of lemon or orange or unsweetened iced tea.
Reasonably increasing the activity level is also very good and helpful to keep your blood sugar at the right place. It is heavily recommended to do as directed by the dietitian. Follow the diet plan accordingly to keep your baby healthy.
Why And When Should You Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
If youre pregnant or are planning to get pregnant, your doctor may recommend taking prenatal vitamins, as it can be hard getting the nutrients and vitamins you need during your pregnancy. Prenate pillscan provide support for your body and babys development.
What do prenatal vitamins do? Can you take prenatal vitamins if youre not pregnant? What happens if yourenot taking prenatal vitaminsduring your pregnancy? What happens if you dont take prenatal vitamins? Do prenatal vitamins help you get pregnant?
Learning more about prenatal vitamins side effects, the benefits that these pills offer, and whether they can increase fertility can help ensure that youre getting the right nutrients before, during, and after your pregnancy.
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Schedule Your Appointment Today
Taking prenatal vitamins and following a healthy diet can lead to a healthy pregnancy and support your babys growth. There are various prenatals to choose from, but Dr. Ellman will be happy to find a prenatal vitamin that works best for your body.
Dr. Ellman is a high-risk OB/GYN doctor who established his medical practice in South Florida over 25 years ago. Book your appointment today.
References
Folic Acid Helps Prevent Some Birth Defects. .
Shmerling, R. H. & Shmerling, A. . Fertility and diet: Is there a connection? Wilson, D., et al. . Pre-conception Folic Acid and Multivitamin Supplementation for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Neural Tube Defects and Other Folic Acid-Sensitive Congenital Anomalies .
What Are The Most Important Nutrients In Prenatals
While its of the utmost importance to have a well-rounded balance of healthy vitamins, minerals, and nutrients during pregnancy, some are truly MVPs because they will actually help the baby to form vital organs and body systems — many of which begin developing in the earliest weeks of pregnancy.
According to the baby experts, these are the most important nutrients you need:
Folic Acid
Arguably the granddaddy of prenatal nutrients, this essential B vitamin is responsible for creating your babys strong neural tube, or the structure that eventually forms the spinal column and brain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids — including DHA — help support a developing fetuss vision and brain health development and are typically found in foods like tuna, salmon, and shellfish. They may also play a role in preventing preterm labor and delivery, lower the risk of preeclampsia, and may increase birth weight.
When it comes to getting your Omega-3s, XOmegas from Love Wellness contains both EPA and DHA — the two vital Omega-3 fatty acids your body needs but cant make itself.
Calcium
Your growing baby will be spending quite a bit of time in your uterus, building up its teeth and bones. In order to achieve this Herculean feat, they need plenty of calcium — which means you need plenty of calcium, too.
Iron
Iron supplies your growing baby with oxygen and blood, helps build the placenta, and provides you with the extra blood volume you need throughout pregnancy.
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Can I Take Regular Vitamins Until I Get My Prenatal Vitamins Refilled
It is fine to take a regular, over-the-counter multivitamin for a short time until you get your prescription refilled. This would not be advisable for long periods of time because prenatal vitamins have different amounts of certain vitamins and minerals that are specially formulated for pregnancy. For example, there is more iron in a prenatal vitamin than in a regular multivitamin. And, most prescription prenatals have DHA, a fatty acid thought to be important in fetal eye and brain growth, whereas many over the counter formulations do not. You can also ask your practitioner to give you some samples to help you temporarily.
Are There Any Extra Benefits
Some celebs swear by prenatals as the secret to their glowing skin and luscious locks because they contain biotin, one of the all-important B vitamins.
And rumors of biotins hair, nail, and skin growth powers have circulated forever many people take biotin supplements for this exact reason.
However, one study after another has failed to prove any significant beauty benefits to taking biotin, leaving the evidence to fall strictly in the anecdotal camp.
Besides biotin, though, there are some extra benefits to prenatals. If you take one with DHA, for example, youll be getting a boost of omega-3 fatty acids that may help your babys brain and eyes develop.
You may also get thyroid-regulating iodine, which can aid in your babys nervous system development.
Finally, theres some research indicating that taking prenatal vitamins may increase your chances of pregnancy.
To be clear, prenatals are not a magic cure for infertility problems and getting pregnant isnt as simple as popping a pill. But many of the nutrients included in prenatal vitamins regulate the body systems responsible for making pregnancy possible.
So taking one when done in conjunction with exercising, eating a healthy diet, and eliminating risk factors like alcohol and drugs can make it easier to get pregnant more quickly.
There are dozens of options out there, but make sure you check for a few key things before buying a prenatal vitamin:
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