Vitamins during pregnancy are essential for the baby’s development and the mother’s health. Although we follow a healthy and balanced diet, sometimes it is necessary to take a vitamin supplement during pregnancy to cover all the vitamins without risks or deficiencies.
What vitamins can I take to get pregnant?
Vitamins play a fundamental role before and during pregnancy. Some, as we will see below, also improve fertility and increase the chances of conception.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A participates in the formation of steroids (the base of sex hormones) and is a powerful antioxidant that protects the cells of the male reproductive system. You can find it in foods like butter, whole milk, eggs, and liver.
Vitamin B
The B vitamins are essential for good reproductive health. Some, like B6, regulate the balance of estrogen and progesterone in women. Others, like B12, increase sperm production. Folic acid also belongs to this group, which, as we will see later, is one of the most important pregnancy vitamins.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps to improve the conditions of the endometrium for the implantation of the embryo. Bluefish are very rich in this vitamin.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E regulates the hormonal system, and its deficiency can generate alterations in the women’s menstrual cycle and reduce the quality of spermatozoa. Some foods rich in vitamin E are sunflower oil, rice, egg yolk, and nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts).
Another recommended pre-pregnancy vitamin is selenium, which prevents fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
What are the most important pregnancy vitamins?
Folic acid
Also known as vitamin B9, the consumption of this nutrient is recommended for all women seeking pregnancy. Once the pregnancy is achieved, this pregnancy vitamin prevents problems in the neural tube, that is, in the spine and the baby’s brain. It is also key to forming red blood cells and the baby’s development.
Folic acid spray in pregnancy should be increased to at least 400 micrograms daily. If the specialist considers consumption higher, he will prescribe folic acid pills for pregnant women.
Some foods rich in folic acid are green leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lentils and beans, oranges, cereals, and bread.
Iron
Iron is another of the pregnancy vitamins that must be controlled especially. The recommended amount to consume in pregnant women is 27 milligrams, although some women with anemia or other health problems need a higher dose.
Many foods in a normal diet allow you to take iron during pregnancy (lentils, clams, mussels, cockles, clams, liver, or pistachios). Still, the woman’s body must produce much more blood than usual for her baby during this period. Therefore, it is quite common for doctors to advise prenatal supplements to cover this “extra” need for iron.
Calcium
Calcium is essential for the baby to develop healthy bones and teeth, a strong heart, nerves, and muscles, and a normal heart rate and coagulation capacity.
Pregnant women are recommended to take 1,000 mg of calcium daily. If they cannot get it through the diet, their intake will be increased using a calcium supplement during pregnancy.
Calcium is present in milk, dairy products, and foods such as cabbage, soybeans, Swiss chard, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C in pregnancy is basic for the bone and tissue development of the baby. In addition, it prevents anemia, one of the frequent diseases of pregnant women.
The dose of vitamin C in pregnancy is not excessively high (85 mg daily, approximately a glass of orange juice or a kiwi). However, this vitamin is difficult to absorb, especially for women who have taken oral contraceptives for long periods, consumers of salicylates, smokers, or consumers of alcohol or drugs.
As with other pregnancy vitamins such as iron or folic acid, in these cases, the doctor will recommend increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and taking a vitamin complex for pregnant women rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin D
The consumption of vitamin D improves fertility, helps the growth and repair of the baby’s bones, and favors the absorption of phosphorus and calcium from the mother. The intake of this vitamin during pregnancy should be doubled (approximately 10mg/day ) since it helps prevent diseases in the mother, such as:
preeclampsia
Gestational diabetes
bacterial vaginosis
Vitamin B6
Like all the components of the B complex, this vitamin is not stored in the body, and its excess is eliminated every eight hours in the urine. However, it develops a vital function in the body since it is responsible for synthesizing proteins, fats, and carbohydrates and in forming red blood cells, blood cells, antibodies, neurotransmitters, and hormones. It is also essential for synthesizing DNA and RNA, which are the messengers of the genetic code, and, in the case of babies, it is involved in their brain and nervous system development.
The minimum recommended dose of vitamin B6 in pregnancy is 1.9 mg. daily and 2.0 mg. during lactation.
Some foods rich in vitamin B6 are beef, chicken, fish, liver, yeast, eggs, animal offal, walnuts, hazelnuts, whole wheat flour, brown rice, chickpeas, lentils, or spinach.
Since the control of vitamins during pregnancy is important for the mother and for the baby, it will be the doctor who will assess whether the pregnant woman requires nutritional supplements of any specific vitamin, especially in cases of future mothers with health problems, the anticipation of complications in pregnancy, women with dietary restrictions (vegetarian women, intolerant or allergic to lactose and other foods, etc.) or multiple pregnancies.
Guarantee that your baby is growing healthy.
In addition to vitamins to ensure healthy baby growth, some tests must be carried out to ensure the baby’s growth without abnormalities. The NACE prenatal test is a non-invasive maternal blood test alternative to amniocentesis, which will help you safely detect Down syndrome and other anomalies such as Patau syndrome or Edwards syndrome. Find out and guarantee the stability that your pregnancy requires.