Vitamins and minerals help your body use the energy provided food for you and your baby. They also help repair and maintain cells and tissues.
You can get the most vitamins and minerals they need through a healthy diet. Since it is difficult to get enough iron, folic acid and calcium from food, many pregnant women take a prenatal vitamin every day.
Folic acid is one of the vitamins contained in most prenatal vitamins. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women consume 600 micrograms of folic acid daily (from supplements and food) once to get pregnant. Most prenatal vitamins contain this amount or up to 1,000 micrograms of folic acid.
What You Can Do
Take your prenatal vitamin every day. Take vitamins as indicated. Read the label and call your healthcare professional.
Do not consume more vitamins and minerals unless your health care professional has recommended it. Taking large amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, can be dangerous. Do not take more than 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A daily. Also do not take more than 1,000 micrograms (1 milligram) of folic acid without first talking to your healthcare professional.
Eat a diet that includes a wide variety of healthy and nutritious. What are some good options? Fruits, vegetables, breads and pasta, dairy and protein sources of low fat, like low-fat red meat, beans, tofu, poultry and some fish. (See Food Safety A list of fish that pregnant women should not eat).
If you have trouble digesting lactose (the natural sugar in milk), the low-lactose milk products and orange juice fortified with calcium can help you get the calcium you need. (more…)
