Purpose Of Prenatal Vitamins

For most women, pregnancy can be an exciting time. The anticipation of bringing a new life into the world makes the morning sickness, fatigue, weight gain, indigestion and constipation that go along with pregnancy worthwhile. However, how well you take care of yourself during your pregnancy affects its outcome. Good prenatal care, which includes taking prenatal vitamins, improves your chances for positive pregnancy outcomes.

Meets Maternal Nutritional Needs/Prevents Vitamin Deficiencies

During pregnancy, your nutritional needs increase. This boost in nutritional demand results from the sharing of nutrients with your unborn fetus. Your body requires more vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, calcium and iron. Therefore, to prevent a vitamin deficiency, you must either eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods from the five food groups or take a vitamin supplement like prenatal vitamins. These vitamins are specially formulated with the right combination of vitamins and minerals and in adequate amounts to meet your nutritional requirements during pregnancy.

Reduces Risk of Birth Defects

Taking prenatal vitamins that contain the B vitamin, folic acid, prevents birth defects called neural tube defects. The most common of these are spina bifida and anencephaly. These conditions result when the neural tube -- the structure that becomes the brain and spinal cord, fails to close in the fetus. If the failure takes place in the area near the skull, it's anencephaly. If it takes place along the spine, it's called spina bifida. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 2,500 babies are born with neural tube defects. This can be fatal in anencephaly and disabling in spina bifida.

To lower the baby's risk for developing these birth defects by a much as 70 percent, the U.S. Public Health Service, CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that pregnant women, and all women of childbearing age, take at least 0.4 mg of folic acid daily.

Aids in Baby's Development

Prenatal vitamins also contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for your baby's growth and development. Vitamin A is necessary for the development of healthy skin and eyesight, while vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron and aids in the development of healthy gums and teeth. The mineral calcium makes strong bones and strong teeth. Vitamin B12 is essential for the development and maintenance a healthy nervous system.

Provides Extra Iron/Prevents Anemia

During pregnancy, your body's blood volume increases. As a result, the demand for iron also goes up. Iron, located in the body's red blood cells, is responsible for carrying the body's oxygen to the baby and to your organs. Iron supplementation is especially important for women who start their pregnancy with lower than normal iron levels. If you don't get the extra iron required during pregnancy, you may end up anemic.

Duration

Begin taking prenatal vitamins before you conceive and continue at least throughout the pregnancy. If you plan to breast-feed, continue taking them until you stop. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends taking folic acid, a component of prenatal vitamins, daily beginning one month before you get pregnant and continuing through at least the first trimester. This will reduce your baby's risk for developing neural tube defects.