There are many reasons a pregnant woman may miss out on her daily recommended values of essential vitamins and minerals, including severe nausea, dietary restrictions and other health issues. Taking a prenatal vitamin can help pregnant women fill in the nutritional gaps. Before choosing a prenatal vitamin, however, pregnant women should be armed with their daily recommended values for these vitamins and minerals.
Prenatals vs. Multivitamins
Multivitamins and prenatal vitamins are not the same. Pregnant women require more of certain key vitamins and minerals than the average women, even if they are of the same age and health level. This is because pregnant women must get enough nutrition for their own changing bodies as well as for their developing baby. Prenatals contain more folic acid, calcium and iron than the average multivitamin, three of the key vitamins and minerals for pregnancy. Different brands of prenatal vitamins contain different amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Some may even require a doctor's prescription. While your doctor can help you decide on a particular formula, there are a few minimum recommended daily values you should know.
Calcium, Iron and Folic Acid
The average pregnant woman should take supplements for calcium, iron and folic acid. The daily allowance varies a bit from source to source. For instance, the March of Dimes and the American Pregnancy Association both report that pregnant women need at least 600 mcg of folic acid every day. MayoClinic.com, however, recommends the get closer to 1,000 mcg daily. Pregnant women need around 1,000 mg of calcium daily as well; however, MayoClinic.com reports that pregnant teenagers should aim for at least 1,300 mg a day. Most of the sources agree on iron: both MayoClinic.com and the American Pregnancy Association recommend 27 mg a day for women throughout their pregnancy. If you are confused about how much calcium or folic acid you need, talk to your doctor.
Other Vitamins and Minerals
There are many other important vitamins and minerals for pregnancy, all of which should be included in a prenatal vitamin supplement. These include vitamins A, C, D and E, the B vitamins and zinc. The American Pregnancy Association recommends
700 mcg of vitamin A; 1.4 mg vitamin B-1 and B-2; 18 mg of vitamin B-3; 1.9 mg of vitamin B-6, between 80 and 85 mg of vitamin C; 5 mcg of vitamin D; 15 mg of vitamin E; and between 11 and 12 mg of zinc. The March of Dimes also recommends pregnant women get a minimum of 200 mg of DHA every day, which is an omega-3 fatty acid. However, it warns that DHA is not always found in a prenatal vitamin formula.
How to Get Your Daily Values
Eating a healthy diet is the best way to get enough vitamins and minerals throughout your pregnancy. Plan to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, fortified whole grains, beans, dairy products and meats. However, for some women, diet alone is not enough for every nutrient. For instance, vegetarians may fall short on iron, and vegans on calcium. All pregnant women should take prenatal vitamins, to make up for anything their diet may be lacking. Despite this back-up plan, the American Pregnancy Association warns that a prenatal is only designed to fill in the gaps, not to replace healthy eating.
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