If you're pregnant, there are a number of micronutrients that you'll need to support a healthy full term. Also known as vitamins and minerals, micronutrients don't provide you with energy, but they're essential components of nutrition to keep your cells functioning, and your baby developing, properly. During pregnancy, certain vitamins ans minerals are particularly importance.
Folic Acid
One of the most important vitamins during pregnancy is folic acid. This B vitamin is critical to embryonic development of the neural tube, explains Dr. Miriam Stoppard in her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth." The neural tube goes on to develop into the brain and spinal cord, and maternal deficiencies in folic acid can lead to birth defects like spina bifida. During pregnancy, you need 1,000 mcg of folic acid per day.
Iron
Iron is a common mineral in all-in-one prenatal vitamins and is critical to a healthy pregnancy. Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, in their book "You: Having A Baby," explain iron's importance in helping your body produce additional red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the body. During pregnancy, you make 50 percent more blood to ensure adequate oxygen delivery to your baby, and therefore need about 27 mg of iron each day.
Calcium
Calcium like iron is technically a mineral but is commonly referred to as a vitamin supplement. You need calcium to help maintain your skeletal system, as your developing fetus pulls calcium from your blood to use in the formation of its own skeleton. Pregnant women should get 1,000 mg of calcium each day, note Drs. Roizen and Oz.
Another Option
Rather than taking multiple dietary supplements to ensure you get all the micronutrients you need during pregnancy, many women opt to take a single pill each day --- a prenatal vitamin. They contain all the vitamins and minerals you need to support a healthy pregnancy, in amounts appropriate to pregnant women. Your obstetrician may recommend an over-the-counter brand of prenatal vitamin or may opt to write you a prescription for one.
References
- "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth"; Miriam Stoppard, M.D.; 2008
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
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