During your pregnancy, you'll need to take some vitamin and mineral supplements to help ensure that you're getting all the nutrients you need to support a healthy pregnancy and provide for both your own cells and those of your baby. You can take an all-in-one prenatal supplement, or select the individual nutrients most important to a healthy pregnancy.
Iron
Iron isn't technically a vitamin, but it's one of the components of all-in-one prenatal "vitamin" pills, which are actually vitamin and mineral combination pills. Iron is critical to a healthy pregnancy, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby," because you need it to produce red blood cells. These cells deliver oxygen to your body tissues, and also transfer oxygen into your baby's bloodstream. You produce extra red blood cells during pregnancy, and need about 27 mg of iron each day.
Folic Acid
Another critical micronutrient that you need during pregnancy is folic acid, which is one of the B vitamins. Folic acid is particularly important during the early weeks of pregnancy, because during these first few weeks, your embryo is forming the neural tube, a structure that goes on to become the brain and spinal cord. In their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting," Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel recommend daily folic acid -- you should get 800 to 1,000 mcg each day.
Other Vitamins
There are many other vitamins that help you support a healthy pregnancy. Among them are vitamin A, which supports eye health, vitamin C, which is important to the immune system and connective tissue, and vitamin D for calcium uptake. Your requirements for these vitamins don't increase significantly during pregnancy, however, and you can fulfill the majority of your needs from foods provided you eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
All-In-One Supplements
One of the easiest ways to get all the prenatal vitamins and minerals you need during pregnancy is to take a prenatal vitamin supplement, which is an all-in-one daily supplement pill containing both vitamins and minerals. These pills are specially formulated for pregnant women, and have the appropriate amounts of iron and folic acid in addition to the other vitamins and minerals that you need, but not in particularly high amounts, during pregnancy. Your doctor may recommend an all-in-one prenatal vitamin for convenience.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
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