Vitamin C protects you against infections, promotes healthy hair and skin and, when pregnant, provides important nutrients to help your baby build healthy bones and grow. Too much or too little vitamin C may cause problems with your stomach and may affect your baby's learning and cognitive abilities. Your doctor will advise the amount of vitamins and minerals you need in order to support your pregnancy.
Recommended Vitamin C dosage
It is important to include vitamin C in your diet before, during and after your pregnancy. Before pregnancy, the Journal of the American Medical Association recommends 60 mg of vitamin C daily. The Baby Center Medical Advisory Board recommends that pregnant women age 18 and under should consume 80 mg of vitamin C a day. Pregnant women over the age of 18 should ingest 85 mg of vitamin C a day. Should you decide to breastfeed after giving birth, increase your vitamin C intake to around 115 mg to 120 mg daily.
Vitamin C Benefits
Vitamin C benefits both you and your unborn child. For you, it protects your body against illnesses and infection, heals cuts and wounds, repairs tissues and bone damage, supports bone growth and promotes healthy skin. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron and plays the role of an antioxidant, which helps protect your cells against free radicals found in air pollution, cigarette smoke, chemicals and radiation. For your baby, it helps produce collagen, tendons, bone and skin.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level
When it comes to vitamins and correct dosage, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendation. However, according to Pregnancy.org, the maximum amount of vitamin C, or the Tolerable Upper intake Level (UL), for any healthy person is 2,000 mg per day. Keep in mind, though, that pregnant women should not take anywhere near this amount, according to the Baby Center website. The best advice is to speak to your doctor about the appropriate dosage for you.
Deficiency and Overdose Symptoms
Vitamin deficiency as well as vitamin overdose may cause serious damage to you and your baby's health. In pregnant women, symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency include cuts and wounds that don't heal quickly, brittle hair, inflamed gums and dry skin. For the unborn baby, vitamin C deficiency may hinder mental development. Too much vitamin C may upset your stomach and/or cause diarrhea, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Supplements vs. Food
The March of Dimes explains that pregnant women can receive most of their daily recommended vitamins by eating a diet that is full of fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, milk, lean meats and poultry. While supplements are recommended for women with certain health conditions as well as those who do not obtain enough vitamins in their diet, the Baby Center Medical Advisory Board cautions against taking vitamin C supplements. The board claims vitamin C supplements may increase the risk of preterm birth as well as babies born with severe vitamin C deficiency. In order to meet your daily recommended dosage, the board recommends drinking one glass of calcium-fortified orange juice every day with breakfast.
References
- Baby Center: Vitamin C in your Pregnancy Diet; Baby Center Medical Advisory Board; August 2009
- American Pregnancy Association: Symptoms of Vitamin Overdose
- March of Dimes: Vitamins and Minerals During Pregnancy
- The Journal of the American Medical Association; How Much Vitamin C Do You Need?
- Baby Center: Vitamin C and Pregnancy
- Pregnancy.org: Vitamin C
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