Vitamins for pregnant women

Pregnancy is a delicate condition, but happy for women. During this time, it is important that you take vitamins to ensure that your and your child's nutritional needs are met.

The folic acid , also know as vitamin B9 , is possibly the most important vitamin for pregnant women. Its consumption in adequate amounts helps prevent babies from having serious birth defects, specifically in the brain and spinal cord, which make up the neural tube.

Spina bifida is the most common defect in the neural tube , and it refers to a column without closing Babies diagnosed with this condition may end up with mental retardation, paralysis or other serious complications.

The importance of folic acid has caused that in the United States, women of childbearing age take a daily intake of 400 mg. of folic acid and oblige the manufacturers of flour products to add their products with extra folic acid.

Green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans and nuts are recognized as excellent natural sources of folic acid. The Prenatal vitamins often they also contain folic acid.

Vitamin D and calcium

A baby inside the uterus uses the calcium maternal to form their own bones . Because of this, pregnant women should increase their calcium intake to reduce bone loss. Foods rich in calcium are made up of: green leafy vegetables, bread and soy milk.

In addition to improving the maternal bones, teeth and gums of your baby, the vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. And this one is in the fish , the milk and enjoy a couple of hours of sunlight daily.

Vitamin C and iron

Iron is a mineral that improves the blood circulation and the flow of oxygen in the body of the mother and child. A sufficient intake of iron also reduces the chances of a premature birth and that the baby has low birth weight, prevents anemia and improve the production of hemoglobin. You can find iron in spinach, fortified cereals, beef and pork, beans and fruits.

The vitamin C , helps pregnant women, to take the iron they need from food. In addition to that, vitamin C or ascorbic acid is also a antioxidant and therefore, protects them from the harmful effects of toxins.

To complement the personalized plan of vitamin intake in pregnancy it is necessary to go to the treating doctor and follow his instructions.


Video Medicine: The Importance of Prenatal Vitamins (March 2024).