Do Prenatal Vitamins Really Work?

Prenatal vitamins are a hot topic among many women these days and many of them are talking about the benefits of using them before getting pregnant. The reasoning is that prenatal vitamins may help prevent some birth defects. Prenatal vitamins, in my opinion, should probably become part of the diet plan for expecting mothers. Pregnancy greatly increases the need for some nutrients and it can be hard to meet these needs through diet alone. Iron and folic acid are two such nutrients. Pregnancy is a time when both mother and baby are growing quickly. This rapid growth increases the demand for all nutrients, and the development of the baby and placenta are directly influenced by the mother’s nutritional status. Doctors will often prescribe a prenatal vitamin to a pregnant patient, but some evidence suggests that vitamins are beneficial for women who are planning to conceive. The consistent use of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy and breastfeeding is advisable to reduce or avert the chances of nutrition deficiencies.

Most Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated to make up for nutritional deficiencies in a mother’s diet, and contain supplements such as vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium. Perhaps most important, they contain folic acid, which reduces the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. Prenatal vitamins could very well prove to play a vital role in a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, due in large part to the great defiencies now found in most of our food. However, prenatal vitamins are not meant to be your sole source of nutrients. They are meant to supplement, or prevent certain nutrient deficiencies. Eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet will go a long way toward ensuring the health of both mother and infant.

IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FOR MOTHER AND CHILD:

DHA

DHA is a fatty acid that is crucial for baby’s brain development from the earliest stages of pregnancy through the breast feeding years. DHA is a type of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids belonging to omega 3 families. There are two types of essential fatty acids - omega 3 and omega 6 families. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that appears to be important for brain, eye, and heart health. The typical American diet is usually deficient in DHA.

IRON

The mineral iron is drawn upon heavily by the baby in the third trimester of pregnancy; it draws its supply from the stored supply of the mother. Iron is very important, and will be found in most prenatal vitamins.

FOLIC ACID

Folic acid, as many women already know, is absolutely crucial for a healthy pregnancy. Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects that can occur in babies. Interestingly it is found in several of the foods that we eat. It is found in dark leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, whole grain, etc.

Folic acid has been proven essential to a baby’s neural tube development during the first three months of a woman’s pregnancy. This is the time when the mother is most likely to experience nausea and vomiting. Folic acid is regarded as so important that it is often recommended that women start taking folate, 30 days or more prior to attempting to conceive.

CALCIUM

Calcium is certainly important in the development of a new baby. Calcium, 400 mg/day, and magnesium, 300 mg/day, help protect the mother’s bones and can help prevent pre-eclampsia. Chromium, 200 mg/day, helps control the mother’s blood sugar, and look for the following B vitamins: B12, 120 mg/day; B6, 20 mg/day, and B5, also known as pantothenic acid, 20 mg/day. CALCIUM - A supplement that contains 2-300 mg calcium is just a start toward reaching the recommended 1200 mg daily. However, anything beyond 250 mg of calcium (or 25 mg of magnesium) should not be taken at the same time as supplemental iron since both calcium and magnesium interfere with the absorption of the iron.

Not all prenatal vitamins are of the same quality of course. They all tend to have all of the basic nutrients in them that are necessary at such a crucial time for a woman’s body. However, the best prenatal will provide what mother and child needs, at just the right amounts, as well as avoiding amounts that tend to toxicity.