If you are pregnant or planning to conceive, your doctor may recommend you take prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins provide essential nutrients for the prenatal development of your baby. It becomes all the more important if you are nauseous and cannot eat properly during your pregnancy.
The developing baby needs certain nutrients for its development. The prenatal vitamin ensures that the baby gets nutrients for its healthy growth.
Prenatal vitamins contain more folic acid than regular vitamins. Folic acid is found in dark, green leafy vegetables. Folic acid is especially important as it helps in preventing neural tube defects, which generally occur during the first trimester. It also helps in reducing prenatal development disorders associated with the brain or spinal cord.
However, missing one or two days of taking your prenatal is not going to make a difference for you or your baby, as long as you take the rest of them in time. But what if you can’t take prenatal vitamins for some reason? Read on to know what you should do.
When to take prenatal vitamins
It is best to take the vitamins at the same time every day as it becomes a habit and there is a reduced chance of you forgetting to take the medicine. You can also adjust the timing to address some of their side effects. For example, if you have nausea, you can also take it with your food.
Here is an article that can give you more information on the safety and efficacy of pregnancy supplementation.
Can you go without taking prenatal vitamins
Even if you follow a healthy diet, it is important to take prenatal vitamins as a lot of vitamins and minerals are needed to grow a healthy baby. As is already stated above, prenatal vitamins contain folic acid which is essential for the baby’s brain and spinal cord development.
Other than folic acid, it also contains calcium which protects your bones as your baby grows. You could lose your bone density if you don’t take extra calcium as your baby develops. The prenatal vitamin also contains iron which is essential to deliver oxygen to the baby through blood.
Prenatal vitamins are also helpful in preventing common and significant congenital disabilities. Therefore, it is important that start taking the vitamins as early as possible during your pregnancy.
What trimester are prenatal vitamins most important
Ideally, you should start taking prenatal pills at least three months before conception. It is a good idea to start at least one month before pregnancy. But don’t panic if you didn’t take prenatal vitamins before you got pregnant. Many women in the past haven’t taken prenatal medicines and they still have healthy babies. But make sure to take them as soon as you get to know you are pregnant.
If you are planning to get pregnant, ask your doctor for the prenatal that is best suited to your needs. If you are someone who is already taking a prenatal vitamin, tell the doctor about it so that he/she can check if it is the best for you.
In some cases, your physician might also recommend extra supplements in addition to a prenatal vitamin, based on your health history, diet, or bloodwork.
🤰🏻What is the best prenatal multivitamin?
One A Day’s prenatal vitamins are unbeatable. The brand contains significant amounts of the most important nutrients (iron, vitamin D, folic acid), as well as a few important extras like DHA, vitamin B6, and approximately 12% of your RDA for calcium.
Do prenatal vitamins have any side effects
Sometimes, the iron in the prenatal vitamin can cause constipation. To prevent constipation:
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Include fibre in your diet.
- Include some light exercises or yoga in your daily routine, after consulting your doctor.
What if you can’t take prenatal vitamins while pregnant
Taking prenatal vitamins before or during pregnancy helps in preventing miscarriage, defects, and preterm labour. If you are not taking the prenatal vitamin, neural tube defects can appear:
- Anencephaly: This condition happens when a baby’s skull and the brain do not form correctly. Babies born with this condition don’t survive.
- Spina bifida: This happens when the spine is not formed correctly and the baby may have physical disabilities.
For women who lack information and quality medical care, prenatal vitamins are all the more crucial. This is especially true for women living in rural areas, below poverty, or those living in developing countries. They can get their required nutrients from these prenatal vitamins which help in the healthy growth of the baby.
🤰🏻Though prenatal vitamins are an important part of pregnancy nutrition, they are never a substitute for a healthy well-balanced diet. They also do not replace quality exercise, hydration, mental health best practices, and an effort to live an overall healthy life.
Also, make it a point to refer to your physician before taking any medication or supplement as they can give you personalized advice based on your health and needs and get your question of, ‘What if I can’t take prenatal vitamins?’ without delay to get a fix.
Don’t forget to like and leave a comment, also read one of our blogs: 10 Best Choline Supplement For Pregnancy: Guide To A Safe Pregnancy