Planning a pregnancy
If you're starting to think about taking the next step and planning a pregnancy, then you'll need to start taking your health more seriously.
Naturally, you should follow a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy in order to get as many nutrients and vitamins as possible. However, sometimes a multivitamin or pregnancy supplement can give you that extra boost that you need during pregnancy.
Most women tend to know that cutting out alcohol and smoking are of paramount importance when trying to conceive, but not every woman is familiar of the ways in which simple vitamins can help them to increase their chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. We take a look at some of the most important vitamins you should be taking during your pregnancy:
Folic acid
If you're trying to get pregnant, it's recommended that you increase your folic acid intake. Don't take our word for it, the Government's Chief Medical Officer himself recommends that those planning a pregnancy take a 400mcg Folic Acid supplement a day from the day you start trying to conceive up until your 12th week of pregnancy.
Folic acid is a B vitamin and plays an important role in producing red blood cells, which will help your baby's neural tube develop into the brain and spinal cord. Aside from lowering the risk of miscarriage, folic acid can help to protect your baby from numerous things such as cleft lip and palate, premature birth and poor growth.
The amount of folic acid you should take depends on your stage of pregnancy, but here's a rough idea at the levels you need:
- Whilst trying to conceive: 400mcg
- Conception to sixth month of pregnancy: 400mcg
- Sixth month of pregnancy until birth: 600mcg
- Breastfeeding: 500mcg
Iron
Being pregnant is an amazing experience, but looking after both mother and bump is a tiring process. Ensuring you get plenty of iron will hopefully stop you from getting too tired and suffering from anaemia. Eat plenty of lean meat, green leafy vegetables and dried fruit. Your doctor or midwife will monitor your iron levels throughout your pregnancy. If it gets too low, they'll advise you on what iron supplement tablets to take.
Vitamin D
You should take 10mcg of Vitamin D each day throughout your pregnancy and continue with this after birth if you're breastfeeding. Vitamin D helps to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphate in the body. As such, it will help to ensure that your baby is getting enough calcium to form strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D will also help you to fight various infections and minimise the risk of the baby being born at a low birth weight. You'll find vitamin D in foods like oily fish but it's still recommended that you take an additional supplement.
If you're confused about what vitamins and supplements you can and can't take during pregnancy, get in touch with our pharmacist.