What You Need to Know About Prenatal Vitamins

As soon as that little stick gives a smiley face or a plus sign, we become mothers. Immediately something the size of a sweetpea grabs our hearts and squeezes tightly with each beat.

And as mothers, we become fiercely protective of that little tiny nugget. We start doing everything we can to take care of our growing baby. One of the best ways to protect your baby and make sure they are getting all the good nutrients possible is by taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy.

“Only mothers can think of the future- because they give birth to it in their children,” Maxim Gorky.

Is it really necessary to take prenatal vitamins during pregnancy?

Even if you maintain one of the best diets in the world, eating all the right meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, you still may be missing some crucial nutrients during pregnancy. Not to mention prenatal vitamins are super important for momma’s who may have underlying health issues, experience complications with pregnancy or even dietary limitations such as those with eating disorders, lactose intolerant or other food allergies, chronic illness or those that are vegan or vegetarian.

The two most important benefits from a prenatal supplement are folic acid and iron. And unfortunately, most pregnant women do not get enough of these key nutrients from food alone.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is like a womb superhero; this B vitamin protects you before you conceive (if you are taking it) and during the early stages of your pregnancy. The wonderful benefits include lowering your baby’s risk of spina bifida and anencephaly by almost 70 percent and reducing the risk of cleft lip, cleft palate, and certain heart defects plus lowering the chances of preeclampsia.

Iron

Iron plays a key role in preventing preterm delivery, low birth weight and infant mortality linked to iron-deficiency anemia. Most expectant momma’s do not get enough iron from their daily diet to meet the increased demand by our body’s during pregnancy, by taking a supplement that includes iron you can reduce the risk of iron-deficiency anemia.

What you should look for in a prenatal vitamin and the most popular brands.

So now that you know how crucial prenatal vitamins are for your pregnancy and developing baby, you may be wondering how to choose the right one. First be sure to look for these nutrients as recommended by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Folic acid
Iron
Calcium
Vitamin D
Vitamin A
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12

You will also want to see some Omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA on the label as studies have shown they help in the development of your baby’s brain and nervous system.

When it comes to choosing a brand, start with the type of form first, you can get them in pills, soft gel capsule or gummies. Some soon to be mommies have trouble with swallowing and or even keeping pills down, so you’ll need to find which works best for you.

Here are ten of the most popular brands of prenatal vitamins: