Discovering that you are pregnant can be one of the most uplifting and momentous times in a couples' life. Pondering the thought of having a boy, girl or maybe twins or triplets can make for hundreds of dream filled nights. Women who are expecting usually change their diet to accommodate their new arrival. Smoking and drinking alcohol are generally the first things to stop. Many women try to limit their caffeine intake and improve their diet by eating very healthy low sugar, high fibre foods. Although pregnancy cravings can be a bit tough, many women find it relatively easy to stick to the diet that their doctor or midwife recommends.
But being pregnant not only means that your will have to fight through the morning sickness and end the day with swollen feet and a tired body, it also means that you will have to take care of your body and provide enough vitamins and minerals to maintain not only your health, but the health of your unborn baby as well. This is why it is often recommended for pregnant women to take a supplement. The supplements primarily recommended for pregnant woman are folic acid, iron, calcium and a general multivitamin.
The importance of taking folic acid is to reduce the chance of having a baby with a birth defect. Many defects of the spinal cord or the brain can be contributed to not having enough folic acid. Researchers have shown that folic acid is an essential nutrient for foetal development and it is therefore suggested that women start taking a folic acid supplement as soon as they start trying to conceive. Because the neural tube defects develop approximately 23 days after conception the mother would need to be absorbing enough folic acid before and after conception. Extra folic acid has now been added to flour, bread, pasta and other staple products so that mothers can get more than the daily requirement.
Iron is another important nutrient for pregnant women. Iron is not only important for the mother, but it is extremely important for the unborn child. Iron helps carry oxygen around the body in the blood stream. As mums-to-be are also supplying oxygen to their unborn child, it is very important this process works optimally. Iron also builds up the blood cell and so can help in strengthening the strong immune system. Approximately 1/3 of women in their 3rd trimester are iron deficient, so taking a high quality supplement throughout the pregnancy is often advisable.
The next important vitamin in prenatal vitamins is calcium. We all can remember our parents telling us to drink our milk if we want strong bones, well this is due to the calcium in milk as it is essential in strengthening our bones. Once pregnant, a woman is responsible not only for the upkeep of her own bones under growing pressure from the weight of the baby, but also the development of her baby's, which grow extremely quickly, relatively speaking.
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