›› Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins
are a must for expecting mothers. A doctor will often prescribe a
prenatal vitamin to a pregnant patient, but some assert that the
vitamins are beneficial for women who are planning to conceive. Using
the supplements before getting pregnant helps prevent certain birth
defects. Some mothers choose to continue taking prenatal vitamins
throughout their pregnancies and while they are
breastfeeding.
It is important to remember that the prenatal vitamins are supplements.
They do not replace a balanced diet. It is not good practice to rely on
vitamins for all of your nutritional needs. It is more important to eat
a healthy, well-balanced diet than it is to take pills, no matter how
beneficial they are. The vitamins also work better when they are taken
with a healthy diet. Some of the nutrients in the foods help to absorb
the vitamins.
Calcium is an extremely important element in a pregnant
woman’s diet. Prenatal vitamins do not have the recommended
daily allowance of calcium for an expecting mother. Prenatal vitamins
have about 250 milligrams of calcium but an expectant mother requires
between 1,200 and 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day to assure that
the baby will develop properly. This is a significant difference.
Not every prenatal vitamin is the same; in fact some may not benefit
the expectant mother as much as they claim. Recent studies show that a
pregnant woman’s body does not necessarily absorb all of the
nutrients provided by the vitamins, especially foliate. Folate is
extremely important in the baby’s prenatal development. The
vitamin helps prevent birth defects like spina-bifida. Only three out
of nine vitamins on average actually provide the amount of folate
labeled on the bottle. This is not to suggest that the supplements do
not have the vitamin, it just is not absorbed by the woman’s
body.
Some argue that it is better to take a prenatal vitamin prescribed by a
doctor. However, this is not necessarily the case. While prescribed
vitamins are ideal, many of the very same vitamins are available in
stores and without a prescription. The most important thing to consider
is the ingredients in the vitamins. Another important factor to
consider is whether the vitamins are easily absorbed or not.
There is an easy test you can use to determine if the vitamins will be
absorbed into your system. Put one of the prenatal vitamins into a cup
of water. Wait ten minutes. If the vitamin is dissolved, or is very
soft, it will be absorbed into your system. If the vitamin remains
hard, it will probably pass through your system without depositing many
of the nutrients it carries.
It is a good idea to talk to your doctor when deciding which prenatal
vitamin is best for you. I found that the vitamin my doctor prescribed
made me very nauseous. I told my doctor about the trouble I was having
and she recommended a supplement that I could buy over the counter.
This vitamin was not a potent as the one she originally prescribed, but
I was getting more nutrients because I was able to tolerate them much
better.
Finding the right prenatal vitamin may take a little research, but the
benefits are great. However, it is crucial to keep eating a healthy,
well-balanced diet. There is no supplement that can replace good
nutrition.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
