Prenatal Vitamins

If you are planning to have a baby or if you are already pregnant, it is important to start thinking about prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins are those vitamins that are specially formulated for those who are growing a baby inside of them. A baby growing inside of you is going to take away from the nutrients that your body absorbs into your blood stream.

A growing baby inside of you also needs higher amounts of vitamins and nutrients so they are going to form and develop properly. With the types of foods we are eating constantly changing, prenatal vitamins are an important way to get those extra-added vitamins into your body for you and the baby.

Prenatal vitamins are important for your body. As a baby is growing inside of you, you can feel run down, tired and worn out if you are busy and on the go, and not eating right. The baby growing inside of you requires many types of nutrients that your body will then be lacking. Taking prenatal vitamins daily before during and after your pregnancy is going to aid your body in staying healthy and is going to aid you in having a healthy baby as well.

Your prenatal vitamins are going to be a little different than regular vitamins. Because your body is changing and your baby is growing, you will need various types of extra or added levels of vitamins. The level of vitamins your body requires while you are pregnant is higher, and the prenatal types of vitamins that are specially formulated for changing needs have these higher vitamin levels.

The more you lack, the harder it will be for you to carry your baby full term. The more you lack in strength and in nutrients, the harder your labor can be, at least for some people. The better prepared you are before during and after your pregnancy the easier the entire process of carrying a baby and delivering a bay is going to be for you in the long run.

If you know someone who is pregnant and who is unable to afford purchasing prenatal vitamins, you should purchase some for them so they have all the vitamins needed while carrying a baby. You will also find many government agencies make prenatal vitamins available for those who are low income and for those who are unable to purchase prenatal vitamins through the use of WIC programs and some associated welfare programs. Get involved and help other women who need help get the vitamins needed during their pregnancy for healthy babies.

Early Pregnancy And Prenatal Vitamins

If you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant, you probably know that it is important for you to get plenty of folic acid. Folic acid helps to reduce brain and spinal defects in your baby, especially in early pregnancy. What you may not know is how important it is to take multivitamins, as well.

A study, recently published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, noted the importance of taking multivitamins if trying to conceive or newly pregnant. Their research concluded that women who take multivitamins in early pregnancy reduced their child’s risk of developing certain brain tumors.

Researchers found that women taking multivitamins close to the time they conceived had babies who were less likely to develop medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal brain tumors. Brain tumors are fairly rare in children, occurring in 1 in 20,000 kids under the age of six. Medulloblastoma is the second most common brain tumor in children.

The study at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia compared 315 children with brain tumors to 315 randomly chosen healthy children. Researchers called each mother and asked if they had been taking multivitamins before or after conception. The findings were slightly significant , yet they were comparable to a study conducted in 1993 by a different group.

Interestingly, taking a multivitamin during the later stages of pregnancy did not significantly reduce the infant’s risk of developing brain tumors. This makes it all too clear that if you are trying to get pregnant, you should begin taking your multivitamins right away. Then continue with the approval of your physician at least through the early stages of your pregnancy.

Women are strongly urged to choose a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid. Reproductive women should eat healthy foods with plenty of vitamins and folic acid.

When choosing your vitamin, check its vitamin A content. Never take more than 770 micrograms of Vitamin A. Too much can cause birth defects in babies.

You should also look on the label for the letters USP. This means the vitamin has been evaluated and meets certain criteria by the U.S. Pharmacopeia Organization. Vitamins with a USP stamp have certain standardized levels of purity, safety, quality and content.

Your OB/GYN will help you choose a pre-natal vitamin before you even get pregnant. So good luck if you are trying to conceive, and take that multivitamin for both you and your baby.