What type of vitamins should pregnant women take

From what you should eat and drink , to what to expect from pregnancy and birth, or what products to buy and what to run from — chances are there is a lot of well-meaning but overwhelming advice coming your way. One thing that expecting mothers might hear about is supplements. Folic acid, or folate, prevents the risk of your baby being born with a neural tube defect, like spina bifida. Ideally, women should take folic acid from before they plan to become pregnant, right through the first trimester.

Consult with your doctor. Women should take iodine supplements, and eat iodine rich foods like seafood, iodine fortified bread and iodised table salt, throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding. What to take: iodine supplements which contain micrograms, every day, from 3 months before and throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding. You may opt-out of e-mail communications at any time by clicking on the Unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Pregnancy week by week. Products and services. Prenatal vitamins: Why they matter, how to choose Wonder if you need to take prenatal vitamins? By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again.

Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Garner CD, et al. Nutrition in pregnancy. Accessed Jan. Preconception care. Mayo Clinic; National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

Excess weight during pregnancy is associated with several pregnancy and childbirth complications , including:. High blood pressure. Gestational diabetes. Cesarean birth. Birth defects , especially neural tube defects NTDs. Folic acid, also known as folate, is a B vitamin that is important for pregnant women. When you are pregnant you need micrograms of folic acid each day. Women who have had a child with an NTD should take 4 milligrams mg of folic acid each day as a separate supplement at least 3 months before pregnancy and for the first 3 months of pregnancy.

You and your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider can discuss whether you need to supplement with more than micrograms daily. Iron is used by your body to make the extra blood that you and your fetus need during pregnancy. Women who are not pregnant need 18 mg of iron per day.

Pregnant women need more, 27 mg per day. This increased amount is found in most prenatal vitamins. In addition to taking a prenatal vitamin with iron, you should eat iron-rich foods such as beans, lentils, enriched breakfast cereals, beef, turkey, liver, and shrimp.

You also should eat foods that help your body absorb iron, including orange juice, grapefruit, strawberries, broccoli, and peppers. Women who are age 18 or younger need 1, mg of calcium per day. Women who are 19 or older need 1, mg per day.

Milk and other dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are the best sources of calcium. If you have trouble digesting milk products, you can get calcium from other sources, such as broccoli, fortified foods cereals, breads, and juices , almonds and sesame seeds, sardines or anchovies with the bones, and dark green leafy vegetables. You also can get calcium from calcium supplements. Vitamin D also is essential for healthy skin and eyesight. All women, pregnant or not, need international units of vitamin D a day.

Good sources of vitamin D include fortified milk and breakfast cereal, fatty fish salmon and mackerel , fish liver oils, and egg yolks. Many people do not get enough vitamin D. If your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider thinks you may have low levels of vitamin D, a test can be done to check the level in your blood.

If it is below normal, you may need to take a vitamin D supplement. It also may help prevent some common birth defects.

Experts recommend that pregnant women get mg of choline each day. Choline can be found in chicken, beef, eggs, milk, soy products, and peanuts. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of fat found naturally in many kinds of fish. Omega-3s may be important for brain development before and after birth. Women should eat at least two servings of fish or shellfish per week before getting pregnant, while pregnant, and while breastfeeding.

A serving of fish is 8 to 12 ounces oz. Some types of fish have higher levels of mercury than others. Mercury is a metal that has been linked to birth defects.

Do not eat bigeye tuna, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, or tilefish. Limit white albacore tuna to only 6 oz a week. You also should check advisories about fish caught in local waters. Flaxseed ground or as oil is a good source of omega-3s. Other sources of omega-3s include broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, cauliflower, and walnuts. These vitamins:. Help build the placenta. Your prenatal vitamin should have the right amount of B vitamins that you need each day.

Eating foods high in B vitamins is a good idea too, including liver, pork, chicken, bananas, beans, and whole-grain cereals and breads. Vitamin C is important for a healthy immune system. It also helps build strong bones and muscles. During pregnancy, you should get at least 85 mg of vitamin C each day if you are older than 19, and 80 mg if you are younger than You can get the right amount of vitamin C in your daily prenatal vitamin, and also from citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, broccoli, and tomatoes.

Drink throughout the day, not just when you are thirsty. Aim for 8 to 12 cups of water a day during pregnancy. There are many tools that can help you plan healthy meals. One useful tool is the MyPlate food-planning guide from the U. Department of Agriculture. The MyPlate website, www. The MyPlate website offers a MyPlate Plan, which shows how much to eat based on how many calories you need each day. The MyPlate Plan is personalized based on your:.

The MyPlate Plan can help you learn about choosing foods from each food group to get the vitamins and minerals you need during pregnancy. The MyPlate Plan also can help you limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats.