What's In Prenatal Multi Vitamins?

You may be wondering what's so great about prenatal multi vitamins. If you think that just eating for two is enough to sustain an optimally healthy pregnancy , though, you may be surprised at just how helpful a prenatal vitamin regimen can be. You and your baby need an amount of nutrients that is higher than you alone would—your baby needs them like a young tree needs sunlight and water! The nutrients in a small prenatal vitamin give your baby the building blocks to strong, healthy growth.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is one of the most helpful ingredients in prenatal multi vitamins, especially if you start taking them early. Birth defects related to the brain and spinal cord can develop as early as the first few weeks of pregnancy, possibly before you even know that you have successfully conceived. This is why many doctors recommend starting to take small prenatal vitamins a few months before you start trying to conceive—that way, you have a strong buildup of folic acid before the egg is ever fertilized. If you wait until after you confirm your pregnancy to start taking prenatal supplements, it could be too late to build a strong foundation of folic acid to nourish your baby.

Iron

Anemia and other low-iron-related conditions can threaten the health of a fetus, as well as your own. This is why even small prenatal vitamins often contain more iron than an average non-pregnant woman would need. Iron deficiencies can lead to serious problems, especially late in the pregnancy, when your body produces more and more blood cells for you and the baby. Those blood cells need iron, and if you aren't getting enough, it can weaken you both, leading to premature delivery or low birth weight. The relatively high levels of iron in prenatal multi vitamins is crucial for making it all the way to your due date.

Other Nutrients in Prenatal Multi Vitamins

Small prenatal vitamins are loaded with a wide variety of other nutrients, all of which are there in amounts specifically formulated for both you and the baby. For example, they contain biotin, as biotin deficiencies may be associated with pregnancy and can lead to problems like thinning hair and facial rashes. They contain vitamin D and magnesium, which are helpful in the healthy development of your baby's bones and teeth. The calcium in a small prenatal vitamin is healthy for you, too, as a calcium deficiency during your pregnancy could make you lose bone density.

These are just a few of the vitamins and nutrients that are common in prenatal multi vitamins—these supplements are formulated to make sure that both you and the baby get the nutrients you need to stay healthy throughout the pregnancy.

For more information about the benefits of

and when you should take them,

your doctor or a supplement company that sells them.

For more information about the potential benefits of taking

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