As soon as you confirm your pregnancy and sometimes when you are planning your pregnancy, one of the first things that your OB-GYN will recommend for you is Prenatal Vitamins.
While we have been told that prenatal vitamins are essential for all pregnant women, there are many women who have questions about them. Why are prenatal vitamins necessary? What are the ingredients in them that help in a healthy pregnancy?
If you too have these questions, you are not alone. Here are five reasons why prenatal vitamins matter for a healthy pregnancy and a strong baby.
Prenatal Vitamins Help Prevent Birth Defects
One of the foremost reasons for taking your prenatal vitamins regularly is that they prevent birth defects in the baby. Getting adequate amounts of folic acid very early in your can reduce your child’s risk of developing neural tube defects, such as Spina bifida (when a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop) and Anencephaly (absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp). Folic acid also lowers the risk of other birth defects such as cleft lip, a cleft palate, or certain heart-related defects.
Another essential prenatal vitamin is Omega-3 fatty acid. When taken during pregnancy, it reduces the risk of allergies and asthma in kids.
Prenatal Vitamins Support The Baby’s Growth
A developing baby needs many essential nutrients for its healthy growth and development. Key among those is Calcium. The baby needs calcium to develop strong bones and teeth. Calcium also helps with muscle, heart and nerve development, teeth and bones, a healthy heart, nerves, and muscles, and normal heart rhythm and blood-clotting.
Babies also need prenatal vitamins with Zinc that help develop normal brain function and boosts intelligence. It also promotes cell division and tissue growth in the developing baby. A deficiency in Zinc may compromise infant development, and it can even lead to preterm birth.
Vitamin D during pregnancy is also important for the development of the baby’s bones, teeth, kidneys, heart and nervous system to develop. Without this vital vitamin, the baby is at risk for developing rickets (soft malformed bones).
Prenatal Vitamins Promote A Healthy Pregnancy
A healthy pregnancy needs to be supported with vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Zinc in prenatal vitamins ensures that the mother maintains a healthy immune system. It protects her from infections and boosts normal body growth during pregnancy. Vitamin B12 prenatal supplements help to combat various pregnancy symptoms from chronic fatigue and weakness to mood swings and constipation. It helps in the digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and promotes the overall well-being of a pregnant woman. The iron in prenatal vitamins also helps with the energy levels of the expectant mother.
Vitamin D in pregnancy reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, low birth weight and preterm birth. For expectant mothers who struggle with leg Cramps during Pregnancy, the magnesium in prenatal vitamins gives the much-needed relief. Iron is another essential ingredient in prenatal vitamins that help maintain healthy haemoglobin levels that are vital for immunity and strength.
Folic acid helps reduce the risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight of the baby.
HERA To Meet All Your Nutritional Needs
Good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy pregnancy. It keeps the expectant mother healthy, helps the normal development of the fetus, and ensures the baby thrives in infancy and beyond. However, it is not possible to meet all our nutritional requirements through our diet. Prenatal vitamins like HERA help to bridge this nutritional gap and ensure that all the nutritional needs of the mother are met.
HERA is an innovative prenatal supplement that is specially formulated to support the nutritional needs of the expectant mother, while also ensuring a healthy body and brain development for the baby. Created with Folic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Iodine, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B12, HERA’s pregnancy formula contains only the right ingredients, in the correct dosage and the best form.
Supports The Long Term Health Needs Of The Mother
Prenatal Vitamins not only support fetal growth, but they also are needed for the long-term health of the mother. If the expectant mother does not get enough calcium in her diet during pregnancy, the baby will draw it from her bones. This hurts your long-term health and may cause loss of bone mass, teeth decay for the mother. Deficiency in calcium for pregnant women may cause Osteoporosis (brittle bones in older women) or bone density loss (a condition that makes women vulnerable to bone fractures at an older age). Prenatal vitamins help supply a portion of your daily calcium needs.
In conclusion,
Prenatal vitamins are a nutritional boost that all pregnant women need. Recent research has shown that women need prenatal vitamins not just during their pregnancy but they should start taking prenatal vitamins at least three months before conception.
However, it is important to remember that prenatal vitamins are supplements and not replacements for a balanced and nutritious meal. It is important to eat healthy throughout the nine months of pregnancy.