Supplying your baby with all the nutrients they need is the best way to build a strong foundation for them as they develop in your womb. For many women, having a healthy, well-balanced diet that touches on the five major food groups is enough to meet their needs.

However, for some, simply having a balanced diet doesn’t supply all the nutrition they need.  Sometimes, they need more than the standard recommended amount to support both mother and baby. This is why taking supplements is vital during your pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins are often the multivitamin expectant mothers reach for, and we agree, it’s one of the best supplements to take during your pregnancy, but they don’t include everything.

Below, let’s explore some of the best vitamins and minerals to add to your diet. And note that before you begin stocking up on these supplements, we highly recommend scheduling an appointment to chat with your obstetrician and or midwife to find out what’s the best and healthiest option for you. Don’t have one? Consider 2Me Healthcare’s OB2Me concierge services. For more information, please contact our staff!

Why Take Supplements?

Getting the right nutrients is vital in every stage of your life, but especially when you’re pregnant. Your needs change during pregnancy, for example, your macronutrient intake needs — such as fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, which grow exponentially. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG), during pregnancy, a woman’s source of these nutrients and vitamins should come from a wide variety of foods, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Unfortunately, not every woman will be able to quench their body’s nutrient thirst through vitamin- and mineral-rich foods. Dietary restrictions, extreme morning sickness, food aversion, food allergies, and inaccessibility to healthy foods are a few situations that can create a nutrition deficiency. This is where supplements come in handy. Supplements don’t replace getting nutrients through a healthy, balanced diet, but they do help to bridge some women’s nutritional gap.

Be warned, though, while taking supplements during your pregnancy, be careful not to double up on your dosages, especially with ones like Vitamins A, B6, and C. When taken in high dosages, it can lead to complications throughout your pregnancy or congenital disabilities. And we certainly don’t want that.

Credit: Helder Almeida

The Best Supplements to Take During Your Pregnancy

Prenatal Vitamins

This list of supplements you should take during your pregnancy can’t begin without any other vitamin combination! Prenatal vitamins are multivitamins created specifically for pregnant women. Although experts say that the best time to take prenatal vitamins is before you get pregnant, you can still take them throughout your pregnancy and breastfeeding. What makes these vitamins essential is that they help bridge nutritional gaps by providing extra micronutrients that are in high demand during pregnancy. They’re also a choice vitamin because they reduce the risk of preterm birth and preeclampsia.

Folic Acid

Sometimes referred to as folate, folic acid is a B vitamin that plays a key role in DNA synthesis and red blood cell production. It supports fetal growth and development for babies, such as reducing the risk of neural tube defects and congenital abnormalities like cleft palates, heart defects, and spina bifida. Because most pregnancies are unplanned, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that women in their childbearing years take 400mcg of folic acid daily to give babies a healthy start if they become pregnant.

Choline

When taking prenatal vitamins or other vitamin and mineral mixes that are marketed for pregnant women, it’s important to note that they don’t include every essential vitamin and mineral. One such example is choline. Although your body naturally produces this essential nutrient, it doesn’t make enough to support you and your baby throughout the pregnancy. In our opinion, it’s one of the best supplements to take during your pregnancy because it’s integral in the fetal brain and spinal cord development. You can find it in milk, beef liver, eggs, peanuts, soy products, and chicken.

Iron

Another one of the best supplements you can take during your pregnancy is iron. It helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. And during pregnancy, your body needs iron to make more blood to take to your baby. Lack of iron can result in premature birth or low birth weight, fatigue, and anemia. If iron supplements make you constipated, you can still source this mineral from non-heme iron (plant-based) foods like nuts, raisins, dried fruits, beans, or heme iron (lean meat) foods like poultry, and red meat.

Credit: Pina Messina

Vitamin D

Unlike many other vitamins and minerals on our list, there aren’t many Vitamin D-rich food options. A few examples include fatty fish like salmon or mackerel, eggs, and enriched breakfast cereals. This explains why there’s a high demand for adults and pregnant people alike to take supplements, especially when people aren’t outside to soak it up naturally.

Despite being hard to find in a balanced diet, Vitamin D is extremely important. It enables your body to absorb calcium and fuels your body’s nerves, muscles, immune system function, bone health, and cell division. It’s also important to remember that it’s possible to develop a Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, which links to preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most essential supplements to take during your pregnancy. Not only does it help your baby build strong bones and teeth, but it also protects you from losing bone density. Because babies get their calcium from their mothers, you must increase your daily calcium intake to 1,000 MG to keep you healthy and balanced. The best sources for such amounts of calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, and dark leafy greens. Other benefits of calcium are that it prevents blood clots, increases muscle and nerve function.

Iodine

This mineral is a critical mineral for healthy thyroid function, repairing damaged cells, and supporting a healthy metabolism during pregnancy. Baby benefits, too, as it’s responsible for fetal brain development. Iodine deficiencies are a serious concern during pregnancy and can lead to severe complications, including miscarriage, stillbirth, stunted physical growth, severe mental disability, and deafness. Mothers can add iodine to their balanced, healthy diet through dairy, seafood, and some bread.

Vitamin C

We’re all familiar with Vitamin C and how this antioxidant is a building block for a healthy immune system and that it also helps build strong muscles and bones. However, many aren’t aware that it’s one of the best supplements to take during your pregnancy because it also promotes healthy gums and teeth, protects tissues from damage, and helps your body absorb iron (another essential mineral for baby). Vitamin C is commonly found in citrus fruits, but you can also load up with bell peppers, green beans, strawberries, tomatoes, and broccoli.

2Me Healthcare

Your baby’s health from pregnancy to beyond is an integral part of your journey to motherhood. At 2Me Healthcare, we offer concierge obstetrician care in the privacy and safety of your own home, so you don’t have to rush to the doctor’s office or stress about appointments. Every high-touch service necessary to make your extraordinary journey a stress-free experience is a must for us, even when it comes to advising on the best foods to eat and supplements to take during your pregnancy.

If you’re looking for a dedicated, passionate, and attentive OB/GYN team, contact us at 2Me Healthcare or (833) 692-6342.