Consult your doctor or dietitian about whether you need to take a vitamin supplement
during pregnancy. Keep in mind that supplements are not meant to replace foods,
but to balance a nutritious diet. Your doctor can help you choose an appropriate
supplement that contains suitable amounts of vitamins and minerals. Any supplementation
that exceeds the recommended daily intake (RDI) should be taken only under the
recommendation of your doctor, because high doses of certain vitamins or minerals
can be toxic above a certain level.
Healthy women who are planning to become pregnant should take a folic acid
supplement of 0.4 mg per day for several months before becoming pregnant
and the supplement should be continued throughout the pregnancy.
In the later stages of pregnancy, you require more iron to help produce healthy
red blood cells for you and your growing baby. Sometimes it's difficult for
women to consume enough iron from foods. Most doctors recommend that pregnant
women take a daily iron supplement of 30 mg to 60 mg of elemental
(ferrous) iron in addition to any other prenatal vitamins. Anemic women in particular
may require an iron supplement. Discuss whether you need an iron supplement
with your doctor and pharmacist. You can also help your body better absorb dietary
iron by eating iron-rich foods together with foods rich in vitamin C, such as
berries, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and citrus fruits. For example, have a glass
of orange juice with an iron-enriched breakfast cereal.
Consuming three to four servings of dairy products can help ensure you get
adequate calcium (i.e. 1,200 to 1,500 mg daily ) during your pregnancy.
However, women whose diet lacks calcium (e.g. women with lactose intolerance)
may require a calcium supplement in addition to their dietary sources. Look
for calcium supplements that contain calcium carbonate because they have the
most calcium per weight. To find out the total amount of calcium you are getting
from a supplement, look at how much "elemental calcium" it contains.
Try to take calcium supplements between meals or at bedtime to improve their
absorption. Avoid bone meal and dolomite, as these types of calcium supplements
may contain traces of lead. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or dietitian for
more information about calcium supplements, and be sure to include calcium-rich
foods in your diet. You can find suggestions for these types of foods in "Nutritional
variety and important nutrients" in this health feature.