What Vitamins Should I Take During Pregnancy?

Growing a human is energy-intensive–to say the least! And while getting the majority of your nutrients from food is ideal, it's not always possible. Busy schedules, morning sickness, food aversions, and even modern farming methods can make it hard to get everything from your diet. This is where supplementing with specific vitamins and nutrients (many of which are found in a prenatal vitamin) can benefit. Doctors recommend taking a prenatal vitamin throughout your pregnancy (and ideally three months before you conceive) to fill in the nutrient gaps and give yourself the best shot at a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Let’s break it all down—from supplement must-haves to nice-to-haves, here’s exactly what vitamins you should take when pregnant. (Bonus if you can find them all in one prenatal vitamin product.)

Pregnancy Must-Haves:

1. Folate (Folic Acid)

Folate (the natural form of Vitamin B9) and Folic Acid (the synthetic form) are the same nutrients used interchangeably. This nutrient is crucial for cell growth and neural tube formation (which develops into your baby’s brain and spine). Not getting enough Folate in the first trimester can lead to neural tube defects like spina bifida.

Doctors recommend a minimum of 400 mcg of Folic Acid daily, starting three months before conception to build up adequate stores. If you didn’t start a prenatal before you got pregnant, don’t stress—start supplementing as soon as you find out you're pregnant. While Folate naturally occurs in beef, spinach, and beans, and Folic Acid is found in fortified foods, supplementation throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is still recommended because it’s tricky to hit those levels through diet alone. 

Folate vs Folic Acid vs 5-MTHF: What You Need in Your Prenatal Vitamins →

2. Iron

Your blood volume increases by up to 50% during pregnancy, which means your body needs more Iron to make red blood cells and support oxygen flow to your baby. Low iron can lead to anemia, which can make you feel exhausted (as if pregnancy fatigue wasn’t enough) and increase the risk of preterm delivery.

Pregnant people need about 27 mg of Iron daily, compared to their non-pregnant, menstruating counterparts who need around 18 mg per day. A high-quality prenatal packs enough Iron to handle the extra demand, but Iron-deficiency anemia is still super common during pregnancy thanks to all that blood your body’s working overtime to make. The good news? Loading up on Iron-rich foods in addition to taking your daily prenatal vitamin should help prevent a deficiency, but talk to your healthcare provider about whether or not you’re a candidate for additional Iron supplementation. 

3. Calcium

Your baby needs Calcium to develop strong bones and teeth, and if you’re not getting enough, your baby will start leaching Calcium from your own bones. In pregnancy, you need around 1000 mg of Calcium per day, which is hard to get solely from food (especially if you’re intolerant or avoid dairy products).

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D works alongside Calcium to build your baby’s bones and teeth. The recommended daily dose is 600 IU per day, but your doctor may suggest a higher dose if you live in a place with limited sunlight. Testing for Vitamin D is not always common practice, so be sure to advocate to get your levels assessed if you’re at risk for deficiency. Building up Vitamin D stores can help reduce your risk of serious pregnancy-related diseases, like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression. 

5. DHA 

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is a type of omega-3 fatty acid critical for fetal brain and eye health. These organs go through rapid development, especially during the second and third trimesters. 

Why Do I Need a Prenatal Vitamin with DHA? →

Pregnancy Nice-to-Haves: 

1. Choline 

Choline plays a crucial role in fetal brain development by preventing neural tube defects and building neural pathways–just like Folate. Neural pathways influence everything from your baby’s ability to learn and make connections, to their memory capabilities and attention span later on in life. Having enough Choline throughout pregnancy has also been shown to significantly decrease the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, like preeclampsia, and it’s also important postpartum if you’re nursing, too.

2. Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral involved in over 600 biochemical reactions and, during pregnancy, supplementation reduces the risk of serious complications, like fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia. It also lessens the load of some of those less-serious (but super annoying) pregnancy-related symptoms like leg cramps, constipation, and insomnia. Magnesium Citrate and Magnesium Glycinate are two of the most absorbable forms of the mineral, so be sure to look for them on your supplement’s ingredient list. 

3. Probiotics

Probiotic supplementation throughout pregnancy shows benefits for baby’s health in early childhood (for example: it reduces the child’s risk for atopy and eczema). And taking probiotics in the third trimester can decrease your risk for group B strep (reducing the risk of neonatal strep and the need for maternal antibiotics during labor and delivery). 

4. Antioxidants 

Antioxidants can support a healthy pregnancy by protecting your cells from oxidative stress—which you may have higher levels of if you have conditions like PCOS or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. While not essential like Folate or Iron, antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Selenium can help reduce inflammation, support skin health through these turbulent hormonal seasons, and help thyroid function.

What Are Antioxidants? →

A lesser-known but potent antioxidant is N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). Individuals who are at high risk for miscarriage should consider supplementing as research has shown NAC at a dose of 600 mg per day up until 20 weeks of pregnancy can increase your chances of getting to term.

How to pick the right prenatal vitamin for your pregnancy

While supplements can help bridge nutritional gaps, there are a few things you need to be mindful of when choosing supplements throughout pregnancy:

1. Nutrient overload

It’s true what they say–you can have too much of a good thing, and this goes for nutrients. Fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, and E can build up in the body to toxic levels. And in the case of Vitamin A, these levels may harm the baby. You should always discuss what supplements you’re taking with your doctors so they can help you evaluate your risks, correct your deficiencies, and re-assess your nutrient status throughout pregnancy. 

2. Quality matters 

Ensure you opt for the highest-quality products accessible to you, since your growing baby is especially vulnerable to everything you’re consuming. To do this, check to see that the products have been third-party tested: this simply means that an outside organization has checked that the products do not contain heavy metals or other contaminants. 

3. Do a supplement audit 

It’s possible that all the supplements we’ve gone through appeal to you–but you might not need them all, nor might you need them all at once! (You may even find that taking one supplement is tough to keep down if you’re feeling pregnancy-related nausea.) Work with your doctor, and make adjustments throughout your pregnancy to ensure you’re getting everything you need, when you need it.