Growing a human is energy-intensiveβto 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.
Letβs break it all downβfrom supplement must-haves to nice-to-haves, hereβs exactly what vitamins you should take when pregnant. (Bonus if you can find them all in one prenatal vitamin product.)
Pregnancy Must-Haves:
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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 babyβs 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 didnβt start a prenatal before you got pregnant, donβt stressβstart 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 itβs tricky to hit those levels through diet alone.Β
Folate vs Folic Acid vs 5-MTHF: What You Need in Your Prenatal VitaminsΒ β
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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 wasnβt 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 prenatalΒ packs enough Iron to handle the extra demand, but Iron-deficiency anemia is still super common during pregnancy thanks to all that blood your bodyβs 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 youβre a candidate for additional Iron supplementation.Β
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Calcium
Your baby needs Calcium to develop strong bones and teeth, and if youβre 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 youβre intolerant or avoid dairy products).
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Vitamin D
Vitamin D works alongside Calcium to build your babyβs 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 youβre 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.Β
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DHAΒ
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.Β
Why Do I Need a Prenatal Vitamin with DHA?Β β
A note from Bird&Be:
Get Folic Acid, Methylated Folate, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, DHA and more inΒ The Prenatal Essentials for Femalesβour doctor-formulated prenatal vitamin that packs 24 essential nutrients into one daily sachet.
Pregnancy Nice-to-Haves:Β
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CholineΒ
Choline plays a crucial role in fetal brain development by preventing neural tube defects and building neural pathwaysβjust like Folate. Neural pathways influence everything from your babyβs 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 itβs also important postpartum if youβre nursing, too.
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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 supplementβs ingredient list.Β
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Probiotics
Probiotic supplementation throughout pregnancy shows benefits for babyβs health in early childhood (for example: it reduces the childβs risk for atopy and eczema). And taking probiotics in the third trimester canΒ decrease your risk for group B strepΒ (reducing the risk of neonatal strep and the need for maternal antibiotics during labor and delivery).Β
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AntioxidantsΒ
Antioxidants can support a healthy pregnancy by protecting your cells from oxidative stressβwhich you may have higher levels of if you have conditions like PCOS or Hashimotoβs 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?Β β
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:
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Nutrient overload
Itβs true what they sayβyou 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 youβre taking with your doctors so they can help you evaluate your risks, correct your deficiencies, and re-assess your nutrient status throughout pregnancy.Β
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Quality mattersΒ
Ensure you opt for the highest-quality products accessible to you, since your growing baby is especially vulnerable to everything youβre 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.Β
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Do a supplement auditΒ
Itβs possible that all the supplements weβve gone through appeal to youβbut 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 youβre feeling pregnancy-related nausea.) Work with your doctor, and make adjustments throughout your pregnancy to ensure youβre getting everything you need, when you need it.Β