Pregnancy Nutrition Made Easy: Key Supplements for Expectant Mothers

Importance of Supplements During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a magical time in your life filled with joys and expectations. You and your little one need proper care for a smoother delivery during this time. Thus, Proper nutrition becomes crucial for a successful pregnancy, and pregnancy supplements can be an excellent addition to the prenatal diet.

During pregnancy, your nutritional requirements increase. A balanced diet is vital during pregnancy, but the staple diet does not provide all the essential nutrients to your body. Prenatal vitamins help bridge the nutritional gaps by providing all the required minerals, vitamins, and nutrients to the body that help keep you and your baby healthy.

This blog will explore all the key nutrients you require for a healthier pregnancy. We will also mention the best prenatal vitamin to make your pregnancy healthy and smooth. 

Why do we need supplements?

• Closing the nutritional gap: Nutritionally, the ideal diet can't come close to providing all the needed quantities of essential nutrients. However, consuming a pregnancy supplement will do the trick for the mother, too, and the baby.
• Fetal Development: Nutrients such as folic acid contribute to the proper development of the baby. Folic acid prevents birth defects such as neural tube disorders, affecting the baby's brain and spinal cord. This is where prenatal vitamins come in handy, as they help prevent NTDs.
• Preventing Deficiencies: During pregnancy, some nutrients are needed in larger quantities example, iron, calcium, and iodine. Pregnancy supplement during pregnancy can prevent related deficiencies and ensure the health of the mother and the baby.
  
• Encourages maternal health: Prenatal vitamins ensure proper nutrition overall, which implies that the pregnant woman is getting herself into great health, thus easing pregnancy and the subsequent demands on her physical and physiological body.
• Reduces complications: Proper pregnancy supplements reduce the risk associated with pregnancy complications like preeclampsia condition known to arise due to deficiencies in essential nutrients such as magnesium and calcium, among others.

Best Pregnancy Supplements

Some of the best pregnancy supplements include key nutrients that stand out.

Let's see those basic pregnancy supplements and learn what their benefits are.

• Folic Acid: Folic acid plays a critical role in the formation of the neural tube. The baby's brain and spinal cord are formed from the neural tube. Supplements containing folic acid, taken before conception and during pregnancy, specifically in the first trimester, dramatically decrease the chances of neural tube defects. Folic acid can be found in green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and fortified cereals.

Required Dosage: You should have 400-800 mg of folic acid in her diet daily.

• Iron: Iron helps increase blood volume and helps in the production of red blood cells for both mother and baby. Iron deficiency will lead to anemia, and it also causes many other complications, such as fatigue. Therefore, an iron supplement is a compulsory prescription during pregnancy to fulfill the rising demands of iron.

Dosage Recommendations: You should take at least 27 milligrams of iron daily.

• Calcium: It is crucial for the development of a baby's bones and teeth. Additionally, it helps you maintain your bone health during pregnancy. Some excellent sources of calcium include dairy products, fortified plant-based milk, tofu, almonds, and leafy greens.

Dosage Recommendations: You must take at least 1000 milligrams of calcium daily.

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D and Calcium ensure proper bone health in the baby. It also helps in the effective functioning of the immune system as well as cell division. Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight, fatty fish, fortified dairy products, and egg yolks. Doctors typically prescribe supplements for vitamin D during pregnancy to reach adequate levels.

Recommended Dosage: You must take 600 IU of vitamin D daily.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These fatty acids, particularly DHA, are essential for your baby's maturation process in the eyes and the brain. They also greatly support your maternal heart health. For these, Iodized salt, seafood, dairy products, and eggs can provide rich sources of omega-3, while prenatal DHA supplements ensure you receive the required dose daily during pregnancy.

Dosage: You must take 200-300 milligrams of DHA daily.

• Iodine: It is recommended to use iodized salt, seafood, and dairy products, along with eggs, to provide a balanced amount of iodine.

Iodine is an essential element your thyroid must have to function well; in turn, it will make your metabolism regular and ensure proper brain and nervous system development of your baby.

Recommended Dose: You must take 220 micrograms daily.

Pregnancy Supplements During the First Trimester

The first trimester of pregnancy is the most important stage. Consuming adequate amounts of prenatal vitamins lays a solid foundation for a healthy pregnancy.

How to Take Prenatal Supplements?

• See Your Doctor First: Before beginning any new pregnancy supplement, consult your doctor to ensure that the supplement is safe and right for you.
• Balanced Diet: As prenatal supplements should complement a healthy diet, it's essential to eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods.
• Hydrate: Drinking plenty of water will help you stay hydrated and support good nutrient absorption during pregnancy.
• Take With Food: Some prenatal vitamins contain nutrients like iron, cause stomach upsets if taken without food. Hence, it is good to take these pregnancy supplement that has a safer amount present in them.

Trimacare – The best pregnancy supplement for Indian pregnant women

Trimacare prenatal vitamins are clinically designed especially for indian expectant mothers. It follows a trimester-specific approach to cater to all the nutritional requirements of a pregnant mum. Being a one-stop solution, Trimacare pregnancy supplement delivers more than 20 essential nutrients recommended during pregnancy through its advanced prenatal multivitamins. This three-stage prenatal nutrition course meets the unique needs of each trimester. The Trimacare pregnancy vitamin tablets follow all the guidelines of the WHO and ICMR guidelines for maximum health benefits for both the mother and her fetus.

Conclusion

Therefore, supplements like DHA, folic acid, and iron in prenatal vitamins will make a great impact on the health of the mother as well as the baby throughout the pregnancy. The pregnant mother is sure to face her needs with surety and ease in consultation with the doctors.

FAQs

1. How does iodine help in pregnancy?

Iodine is essential for thyroid function, metabolism regulation, and proper brain and nervous system development in the baby.

2. How much iodine does an expectant mother need?

Pregnant women are recommended to take at least 200mg of iodine daily.

3. How does calcium help pregnancy?

Calcium is an essential nutrient for the development of the baby's bones and teeth. It helps maintain the mother's bone health. The daily intake of calcium during pregnancy should be at least 1,000 mg.

4. Are there risks of not taking supplements during pregnancy?

Improper intake of essential nutrients during pregnancy results in complications such as neural tube defects, anemia, weakened health in the mother, and increased risk of issues throughout pregnancy, including preeclampsia.