When to Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins: A Trimester-by-Trimester Guide

Pregnancy is an amazing experience that changes your life. To keep your body optimally healthy for yourself and the growing baby, you need to ensure receiving all the essential nutrients. Prenatal supplements are the easiest and safest way to nourish your body during pregnancy, along with a balanced diet. However, the question arises, when to start prenatal vitamins?

This blog will explore all about prenatal vitamins, when to start them, and the nutrients to consume in each trimester. We will break down an easy, trimester-wise guide for you. Additionally, we will mention the best prenatal vitamins for you to choose during your pregnancy. Let’s start. 

Why are prenatal vitamins important?

Prenatal vitamins are clinically formulated multivitamins designed to support you and your little one during pregnancy. Pregnancy supplements contain all the essential nutrients that your body needs during pregnancy as your body’s nutritional demands rise and diet alone fails to support them. Prenatal vitamins usually contain nutrients like folic acid, calcium, iron, iodine, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin K, Omega-3 fatty acids DHA, etc.

First Trimester: The Foundation of Fetal Development

The first trimester is an important time when your baby undergoes all the initial changes in development. The baby's neural tube, brain, and spinal cord development occur even before you know you are pregnant. That is why medical professionals suggest starting prenatal vitamins a few months before conception and stress the importance of consuming prenatal vitamins during the first trimester of the pregnancy.  

Essential first-trimester pregnancy supplement nutrients include:

• Folic Acid: It is crucial during the first trimester of pregnancy since it helps protect against neural tube defects (NTDs) affecting the baby’s spine and brain. Healthcare providers suggest starting the intake of prenatal vitamins 2 to 3 months before conception and continuing throughout the 1st trimester. You should consume at least 400 to 600 mcg of folic acid daily to help support the healthy development of your baby.
• Iron: Iron helps boost the blood volume during pregnancy to avoid the risk of developing anemia. Furthermore, adequate amounts of iron ensure the required oxygen levels in your blood cells for your baby’s optimal health. You can receive iron from lean meats, fish, poultry, lentils, beans, spinach, fortified cereals, and dried fruits.
• Calcium: Calcium is vital for the strong and healthy development of your baby’s bones and teeth. Additionally, calcium also helps maintain your bone density to protect you from injuries. Calcium-rich food items include milk, yogurt, and cheese. However, if you are vegan or lactose intolerant, you can choose calcium fortified plant milk and leafy greens, like kale and broccoli, to intake calcium.
• Vitamin D: Essential for the healthy development of your baby’s immunity, Vitamin D can be consumed via sunlight, salmon, mackerel, and fortified dairy products. You can also choose pregnancy supplements to fill the nutritional gap.

Such supplements, when taken within the first trimester of pregnancy, not only enhance the growth of the fetus but also decrease the risks of complications like miscarriage and premature labour. If you haven't started on prenatal vitamins even before you know about the pregnancy, start them at once to ensure the well-being of your baby.

Second Trimester: Growth and Bone Development

The baby's organs and systems continue to mature once you enter the second trimester, and growing needs for certain nutrients, such as calcium and iron, create a specific requirement. That's why pregnancy supplements in the second trimester are equally important.

As you advance into the second trimester, your baby's organs and systems continue to develop. Therefore, your body requires extra nutrients like calcium and iron to meet its needs. Thus, taking pregnancy supplements during the second trimester is pivotal for maintaining your health and the continuous growth of your baby.

Key Nutrients in Pregnancy supplements for the second trimester include:

• Iron: During pregnancy, your body demands more blood volume, and iron helps boost blood volume in your body and prevents anemia and fatigue. 
• Calcium: During the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby's bones start to harden. The requirement for calcium increases during this period. Your baby will extract it from your bones if you do not consume enough calcium. It leaves one vulnerable to a disorder in bone density in later years.
• DHA: Being an omega-3 fatty acid, it is required in this trimester to develop the brain and eyes. DHA is a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that is required for the optimal development of your baby’s eyes and brain.

Pregnancy supplements in the second trimester ensure that your baby’s muscles, bones, and organs are developed healthy and strong. Your body needs to grow with it, as you are now nurturing a fast-growing foetus.

Third Trimester: Preparing for Baby’s Birth

The final part of pregnancy focuses on preparing your body and baby for birth. Within the third trimester, your baby will weigh quickly and fully develop the internal organs as well as accumulate some fat. This contributes to a greater demand for important nutrients, thereby making pregnancy supplements during the third trimester critical to your health and the final growth stage of your baby.

Essential nutrients for pregnancy supplements third trimester are:

• Iron: It is as crucial in this stage as your baby's red blood cells are in the process of being formed, and as your blood volume peaks, preparing for labour.
• Calcium: Calcium helps develop strong bones and teeth in your baby while preventing birth defects, such as pre-eclampsia and preterm birth.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D boosts calcium absorption and also helps strengthen both your immune system and that of your baby.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 nourishes the baby's developing brain and eyes, always on the go.

This will ensure that you and your baby will have all the nutrients required during your pregnancy and labour. Remember, as the baby grows, it will take nutrients from your stores; therefore, you must maintain a continuous intake of prenatal vitamins for your well-being.

Trimacare – Best Prenatal Supplement for all pregnancy trimesters

Trimacare Pregnancy Supplement is a clinically formulated pregnancy supplement that contains over 20 essential multi-micronutrients (MMN) =, such as calcium, omge-2 fatty acids (DHA: EPA), vitamin B12, vitamin D, L-methyl folate, and more to meet your nutritional needs. 

Trimacare is designed by doctors, pharmacologists, and nutritionists to meet the RDA for over 20 essential nutrients as recommended by top gynaecologists. With Trimacare Prenatal Multivitamin, you will provide for your child's physical and mental development, improve maternal health, facilitate an easy recovery after giving birth to your child, and even avoid diseases like osteoporosis, hypertension, and diabetes in the future.

Conclusion

Prenatal vitamins have become one hassle-free means to have a healthy pregnancy. The supplements during the first trimester create a solid foundation for your baby's development. Taking them during the second and third trimesters ensures that the baby receives all the essential nutrients for maximum growth and preparation for birth. Each trimester has its own set of nutritional needs, so you have to refer to a trimester-by-trimester guide to meet them. Visit your doctor and make sure to have the best prenatal vitamins for you, but most of all, remember that a baby's health starts from your care.

FAQs

1. Can I take prenatal vitamins before pregnancy? Do they increase fertility?

No, prenatal vitamins do not enhance fertility, but they do get your body ready for a healthy pregnancy by keeping nutrient levels in check.

2. Can I stop taking prenatal vitamins after the first trimester?

No, it’s not recommended to stop. The second and third trimesters have nutritional needs that are needed in that time frame to create and enhance health of the baby and mother.

3. Do I need to switch prenatal vitamins for each trimester?

There are some specific prenatal vitamins designed for every trimester based on the changing needs of pregnant women. For instance- Trimester offers trimester-wise supplements developed for these needs.

4. Can I take prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding?

Yes, taking prenatal vitamins during breastfeeding will help replenish lost nutrients and contribute to milk production.