Importance of Prenatal vitamins among Pregnant women

Details: Category: Region 9; Published: 24 March 2021

RO9 prenatal Prenatal vitamins are supplements made for pregnant women to give their bodies the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy pregnancy. The Department of Health (DOH) suggests that you take them when you begin to plan for pregnancy, as well as while you’re pregnant. Prenatal vitamins help ensure that a pregnant woman gets the adequate nutrients she needs for a healthy pregnancy. However, the four micro-nutrients needed the most during pregnancy are Folic Acid, Calcium, Iodine, and Iron.

Maternal Nutrient Deficiency, or MND, is a common occurrence in the Philippines. Based on the latest FNRI Nutritional Survey, 89.5% of pregnant Filipino women don’t meet their daily calcium requirements, 37.5% don’t get enough folate, and an alarming 99.2% don’t meet iron requirements. There are also 76.2% who don’t meet daily protein requirements, 21.5% who lack zinc, 27.3% who don’t have enough iodine, and 83.5% who don’t meet their energy needs.

Taking folic acid can prevent birth defects that affect the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Neural tube defects develop early in pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant; half of all pregnancies are unplanned. This is why doctors recommend that any woman who could get pregnant take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily, starting before conception and continuing for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Foods that have folic acid include green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, citrus fruits and foods fortified with folic acid.

Calcium is also important for a pregnant woman. It can help prevent you from losing your bone density as the baby uses calcium for its own bone growth. The recommended calcium intake of pregnant women according to the WHO guideline is 1.5g to 2g per day. It must be taken daily from 20 weeks’ gestation until the end of pregnancy. Food rich in calcium are Sources of calcium include milk, cheese and other dairy foods; green leafy vegetables – such as curly kale, okra, spinach and amaranth (kulitis); soya drinks with added calcium, bread and anything made with fortified flour; and fish where you eat the bones – such as sardines and pilchards

Iodine is critical for a woman’s healthy thyroid function during pregnancy. Iodine deficiency can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, stunted physical growth, severe mental stability, severe mental disability and deafness. The Philippine Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for iodine based on FAO/WHO among pregnant women is 200 micrograms. Good food sources of iodine include sea fish and shellfish. Iodine can also be found in plant foods, such as cereals and grains, but the levels vary depending on the amount of iodine in the soil where the plants are grown.

Iron helps your body make more blood red cells. These blood cells carry oxygen to the baby that it needs to develop. Philippine RNI for iron based on FAO/WHO among pregnant women is 27mg to 38mg. Good food sources of iron include red meat, beans, such as red kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas, nuts, dried fruit, fortified breakfast cereals and soy bean flour.

The best time to start taking prenatal vitamins is before conception. Folic acid is especially important. A woman planning to get pregnant should take a folic acid supplement at least 1 month before trying to get pregnant to prevent birth defects. Medical experts recommend that all women in their reproductive age should take prenatal vitamins, even if they don’t plan a pregnancy.

PNC-ZDS Marie Claire A. Gaas

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