Essential Vitamins for a Healthy Pregnancy: What to Take for Optimal Maternal and Fetal Health

During pregnancy, pregnant women have to bear the needs of themselves and their fetus, so their demand for vitamins is relatively high. Vitamins can promote the healthy development of the fetus. Different vitamins have different effects. You must pay attention to the intake of vitamin A, vitamin E, and folic acid in early pregnancy, which can effectively prevent fetal malformations. After the second trimester, pay attention to the intake of vitamin B12, which can promote the development of the fetal brain and prevent the occurrence of anencephaly. There are also many foods in daily life, including these vitamins, such as fresh vegetables, eggs, animal liver, Meat and grains, etc.

Pregnant women’s nutrition determines their and their baby’s future

Vitamins, also known as vitamins, are a type of organic substances necessary to maintain human life activities and are also important active substances for maintaining human health. The content of vitamins in the body is very small, but they play an important role in human growth, metabolism, and development, especially during pregnancy. In order to ensure the normal growth and development of the fetus and the health of the pregnant woman herself, pregnant women must not be deficient in vitamins. The lack of different types of vitamins in pregnant women has different hazards.

Vitamin A:

Lack of vitamin A in the body may cause teratogenesis in the fetus (such as cleft lip, cleft palate, microcephaly, etc.). Excessive intake of vitamin A can cause poisoning and can lead to congenital malformations. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that pregnant women should have a daily intake of 900 μg of vitamin A starting from the second trimester. Pregnant women are reminded not to take vitamin A drugs to treat acne and psoriasis because these drugs are the most severe teratogens.

Vitamin C:

Appropriate vitamin C supplementation (130 mg per day) for pregnant women can prevent congenital malformations in the fetus. However, excessive intake (more than 1000 mg) will affect embryonic development. Long-term overdose may also cause scurvy in the fetus after birth. In addition, taking vitamin C many times more than the normal dose may stimulate the gastric mucosa of pregnant women, causing bleeding and the formation of urinary tract stones.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can affect the skeletal development of the fetus and can lead to hypocalcemia and poor tooth development in newborns. Excessive intake of vitamin D during pregnancy can also cause poisoning, and babies can develop arteriosclerosis, mental disorders, and uric acidosis. The recommended daily dietary vitamin D intake during pregnancy is 10 μg.

Vitamin B2:

The number of people who develop deficiencies increases as pregnancy progresses. The recommended intake of dietary vitamin B2 during pregnancy is 1.7mg.

Vitamin B6:

Requirements increase after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Clinically, obstetricians and gynecologists often use large doses of vitamin B6 to treat vomiting during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman takes a dose of vitamin B6 that is 100 times higher than the normal requirement, neuralgia in the sensory center may occur, and the fetus may develop limb-shortening deformities. In addition, excessive or long-term use of vitamin B6 by pregnant women can cause the fetus to become dependent on it, which is called "vitamin B6 dependence." If it is not diagnosed and treated in time, it will leave the sequelae of mental retardation. Our country sets it at 1.9mg.

Vitamin B12:

It is also very important for the nervous system and hematopoietic function. The recommended daily intake is 2.6ug.

Vitamin B1:

My country recommends that the vitamin B1 supply for pregnant women is 1.8mg/d. However, in recent years, people like to eat polished rice and white flour, and cooking losses are high, resulting in insufficient vitamin B1 intake. It is reported that those with vitamin B1 deficiency (increased transketolase activity in the blood) account for 1/3 of the pregnant women tested. These pregnant women often have gastrocnemius tenderness, slow knee-lumbar reflexes, slowed gastrointestinal motility, and indigestion symptoms, so they should be promoted Pregnant women should use more whole grains and miscellaneous grains, and improve cooking methods.

What symptoms will occur once there is a vitamin deficiency?                                                                                                 

The more well-known ones are

• Insufficient vitamin A: rough skin, itching, deep white lines on nails, dry hair, memory loss, irritability and insomnia, dry conjunctiva of the eyeballs, and urinary tract stones. More cow liver, eggs, red and yellow vegetables, fruits, and cod liver oil should be consumed.

• Insufficient vitamin D: osteomalacia, rickets in children. You should eat more fish and eggs and get more sun.

• Inadequate vitamin B1: allergic to sound, allergic reaction to sound, intermittent calf pain, beriberi, neurodermatitis, and so on. You should eat more beans, cereals, hard fruits, fruits, milk and green leafy vegetables.

• Insufficient vitamin B2: Angular inflammation, various skin diseases such as dermatitis, scrotumitis, etc., burning sensation in hands and limbs, excessive sensitivity to light, etc. You should eat more liver, milk, eggs, beans, and green vegetables.

• Insufficient vitamin B3: thick tongue coating, swollen lips, sore tongue, sore lips, excessive scalp, and dry oral mucosa. You should eat more yeast.

• Insufficient vitamin B12: Movement is prone to loss of balance, and there will be intermittent pain at random locations in the body, and tingling in the fingers. You should eat more animal liver and yeast.

• Insufficient vitamin C: There are no objective reasons such as overwork, sudden changes in the environment, or other organic diseases, but you often feel tired, are prone to colds and coughs, have reduced resistance, often bleeding gums, have difficulty healing wounds, and have deep marks on your tongue, etc. You should eat more tangerines, oranges, grapefruits, red dates, wild dates, etc.

If you experience any of the following conditions during pregnancy, you may need additional nutritional supplements:

1: Morning sickness and poor eating during pregnancy

2: Picky eaters, partial eclipse

3: Fetal development is too small

4: Malnutrition and slow weight gain

5: Poor gastrointestinal function and weak digestive function.