When you’re pregnant, staying healthy becomes about more than maintaining your personal wellness. During pregnancy, you’re also giving your growing baby the best start in life by maintaining healthy habits.
If you’re pregnant or considering conceiving, you’ve likely heard about prenatal vitamins. At Women's Health Associates of Southern Nevada, Northwest in Las Vegas, Nevada, our OB/GYNs Anita Gondy, MD, Saovaros V. Michaels, MD, and Ankita Raman, MD, are here to help you find the best prenatal vitamins to support you and your baby.
Discover what you need to know about taking prenatal vitamins before and during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, you need additional nutrients to support your baby, beyond what you need when you aren’t expecting. Prenatal vitamins ensure your body is strong enough to grow your baby while keeping your body healthy.
A healthy diet gives you many of the nutrients you need for pregnancy, but getting every nutrient in the quantity you need from food alone is difficult. Prenatal vitamins give you the boost you need by enhancing and supplementing your healthy pregnancy diet.
Prenatal vitamins contain a number of important nutrients for a healthy pregnancy. These include:
Other nutrients to look for that keep you and your baby healthy include vitamin C, vitamin D, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and zinc.
Ideally, you should start taking prenatal vitamins before you start trying to conceive. Your unborn baby starts benefitting from prenatal vitamins in the first weeks of your pregnancy, often before you know you’re expecting.
If you aren’t taking prenatal vitamins before conception, starting to take them as soon as possible during your pregnancy gives your baby the most benefit.
At preconception counseling or your first pregnancy care appointment, our providers make a personalized recommendation for the best prenatal vitamin for you, as well as any additional supplements they consider helpful. Their recommendation is based on your diet and lifestyle, history with past pregnancies, overall health, and how far along you are in your pregnancy.
Dr. Gondy is a provider of Metagenics®, which offers high-quality, lab-tested supplements, including prenatal vitamins. Dr. Gondy can recommend a Metagenics prenatal vitamin that works well for your personal needs.
Prenatal vitamins are safe for you and your baby. However, some prenatal vitamins can cause nausea in pill form, as well as constipation from high levels of iron.
If you’re experiencing nausea, our team works with you to find a brand of supplement that reduces the symptom or recommends trying the vitamin as a chewable or liquid instead of a pill. If you get constipated, our team can help you develop a diet and exercise routine that reduces your symptoms or prescribe a pregnancy-safe stool softener.
Prenatal vitamins come with many benefits to you and your baby with no significant drawbacks. For assistance choosing the right prenatal vitamin for you or other conception or pregnancy-related services, contact our team to schedule an appointment.
