Women who are of child bearing age should begin taking a multivitamin regularly. This ensures that she is getting enough nutrients, especially folic acid. Folic acid can be found in multivitamins as well as in food. This is important because it can decrease the risk of neural tube, which later develops into the baby’s brain and spinal cord, defect such as spina bifida. Studies have shown that healthy women who start taking a multivitamin regularly before pregnancy also reduce the risk of preeclampsia, or toxemia. Toxemia is where the mother’s blood pressure shoots up to dangerous levels and could prove lethal to mother and baby.
The food we eat may not contain the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals our bodies need. A multivitamin will add those important nutrients to our diet. Taking a multivitamin before and through the first trimester of pregnancy will provide the mother and baby with proper nutrition and lessen the risk of malnutrition. Taking a multivitamin does not mean that you can eat a diet that is lacking the nutrients your body needs. Multivitamins are meant to supplement, and not the sole source of these nutrients. Although women need to eat plenty of healthy foods before and during pregnancy, once she is pregnant there are certain foods a woman should stay away from. Women should avoid soft, unpasteurized cheeses, unpasteurized milk, juices, and apple cider, foods containing raw eggs, raw or undercooked meats, fish containing high levels of mercury, and processed meats.
