Article from the net:
Based on my own research (not sure how reliable it is but I trust my own findings), in addition to eating healthy diet, the important supplements to be taken before, during and after pregnancy are folic acid, iron and calcium. Of course we also need other vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin D and etc.
Folic Acid (vitamin B9) Even if we think we have a good diet, folic acid supplement is still necessary especially when we’re pregnant or we’ve planned to become pregnant soon. This is because our body may not be able to absorb the required amount of folic acid from our diet although our diet contains folic acid.
Adequate intake of folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects such spina bifida (spinal cord problem). Some people don’t have a pregnancy plan and they don’t know that they’re pregnant until they realise that they’ve missed their periods for maybe, two months. Therefore, it is advised to take folic acid on a regular basis as folic acid is particularly important during the first 3 months of a pregnancy that it is needed to build the spine and the brain of a baby.
The recommended dose of folic acid for pregnant women is 400mcg or 0.4mg per day.
Iron One of the major roles of iron is transporting oxygen in the blood. The need for iron increases as blood volume increases when a woman is pregnant. It is essential to ensure that pregnant women have adequate iron stored in the body.
Iron is always not well absorbed and taking calcium and iron together will affect the absorption of iron. The effect of calcium on iron absorption will be discussed later in this post. Now, let’s see what can boost iron absorption first. Through my research on the internet, citrus fruits which contain vitamin C helps our body to absorb iron in the food. If we take iron supplement, it’s best absorbed when taken with empty stomach or with fruit juice containing vitamin C.
Overdose of iron can be toxic and harmful. I didn’t continue to read much on this topic. However, for your information, normal women(19 – 50 years old) need 18mg of iron intake per day while women with the age above 50 years old need 8mg of iron intake per day. So, just make sure we don’t exceed the recommended dosage.
The recommended dose of iron for pregnant women is 30mg per day.
Calcium Calcium intake is essential during pregnancy as it’s used to build the baby’s bones, teeth, muscles, nerves, heart and others. We need to make sure we have adequate intake of calcium or the baby will use the calcium in the mother’s bones, thus weakening the mother’s bone later on.
Vitamin D is needed to help in the absorption of calcium and our body can produce vitamin D through exposure to direct sunlight. Staying in Malaysia where the sun is bright and shines most of the time, I didn’t continue to research much about taking vitamin D supplement. I should probably go and ‘enjoy’ the sun more, and stop complaining about the hot weather I think it’s wiser to ‘enjoy’ the morning sunlight.
The recommended dose of calcium for pregnant women is 1000mg per day.
Iron and Calcium After knowing that folic acid, iron and calcium are three of the essential supplements that women should take when planning to conceive, I went to buy these supplements and take them every morning after breakfast. But I’ve just learnt recently that iron and calcium should not be taken together. When taken together, calcium can inhibit the absorption of iron.
Furthermore, there are a few types of calcium, calcium carbonate, calcium citrus and calcium phosphate. Research has shown that calcium carbonate doesn’t inhibit the absorption of iron when taken with meal, calcium citrate doesn’t inhibit the absorption of iron when taken with meal but reduce the absorption of iron when taken without meal, and calcium phosphate reduce the absorption of iron when taken with or without meal.
In this context, where iron and calcium are to be taken, calcium carbonate would be a better choice.
Since iron is best absorbed when taken with empty stomach or with fruit juice containing vitamin C, I have switched to taking iron early in the morning before breakfast or after breakfast with orange juice (not milk because milk is a rich source of calcium) and only take the calcium supplement at noon and at night. Better still, buy calcium carbonate if you can find it. It is from the shells such us seashells, eggshells and pearls and it doesn’t have effect on the absorption of iron when taken with meal.
Before I know about all these, I’ve been taking folic acid, iron and calcium together with water and most of the
