Apart from Folic Acid – which is recommended as a supplement prior to conception and during the first part of your pregnancy - by eating a nutritious diet that includes all of the food groups will ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals your baby needs to grow and develop.
However, in some cases your health care professional may recommend Vitamin B12, Calcium or Iron supplements. This may be for some of the following reasons:
- Vitamin B12 – if you are a vegan
- Calcium – especially important if you consume little or no milk / milk products (your baby needs it to grow strong bones)
- Iron – if yours is shown to be low
Key nutrients during pregnancy
Certain nutrients play a particularly important role in your baby's growth and development during pregnancy. To find out more about each one and where to get these important nutrients, simply click on the nutrients you are interested in below:
Vitamins and other nutrients you need during pregnancy:
Vitamins to limit during pregnancy:
Folic Acid
The most important time to take it is a few months before you conceive and during the first trimester (12 weeks). During this period, it's important that you are eating a nutritionally balanced diet as well as taking a folic acid supplement to help your baby grow strong. You can also include folic acid-rich foods such as green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, beans and asparagus), citrus fruit, wholegrain breads and legumes in your diet. Folate is easily destroyed during cooking, so it's better to enjoy raw or lightly steamed fruits and vegetables instead of well cooked.
Iron and Vitamin C
Iron is one of the key nutrients your baby needs throughout pregnancy. You'll need at least 2-3 times more iron than usual when you are pregnant. It's important for carrying extra oxygen around in your blood and your baby needs it for brain development.
If your iron intake is very low now, your baby may be fine, but you'll run the risk of being tired and washed-out. Foods rich in haem iron (easily absorbed) are red meats, kidney, pork, chicken and fish. Foods rich in non-haem iron (poorly absorbed) are eggs, green leafy vegetables, wholegrain cereals, dried beans, peas and lentils. Keep in mind too that eating foods rich in Vitamin C as part of your meals will help improve the absorption of non-haem iron.
You may want to discuss with your health care professional what dietary balance of these foods will suit you best so your baby gets the greatest benefit from your diet.
Omega Fatty Acids (Long Chain Polyunsaturated fats or LCP’s)
Omega 3 fatty acids are important for your baby's brain and eye development. Although your body can make these fats from essential fatty acids you can also have these in your diet. Sources include oily fish such as sardines, mackerel and salmon or nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, walnut, canola and flaxseed.
Because all fish contain Mercury, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority provides recommendations for pregnant women on the levels of safe consumption. Please see the following link for more information.
www.nzfsa.govt.nz
Calcium
Your baby needs lots of calcium to build strong bones and teeth, which are being formed from as early as the 6th week of pregnancy. Dairy products are the richest sources of calcium, so be sure to include some in your diet every day.
Vitamin A
Foods such as liver are good sources of iron but they can also contain very high concentrations of vitamin A which can harm your baby if consumed in high amounts. Be sure to not eat more than 100 grams of liver a week during pregnancy. The liver should also be well cooked, served hot and eaten immediately.
Its important to talk to your doctor before taking a supplements containing Vitamin A during pregnancy unless under medical supervision.