The Basics of Prenatal Vitamins -- What You Should Know

Prenatal vitamins are recommended for most women. There are few women who get the required intake of folic acid daily through their diet, and this is important for neural tube growth in the baby as well as general fetal health. Iron is another common mineral that pregnant women quickly become deficient in, exacerbating the symptoms of tiredness and irritability that are common in early pregnancy. Prenatal vitamin complexes are the best choice, as overdoing any one vitamin can hurt either you or your baby -- however, there are still things you need to know about them! Today we are going over the basic precautions and methods for using prenatal whole food multivitamins.

Only one product, only the recommended dosage

Some medications it is safe to take in conjunction with other common ones -- for example, you can safely take Tylenol and NSAID painkillers together, even during pregnancy. Yet, despite the fact that they are more natural, it is less safe to take two different brands of prenatal whole food multivitamin together. Each will contain similar substances, and overdosing on some of them could cause internal bleeding to your or your baby, and even birth defects.

Vitamins A, D, E and K could have serious effects for pregnant women if taken in overdose. So may minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. If you get any of the following symptoms after taking more than the recommended dosage of prenatal whole food multivitamins, go see your doctor immediately:

• Stomach pain
• Peeling skin
• Tingly feeling in the mouth
• Severe back pain
• Blood in your urine
• Easy bruising and bleeding
• Very pale skin
• Weight loss

Don't eat as much dairy

In addition to increasing the risk of overdosing on calcium, extra calcium in the body may block absorption of some other minerals and vitamins. Look out for antacids containing calcium if you have spent the money on prenatal whole food multivitamins, also.

Effects on breastfeeding babies

The effect of multivitamins filtered through the bloodstream and those passing into breast milk are very different. If you are pregnant and also breastfeeding an older child, ask your doctor if the prenatal whole food multivitamins you are taking are safe.