here - Health Promotion Agency

Your health in pregnancy
VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS
It’s best to get vitamins and
minerals from the food you eat.
Some people, like those on a
restricted diet, may need extra.
FOLIC ACID
This vitamin is special
(see information in column on
right). You need to take a 400
microgram (0.4 milligram)
tablet every day from the time
you start trying to conceive.
Continue taking the supplement
right up until you’re 12 weeks
pregnant. Even if you didn’t
take folic acid before conceiving,
it’s worth starting as soon as
you find out that you’re
pregnant, and you should still
continue until you’re 12 weeks
pregnant. If you have had a
baby with spina bifida before,
are taking medication for
epilepsy, are diabetic or have
coeliac disease, you will need to
take a bigger dose of folic acid.
Speak to your midwife or
doctor about this. For more
information about folic acid,
you can read the leaflet Folic
acid: one of life’s essentials
or you find it at
www.healthpromotionagency.
org.uk
Foods carrying
this mark have
added folic acid.
VITAMIN A
Don’t take extra vitamin A
supplements or multivitamins
containing vitamin A without
advice as too much could harm
your baby. Avoid eating liver
while you’re pregnant because it
contains high levels of vitamin A.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
•
Lean meat, green leafy vegetables,
dried fruit and nuts (see page 12
on peanuts) contain iron. If you
are short of iron, you’re likely to
get very tired and may suffer from
anaemia. Try to have some food or
drink containing vitamin C, such
as fruit or vegetables or a glass of
fruit juice. Good sources of iron
include red meat, pulses, bread,
green vegetables and fortified
breakfast cereals. If the iron level in
your blood becomes low, your GP
or midwife will advise you to take
iron supplements.
•
Citrus fruit, tomatoes, broccoli,
blackcurrants and potatoes are
good sources of vitamin C, which
you need to help you to absorb
iron. Some pure fruit juices are
also high in vitamin C.*
•
Dairy products, fish with edible
bones like sardines, bread, nuts (see
page 12) and green vegetables are
rich in calcium, which is vital for
making bones and teeth.
•
The best source of vitamin D is
summer sunlight. Only a few foods,
e.g. margarine, oily fish (like
sardines) and taramasalata contain it.
You need extra vitamin D during
pregnancy to keep your bones
healthy and to provide your baby
with vitamin D to last during the
first few months of life. You do not
need to sunbathe to make enough
vitamin D. Just 15 minutes in the
sun, two or three time a week,
during the summer months can
produce enough vitamin D. Make
sure you wear 15+ factor sunscreen
and never burn. If you have dark
skin, or always cover your skin, you
may be particularly at risk of
vitamin D deficiency. Ask your
pharmacist, midwife or GP for
vitamin D supplements.*
• You need extra folic acid from
the time you start trying to
conceive until the 12th week of
pregnancy. This can help prevent
birth defects, which are known as
neural tube defects, such as spina
bifida. You can get folic acid from
green, leafy vegetables, but don’t
overcook them as this destroys the
vitamin. Some breakfast cereals and
breads have had folic acid added to
them, so look at the label. Regardless
of what you eat, always take a 400
microgram (0.4 milligram) folic
acid tablet every day. These are
available from pharmacies and
supermarkets or your GP may be
able to prescribe them for you.*
* Healthy Start vitamin supplements contain
the recommended amounts of vitamin C, D
and folic acid. Ask your pharmacist,
midwife or GP for advice.
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