PREGNANCY: WHAT SHOULD I DO AND NOT DO?
Eating Supplements. Most of the essential nutrients can be easily found in a balanced and varied diet. If for some reason you are unable to eat a particular class of food, or your diet is inadequate, or perhaps if you are having twins (when your requirements will be greater), it may be wise to have some supplementary nutrients or vitamins.
The blood tests done in early pregnancy will help to identify women who have pre-existing deficiencies of iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, and these women would be advised to have extra supplementation, as well as an adequate diet.
There are heaps of pills and potions on the market. In general, high-dose multivitamin supplements are best avoided during pregnancy (and are probably unnecessary at other times, despite advertiser’s claims). Very high doses of vitamin A, for example, have been associated with birth defects.
Women are often under the impression that they should be taking iron and calcium supplements from the time they know they are pregnant. The first couple of months of pregnancy is often a time of gastrointestinal discomfort, with morning sickness being a common event. Certainly this may affect a woman’s dietary intake (and make it ‘inadequate’) for a couple of months, but in general she will be able to catch up later when the queasiness settles.
According to many women I have spoken to, the additional struggle each day to take unpleasant tasting iron and calcium supplements can tend to aggravate the nausea, and contribute to constipation. If this is the case, a woman may be better not taking them, instead concentrating on eating what she can, and leaving the supplements until later if she still needs them. A second check of the woman’s blood count at about twenty-eight weeks gestation can help to show if extra iron is necessary.
Of course, if you have any concerns about your diet you should discuss this with your doctor or midwife, or a dietician, who can advise you if supplements are necessary. If your diet is adequate you can usually manage without them.
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