{"id":108,"date":"2024-11-02T09:52:31","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T09:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthtipsexpress.com\/?p=108"},"modified":"2024-11-06T17:26:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:26:52","slug":"why-folic-acid-is-important-during-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthtipsexpress.com\/why-folic-acid-is-important-during-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Folic Acid Is Important during Pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains. Many studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Folic acid is one of the B vitamins. It plays an essential role in the development of a baby’s brain and spinal cord during your pregnancy. If you’re planning to have a baby, doctors recommend that you begin taking folic acid when you’re trying to get pregnant. It can prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy and help prevent a number of birth defects and other serious problems.<\/div>\n
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Amounts of Folic Acid<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

It’s recommended that you take a prenatal vitamin or supplement that contains 400 mcg of folic acid. That’s the recommended dosage for pre-pregnancy and through the first trimester. During the second and third trimesters, the daily dose should be increased to 600 mcg. And, after the baby is born, you still might not be off the hook; if you’re breastfeeding, you should be taking 500 mcg of folic acid per day.<\/p>\n

Most prenatal or pregnancy vitamins that you find on the shelf will have enough folic acid in them, but read the labels carefully. If you use a multivitamin instead of a prenatal, you’ll definitely want to check the amounts (many of them fall short of the daily recommended dose).<\/p>\n

Prevention of Birth Defects<\/h2>\n

There are two main birth defects that folic acid helps to prevent: Spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida is a condition in which the spinal cord doesn’t fully develop; it results in permanent disability. Anencephaly is a condition in which the brain doesn’t fully develop, and it is usually fatal for the baby. Taking a sufficient amount of folic acid can reduce the risk of these birth defects by up to 50 percent.<\/p>\n

Additional Benefits for Baby<\/h2>\n

Getting your daily dose of folic acid might also help to prevent the following problems:<\/p>\n