Vitamins, as we know, are fundamental components for the growth and well-being of each of us. Since the human body is not able to produce most of these vitamins, it is therefore important to take them through the foods that contain them, fruit and vegetables in primis.
When a woman is pregnant, the matter becomes even more significant: the need for vitamins, and in particular for folic acid, increases considerably during the waiting period , to protect the baby's health. For this reason, constant assimilation is recommended and in sufficient measure for the well-being of mother and baby.
WHY FOLIC ACID
Folic acid or vitamin B9 is usually used for:
■ building cells (and during pregnancy the mother's cells are subjected to overwork);
■ prevent a particular form of anemia called megaloblastic, characterized by red blood cells that are larger than normal and contain little hemoglobin, the substance that carries oxygen to organs and tissues.
During pregnancy, folic acid contributes in particular to the development of the neural duct , the formation of which begins immediately after conception to later become the baby's spinal column. The assumption would be essential to combat some diseases related to the central nervous system , such as spina bifida (which can occur in about one pregnancy out of 1300), a defect due to failure to close one or more vertebrae, and other congenital malformations, such as heart disease , cleft lip and palate (so-called cleft lip), urinary tract defects, limb hypogenesis. Recent studies have also shown that taking this vitamin decreases the possibility of heart attacks, cancer and diabetes.
If at the beginning of pregnancy the mother's folic acid reserves are scarce due to inadequate nutrition , they risk being completely depleted during the 9 months of gestation: in this case, it is even more essential to plan a diet with your doctor adequate and the acquisition of appropriate supplements.
RECOMMENDED QUANTITIES
To help the embryo develop regularly and be sure to provide it with 0.4-0.8 mg of folic acid per day (the recommended amount in this specific case, while normally 0.2 mg per day is sufficient), a additional, which can be introduced in two ways:
■ take a pharmaceutical product containing it every day;
■ consume foods enriched with folic acid, specific for pregnant mothers.
WHEN
Since the formation of the main organs takes place in the first 8 weeks of life of the embryo (the closure of the neural tube takes place within 30 days of conception, in particular between the 17th and 29th day of pregnancy), folic acid should be taken in conjunction with this period. In reality, given that in many cases in the first month of gestation it is not known that they are pregnant, experts advise women who wish to become pregnant to start taking folic acid already a few months before conception , as soon as the 'plan' takes shape.
Edited by Carlotta Cordieri | Taken from Being Born a Mom