Pregnancy is an incredible experience that should be safe with the delivery of a healthy baby or babies. However, in Nigeria, about 150 women die daily as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. Furthermore, millions of children under the age of 5 die due to birth defects every year. Aside from death, birth defects and pregnancy complications have great socio-economic impact; for instance, seeking constant medical treatment can ruin the financial stability of a family.
This article is not to scare you, pregnant or not, but to ignite your interest in important nutrition that can help reduce the chance of experiencing difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as reduce the likelihood of birth defects. Some of these important nutrients come from vitamins.
Vitamins are organic chemical substances that are needed in small quantities (micro-nutrients) by our body. They help the body grow and work the way it should. During pregnancy, more vitamin supplements are needed by the expectant mother since the baby gets all necessary nutrients from her. Hence, there is a need for expectant mothers to take in more nutrients. Below are the vitamin supplements you need for the proper growth and metabolism of you and your baby during pregnancy:
Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)
The World Health Organization recommends that a woman intake folic acid (at least 0.4 milligrams) daily even before getting pregnant, until they are about 3 months pregnant (12 weeks). However, if you are already pregnant, or are over 3 months pregnant (which is the case of many pregnant women), you can still start your folic acid supplement.
Discuss with your doctor or nearest health professional before commencing any medication.
Folic acid is very important as it helps to prevent several birth defects that may occur during the developmental stage of babies in the womb such as anencephaly (brain defects) and spine defects. As important as it is, if taken in excess, folic acid can cause mild side effects such as loss of appetite, nausea, irritability, sleeping pattern disturbance and sometimes, bad taste in the mouth. Folic acid can be found in natural foods and vegetables such as liver, sea foods, legumes/beans, fish, green vegetables e.t.c.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 also plays important role together with Folic acid in the prevention of birth defects. Being a good source of iron, it helps your baby in blood formation. It also helps you in maintaining the health of your nervous system. It is also very crucial for normal cell differentiation.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D supplements are recommended for pregnant women to take daily. Vitamin D has shown to help in reducing life threatening illness like pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and also low birthweight and preterm birth. It helps to regulate bone, teeth and muscle formation of your developing baby. However, do not exceed 100 micrograms daily because it may be harmful. Oily fish, eggs and cheese are natural sources of vitamin D.
We at MyBelle are committed to distribute vitamin supplements to pregnant women in remote communities while piloting our mobile application in development.
Our mobile application includes gamified microlearning feature and daily lifestyle recommendation that educates pregnant women and nursing mothers on several important topics in simple terms and audios in major Nigerian languages.
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