Having a healthy baby means making sure Mom is healthy. Ensuring you have enough folic acid — especially before conception and during early pregnancy — will help prevent serious birth defects in your baby. Folic acid intake is important for women who are trying to conceive, as well as for those who are not trying but could still become pregnant. Getting adequate folic acid for at least a month before conception, and continuing to take it at least 3 months into pregnancy, will greatly reduce your baby’s risk of having a neural tube defect.
Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9 or folate, is good for us because it aids in the production of red blood cells. It is also believed to help prevent serious ailments such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. But folic acid also plays an important role in the development of a fetus — prevention of neural tube defects.
The neural tube is the part of a growing fetus that becomes the brain and spinal cord. This transformation takes place during the first few weeks of pregnancy. If the neural tube does not close as it should, it causes a serious problem called a neural tube defect. This can manifest itself in a number of different ways, including but not limited to the following:
Spina bifida – This occurs when the spinal cord and its vertebrae do not close completely. Mild cases cause no health problems, while more severe cases can cause a number of other problems, including paralysis. Many of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy – usually before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.
Death – Some babies with neural tube defects die in utero.
Anencephaly – This is a term for a severely underdeveloped brain.
Encephalocele – Babies with encephalocele have an opening in the skull from which brain tissue protrudes.
Getting the Folic Acid Your Baby Needs
Many breads and cereals are also fortified with folic acid; however, at least some of your folic acid should come from fresh vegetables. Some foods that are high in folic acid include asparagus, spinach, peanuts, romaine lettuce, and broccoli.
If there is any chance that you might get pregnant, it is important to take a folic acid supplement each day. After conception, you will need to start taking prenatal vitamins as soon as possible. Your doctor may even decide that you should take a folic acid supplement in addition to your prenatal vitamins.
Getting enough folic acid is an important part of your prenatal care, and it should start before conception. This simple step can help prevent devastating birth defects, and could potentially even save your child’s life.
References: Slim And Healthy Pregnancy
Original Articles. Constant-Content.
you know waht realy gets me is when you see pregnant women in pubic drinking an smoking. folic acid hhaha thats what those mothers are saying
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If folic acid is so important for the baby then why not encourage every woman to indulge in foods containing folic acid prior to pregnancy. This is similar to encouraging middle-aged ladies to take calcium foods or pills since it is known that they could land themselves in problems due to calcium deficiency.
I am a strong believer in natural sources of vitamins and minerals. Although research has shown that folic acid supplements are just as good. There are some good sources of folic acid in a number of foods such as dark green veggies like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus; as well as beans, peas, and even oranges.
There are folic acid supplements in the market today for pregnant women but still nothing beats getting folate from natural sources.
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