 If
you’re pregnant — or even planning to have a baby
— you need to know about folic acid. This type of
vitamin B is crucial in preventing certain birth defects in
the brain and spinal cord, called neural tube defects (NTDs).
The neural tube starts out as a flat sheet of cells that normally
folds into a tube and goes on to form the brain and spinal cord.
The tube closes by the 29th day after conception
— before many women even realize they’re pregnant
— but if it doesn’t close properly, NTDs are the result.
That’s why it’s so important to start getting extra
folic acid before you become pregnant.
Healthy women who can become pregnant should take a vitamin
supplement containing 0.4 mg (400 micrograms) of folic acid
every day. Most women only get about 0.2 mg of folic acid from
foods, like grains, green vegetables (spinach, broccoli), meat
(liver) and legumes (lentils and beans), so a supplement is
the only way to be sure you’re getting enough. Women with
diabetes, epilepsy, or a family history of NTDs, or who’ve
already had an infant with a NTD should take 5 mg of folic acid
daily under doctor’s supervision.
Once you’re positive that you’re pregnant, you should
boost your daily folic acid intake to at least 0.6 mg, but don’t
take more than 1 mg without checking with your doctor first.
You’ll need more folic acid during pregnancy to help produce
added blood cells and allow the fetus and placenta to grow rapidly.
If you plan on breastfeeding, you should keep taking extra folic
acid after delivery.
|
