Is Folic Acid Important for Pregnant Women?

Maintaining the health of the fetus during pregnancy is a very important thing to do. And one way to maintain the health is by completing the nutritional intake of vitamins and other nutrients for the fetus. One of the most important nutrients is folic acid which needs to be consumed from planning a pregnancy. 

What is Folic Acid?

Folic acid is one of the B vitamins which are important for the growth of nerves center of the fetus while being in the womb. 

With sufficient intake of folic acid, it can prevent undesirable things from happening to the fetus in the womb, such as vital organ defects, cleft lip, pre-term birth and other birth defects. Therefore, folic acid is essential for the growth of the fetus in the womb. 

The fetal development is crucial for the first three to four weeks in the womb. Therefore, try to increase the consumption of folic acid in the first weeks of the pregnancy. 

The recommended folic acid intake to be consumed every day by pregnant women is 400 mcg per day. But after Mommy reaches 4 months of pregnancy, folic acid intake dose needs to be increased to 600 mcg. For better results, try to consume 500 mcg of folic acid per day when Mommy is in breastfeeding period. 

Additional Supplements

There are many ways which can be done to increase folic acid intake during pregnancy. One of the easiest ways is by taking folic acid supplements available in many pharmacies. It will be more efficient because our bodies are not able to produce vitamin B or folic acid by itself.

Aside from the form of pills, folic acid supplements are also found in products such as cereal breakfast. However, the most important thing is not taking only folic acid supplements because they are not enough to complete the nutritional needs for pregnant women. Try to always maintain a healthy diet and full of folic acid.

Some foods rich in folic acid include beef liver, grain crops such as lentils, peanuts, peas, and other legumes, that have the folic acid content is very high.

Other food groups that contain high levels of folic acid are green vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, mustard greens, and much more. There are also some foods injected with high level of folic acid content on purpose such as pasta, noodles, and bread.