Denver Doula Articles - Which Prenatal Multi-Vitamin For Pregnant, Pre-Pregnant, and Lactating Women
Most women, even when trying to eat well, fall short of optimal nutrition. As always, clear any pills you take with your doctor.
Look for these things in your prenatal vitamin.
| Vitamin A | 800 RE/4,000IU 1 RE = 1 mcg of retinol or 6 mcg of beta carotene |
| Beta carotene | 10 mg |
| Vitamin D | 5-10 mcg |
| Vitamin E | 60 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 2.0 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 2.0 mg |
| Niacin | 20 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 2.0 mg |
| Folic Acid | 400-800 mcg **VITAL** |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.2 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 100 mg |
| Calcium | 1,000 mg |
| Chromium | 100 mcg |
| Copper | 1.5 mg |
| Iodine | 75 mcg |
| Iron | 30-60 mg |
| Magnesium | 320 mg |
| Manganese | 3.0 mg |
| Molybdenum | 100 mcg |
| Selenium | 65 mcg |
| Zinc | 15 mg |
Do not take more than 5,000 IU – Vitamin A.
Take any pill with iron in it with orange juice or grapefruit juice, because the vitamin C will help boost the absorption of this mineral. Do not take iron supplements with coffee, tea, or milk, which interfere with iron absorption.
Most one-dose multiples don’t contain enough calcium or magnesium. These two supplements go hand in hand. Take magnesium to a ratio of approximately two parts calcium to every one part magnesium. These minerals are best utilized when divided into several small doses daily. Take your calcium at a different time than iron because calcium blocks absorption of iron.
If you breast-feed, keep taking this multi-vitamin until your baby is no longer exclusively breast-fed. Then switch to a regular multi-vitamin.
