Do Not Forget Folic Acid

The idea of becoming a mother and the excitement of having a newborn in the home is one that brings enjoyment and celebration for the mother-to-be including on the shopping and the baby showers but is your body ready for pregnancy.

The time when pregnancy occurred without any warning has gone, not because it does not happen anymore less often thanks to sexual education programs for teenagers implemented in most schools worldwide, as well as from parents talking about this subject with the openness other generations did not have.

However, deciding the moment of conception generally does not include another considerations including but not limited to age, weight and current health status of the mother-to-be. Particularly, she should be aware of her nutrition and make any changes to her diet to increase the chances of having a healthy baby.

Folic Acid plays an important role in such pre-planned pregnancy thanks to its properties and preventing common birth defects. Folic acid is part of the B-vitamin complex included in the majority of multivitamins, folic acid-only dietary supplements and enriched foods like cereal and other natural sources of fiber.

Before and during pregnancy women should consider a healthy diet, including the intake of a multivitamin with 400 milligrams of folic acid or their equivalent in foods containing this vitamin B, such as romaine lettuce spinach, broccoli, lentils, asparagus and other dark-green leafy vegetables, as well as black beans, peanuts, orange juice and enriched rice, cereal, pastas and bread.