The Importance of Calcium and Vitamins in Pregnancy

Calcium during pregnancy is necessary for the mother to avoid osteoporosis and for the healthy development of bones and teeth in the baby. Apart from this, calcium has various functions in the body. If sufficient calcium is not taken during pregnancy, the calcium required for the development of the baby is met from the mother's bones, which causes calcium deficiency in the mother and bone resorption in the following years. During pregnancy, a mother should take 1 gram of calcium per day. If the woman is under the age of 18, the daily calcium requirement is 1300 mg.

The daily calcium requirement of 1000 mg for pregnant women can be met by taking adequate amounts with food and beverages. In addition to pregnant women who cannot get enough calcium, it is necessary to supplement with calcium medications. It is especially recommended to be taken from natural foods.

Multi-vitamin pills used during pregnancy also contain calcium, but they usually contain a small amount of calcium, around 125 mg. If the expectant mother cannot get enough calcium from food, 125 mg of calcium from here is not considered enough. For this reason, calcium pills are given in addition to the vitamin pill.

What foods contain calcium?

Milk, yogurt, cheese are the foods richest in calcium. Apart from that, dried apricots, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, trout, dark green leafy vegetables and dried legumes are very rich in calcium.

Vitamins needed during pregnancy

Vitamin A: It ensures the healthy growth of cells and tissues in the body. It protects the body against microbes. It has an especially important role in eye health. High amounts of vitamin A are found in fish and eggs, and red, yellow and green vegetables. You must consume it during your pregnancy.

Vitamin D: It is very important for bone, dental health and immune system. In recent years, it has been reported that postpartum depression is more common in vitamin D deficiency, and that it is important to supplement the mother with vitamin D in the prevention of postpartum problems such as fatigue and weakness. While you can consume vitamin D, which is mostly found in fish, eggs and dairy products, it can also be absorbed when the sun comes into contact with our skin. Take care to sunbathe for 10-15 minutes every day.

B vitamins: Although enough B vitamins are taken from the cereal group every day, especially folic acid supplementation should be taken from the pre-pregnancy period until the end of pregnancy. Folic acid is one of the most important vitamins in pregnancy. Since it prevents the formation of neural tube defects in the baby, it is started to be used when pregnancy is considered or from the first months of pregnancy.

Vitamin C: This vitamin is also important for the immune system, as it increases the absorption of other vitamins and iron. It is especially high in foods such as pepper, parsley, tomato, orange, tangerine and lemon. It increases the body's resistance.

Iron: During pregnancy, blood volume increases by almost 50%. For this reason, the need for iron is seen. Hemoglobin is essential for the developing baby to carry oxygen throughout his body. Therefore, you should meet your body's iron needs by consuming low-fat red meat, eggs, legumes and cereals.

Calcium: Calcium plays an important role in bone health, growth and development for both mother and baby. It must be taken. Consuming enough milk, yoghurt, buttermilk and cheese, and even legumes and greens, you can get calcium support.

Magnesium: It does not need to be taken regularly, but if your cramps have increased in recent months, you may need to supplement with magnesium.

Omega 3: It has been stated by experts that pure omega 3, especially used in the last 3 months of pregnancy, increases the baby's IQ level. It is a vitamin that you should not forget. It is mostly found in fish. Since we cannot eat fish every day, take care to take omega3 supplements during this period and during breastfeeding.

Pay attention to vitamin A during pregnancy!

Expectant mothers should take a maximum of 5000 units of vitamin A per day. When consuming multi-vitamin drugs, those containing more than 2500 units of retinol should not be taken. If there is 5000 units of vitamin A, 50% of it should be beta-carotene.

If the thyroid gland, known as hypothyroidism in the medical language, is underactive, vitamin A is found in excess in the blood. For this reason, people with low thyroid gland should not use vitamin A. If vitamin A is taken during the first 3 months of pregnancy, it may cause some disabilities in the unborn child. Women who are likely to become pregnant should not take vitamin A in the same way.

People on a diet high in vitamin A, pregnant women, those with osteoporosis or those with mild osteoporosis should not take vitamin A. Likewise, they should not take multi-vitamin drugs containing vitamin A.

Bbiotin vitamin during pregnancy

In case of biotin deficiency during pregnancy, abnormalities or disabilities may occur in the babies born. For this reason, pregnant women with folic acid (400 micrograms/day) min. They should also take 30 micrograms of biotin daily.

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin involved in many metabolic processes. The role of biotin in the reproduction of DNA is important. Biotin enters the structure of 4 important enzymes. These enzymes are called carboxylase enzymes. These enzymes are located in the mitochondrium and also have an effect on iron metabolism. The most important of these enzymes are acetic coA carboxylase (ACC), pyruvate carboxylase (PC), propionyl coA carboxylase (PCC), and beta-methylcrotonyl coA carboxylase (MCC). Biotin plays an important role as a CO2 carrier on these enzymes. If these biotin-dependent carboxylase enzymes are congenitally deficient, severe neurological diseases may occur in the baby after birth and within 1 year of age.

A protein called avidin found in raw eggs interferes with the absorption of biotin. Biotin deficiency is seen in people who drink raw eggs for a long time. For this reason, eggs should not be consumed raw. Biotin facilitates the use of proteins, folic acid, pantothenic acid and vitamin B12, strengthens nails and hair, helps in balancing cholesterol and blood sugar.

IMPORTANT: During pregnancy, you need to get vitamins naturally from food sources. If you need an extra supplement, your doctor will inform you about it. If there are vitamin tablets given to support your vitamin deficiency, take care to take them as recommended by your doctor and at the hour.

In order to get through this process in a healthy way and hug your baby in a healthy way, you should not ignore the nutritional factor.

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