Pregnancy Nutrient Recommendations
Let’s look at some of the major nutrients needed for pregnancy and compare that to what is needed for everyday life for someone who is not pregnant. This list is not all inclusive, but provides information for 8 of the major nutrients needed in life. The amounts listed for pregnancy are recommended by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
| Nutrient | Not Pregnant | Pregnant |
| Calcium | 1000 mg | 1000 mg |
| Folate/Folic Acid* | 400 mcg | 600-800 mcg |
| Iron | 17-19 mg | 27mg |
| Vitamin A | 770 mcg | 770 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 75 mg | 85 mg |
| Vitamin D** | 400 IU | 600 IU |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.3 mg | 1.9 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.8 mcg | 2.6 mcg |
As you can see, pregnancy increases the demand for certain nutrients more than others. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Iron, and Folate demands all increase. In the coming posts, we will talk about each nutrient, why it is important, and which foods are best to get it from. We will also be looking at some different prenatal vitamins and compare their nutrient quantities.
Prenatal Vitamins
There are 7 different prenatal vitamins that we will look at throughout this blog series. While there are a variety of prenatals out there, we wanted to give a small sample to show the differences between these. It’s up to you to decide which is best for you and your baby’s health, but we want to you know as much about them as possible before you make your choice.
- Thorne Basic Prenatal (Amazon)
- SmartyPants Prenatal Complete (Amazon)
- Kirkland Signature Prenatal Multivitamin (Amazon)
- Vitafusion Prenatal Gummies (Amazon)
- NatureMade Prenatal Multi + DHA (Amazon)
- Metagenics Wellness Essentials (Our site)
- Klaire Labs Prenatal & Nursing Formula (Amazon)
In the next post, we will take a look at these nutrients individually, why they are important, and the best places to get them. We will start with Calcium and Iron.
These blogs will be posted on Tuesday & Friday throughout the month of July. Click here to subscribe so you don’t miss a post!
Click here to read the first blog of the series: Why should I take a prenatal?