Did you know that you can reap the many benefits of taking prenatal vitamins even if you are not actually pregnant?

In fact, the best time to take prenatal vitamins is before you have even conceived. But what exactly is it about prenatal vitamins that make it so good for you? The benefits are actually endless for both you and your unborn baby.

Being pregnant is hard. Your body is demanding a lot of you and so is your baby. Not only are you needing to feed two human beings, but you are also growing and changing yourself. This means that it is only natural for your body to need more nutrients than normal.

Even more so is the fact that you need to fuel up on all the nutrients your baby will need to avoid going into labor prematurely or having your baby experience birth defects.

The benefits of taking prenatal vitamins are endless and something you should certainly discuss with your OBG-YN, as they can fill the gaps of what is missing during pregnancy—or even help get your body prepped in advance of even becoming pregnant.

If you are wondering if prenatal vitamins are for you, then check out these top benefits that you too can enjoy.

1. Helps Develop Your Baby’s Nervous System
Prenatal vitamins are jam-packed with all the nutrients that your baby will need to develop physically and mentally. One of the most important parts of this process is the development of their brain and spinal cord. With ingredients like folic acid inside the prenatal vitamin, you can help prevent birth defects like spina bifida from occurring. This birth defect can lead to learning challenges and sometimes surgery is actually required. But a prenatal vitamin with folic acid can help that all be avoided.

2. Helps Prevent Anemia
When you are pregnant, your body is using up a lot of iron. This means that if you do not replenish the iron, you run the risk of actually becoming anemic. When this happens, both you and your baby are at risk of not having enough oxygen in your red blood cells. This can lead to a serious of serious health complications that include early delivery of your baby. It also means that you could end up experiencing extreme exhaustion during pregnancy.

3. Helps Strengthen Your Immune System
When you are pregnant, the last thing you want to deal with is getting sick. The nutrients packed into your prenatal vitamins are designed to keep your immune system strong, especially thanks to ingredients like vitamin D. When you have a strong immune system, you will not only help support a healthier pregnancy and delivery but also lower your own risk of developing gestational diabetes.

4. Helps Your Baby Grow
During the nine months of pregnancy, your baby will have a lot going on, including the development of their skin, their eyes, their bones, and their lungs. To keep this all strong you will want to ensure your body is getting the right amount of vitamin A, which prenatal vitamins also have. That is some serious peace of mind knowing that by simply getting the right vitamins into your body your baby can grow into a healthy human.

5. Helps Prevent Nausea
Morning sickness is perhaps one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. Not only is it absolutely miserable to deal with, but can cause you to become even more deficient in the nutrients you really need during this time. Prenatal vitamins have vitamin B6, which not only supports your baby’s development but equally with minimizing feelings of nausea. This is because it helps your body process various acids so you do not feel like you are going to throw up.

6. Helps with Peace of Mind
Another important benefit of taking prenatal vitamins is the reassurance that you are doing the right things to support both your own life and your baby’s life. Being a new mom is an overwhelming time and you are likely thinking about a million things at once. You want to ensure that all the decisions you are making are benefiting your baby. So by taking a prenatal vitamin, you know that from a nutritional standpoint you are fueling your body with exactly what it needs to keep the two of you healthy. That peace of mind is everything during pregnancy.

Conclusion
There are many different benefits to be gained from prenatal vitamins. At the end of the day, you should first talk to your OBG-YN about incorporating this into your pregnancy journey and ensuring it will help support your individual needs.

From helping your baby grow to provide you with a sense of calmness, prenatal vitamins are one of the most important aspects of any pregnancy journey.

Sources:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a34486038/benefits-of-prenatal-vitamins/