Is It Bad To Not Take Prenatal Vitamins While Pregnant? The Truth

Eating a balanced diet is key during pregnancy and there will be times in your pregnancy where your diet may fall short of the necessary nutrients to ensure you maintain a healthy pregnancy. Taking pills can be a stressful process especially if you don’t do so on a regular basis but is it bad to not take prenatal vitamins while pregnant?

So Is It Bad To Not Take Prenatal Vitamins While Pregnant?

Being low on essential vitamins during pregnancy can put your baby at risk of complications. Whilst we strive to eat well-balanced diets rich in fruits and vegetables, falling short on any vitamins can be rectified by taking prenatal vitamins. No prenatal vitamins while pregnant can also affect your health as your body strives to grow your little human.

Prenatal Vitamins

Doctors recommend that you should start taking prenatal vitamins even before you are pregnant. This is to ensure your body is in prime health ready to welcome a fertilized embryo that will soon become a little human. Yet so many women opt not to follow this recommendation. In a recent study it concluded that nearly 30% of women who took part didn’t take regular prenatal vitamins. So if you don’t take prenatal vitamins what will happen?

What Are Prenatal Vitamins?

Vitamins of the prenatal variety supply both you and your baby full nutrient support in the form of a tablet. They aid the development of growth both physically and cognitively throughout pregnancy.

Pregnancy in itself can drain your body physically coupled with the effects of sickness and nausea and you can find yourself battling with fatigue.

Benefits Of Taking Prenatal Vitamins

Taking prenatal vitamins is a sure way to relieve your eating habit from any nutrient shortfalls. We are all guilty of overindulging in the sweeter or savory things in life leaving out those juicy fruits and vegetables.

Whilst it’s not a crime to do the advice would be to be careful about your prenatal diet. You are now eating to support your baby and his/ her development. If you dislike eating greens then taking a prenatal vitamin can ensure you still have the correct nutrients.

Whilst doctors recommend you should still eat a balanced diet taking these meds sometimes you will find your plate lacking in certain vitamins.

Development of your Baby

Is it bad to not take prenatal vitamins while pregnant? Taking these vitamins helps your baby’s development. Many nutrients found in the vitamins themselves are key ingredients to help circuit your baby’s brain along with many others.

Vitamin B9

B9 is responsible for keeping your reproductive health in order. Taking these supplements alongside a balanced diet before pregnancy can help boost your chances of fertility.

Its role for your baby is to aid the development of the neural tube. This is the building block of what will become your baby’s spine and brain. This usually happens in the early days of pregnancy so ensuring this vitamin is in your system is super important.

Foods that can add to the B9 in your diet would be whole grains and leafy greens.

Choline

Choline is responsible for cognitive development and behaviors after your baby is born. Sufficient levels are thought to be around 450 mg a day for a woman who is pregnant.

While you may be thinking I’d rather eat the food containing Choline, think about eating 5 eggs every day in your pregnancy, and only then will you come close to hitting this target. The prenatal meds ensure you don’t have to become an egghead in your pregnancy.

Iodine

Iodine is typically found in fish, dairy, chicken, and seaweed. Your body uses iodine as your baby is totally dependent on your thyroid hormones for good cognitive development.

If you don’t have enough in the food you eat and opt not to take prenatal meds then your baby could be faced with cognitive issues when born.

Vitamin D

You may know Vitamin D as the sunny nutrient. It’s true that if you live in a sunnier place you will have more vitamin D in your system.

It is clear that to grow a human your body has to worry mighty hard. Just think about the intricate detail in our skeleton. Vitamin D supports good bone growth in your baby.

You should aim to include orange juice, sardines, and liver in your diet but if you are anything like me none of those key ingredients are used at home, personally I’d rather take the vitamin than think about eating sardines!

Magnesium

Magnesium helps form muscle tissues and controls blood pressure within your baby. It is also responsible for stemming your nervous system together.

Foods high in Magnesium are dairy products, bread, and cereals.

Zinc

In this crazy world of coughs, colds, and viruses, Zinc is key to developing your baby’s immune system and metabolism. Whilst in the womb your baby is protected by your immunity as you act like a shield but when they are born they are vulnerable to germs their bodies have to fight hard to build an immunity to common illnesses. Zinc is the superpower that you can include in your diet to ensure you are giving your baby the best possible chance.

Foods with high levels of Zinc are lobster, crab, nuts, and whole grains.

Do I Have To Take Prenatal Vitamins?

Just by reading what is included in one tablet of your prenatal vitamins, it is clear that your best choice and option would be to take the med on a regular basis.

Every mom wants to do best for their baby and whilst taking a manufactured pill may feel less than organic I can categorically tell you there is no way you could keep up eating all of the recommended amounts of vitamins.

If you are up to the challenge then, of course, it is your pregnancy but some of the foods mentioned above I know I couldn’t stomach, never mind throwing in sickness symptoms too.

Not taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy can take its toll on you too. Your body is moving at a pace you can’t begin to imagine. Working so hard to set up the building blocks for your baby so you are bound to feel worn out!

Your vitamin stores are being delivered straight to your baby leaving you with little or no benefit from the food you consume.

Taking your pregnancy vitamins means that you know you are getting the correct vitamins for you and your baby.

During both my pregnancies I was borderline anemic. This is due to increased blood volume so the orange in my body was diluted more than my body liked. I like to think that I tried to include a balanced diet into my life but I was thankful that my prenatal vitamins were able to pick up the slack when I physically couldn’t.

If anyone were to ask me personally, Is it ok to not take prenatal vitamins? My honest answer would be no, prenatal meds are there to support your pregnancy through to the end. No one’s diet is perfect and every pregnancy is different but my advice is take the vitamins. It’s a win-win situation between your body and your baby’s.

What Happens If You Don’t Take Prenatals Everyday?

Ok so it’s been super busy lately and every night you jump into bed and it dawns on you. You haven’t taken your vitamins. As you close your heavy eyelids you promise your body you will take them first thing, with a whirlwind of mornings you realize that taking your vitamin was not on your to do list.

Now you are wondering if there’s any benefit at all.

We are all human and we can forget! I was the worst with my baby brain fog. Missing a dose or two should really worry you as you should still be eating a balanced diet but making a habit out of skipping doses can put your baby at risk of complications.

Doubling doses is also not recommended. It won’t do any significant harm to your pregnancy but your digestive system may begin to differ.

The sheer load of doubling your vitamins can cause havoc on your gut so if you don’t fancy adding constipation to your sore breasts, sickness, and headaches then just remember to take a tablet as soon as you remember.

Using a pill box is a neat way of keeping your meds together and organized. My brain fog was incredible and sometimes I’d forget if I had taken a tablet but using a pill box allowed me to check without the side effects of missing a dose or doubling to worry about.

Wrapping Up

Concluding this article about whether is it bad to not take prenatal vitamins while pregnant, I hope it has made it clear how much help taking these little pills of magic can help and support your pregnancy.

They play a crucial role in maintaining health for you and when taken correctly they lower your baby’s chances of any cognitive and physical disability.

The bottom line is one pill isn’t too much to take using a pill box or keeping them close to you on your nightstand will help you remember. Keep your baby and your body fighting fit by adding this boost of goodness into your life.