Q: Please, is it advisable for a pregnant woman to take vitamins? If no, please what are the side effects on the mother or the baby? Thanks

A: Nutrition plays a huge role in pregnancy. Soon-to-be-mums need to eat healthy to ensure that they give their children a good start in life. However, sometimes, there may be a few holes to plug, in situations where our diet doesn’t quite satisfy all the nutritional needs. Pregnancy may be one such time.

Now, remember that pregnancy is also not the time to go popping different kinds of pills without a prescription. You don’t want anything that prevents your baby from developing normally.

Pre-natal vitamins are a ‘usual’ part of the process of pregnancy. They would usually contain, at least folate to help the proper development of the spine ( and prevent neural tube defects), calcium (to ensure that baby doesn’t depend on mummy’s store of calcium in her bones for its own supply) and iron (to help prevent shortage of blood).

So, speak with your doctor about what vitamins you would require. Remember to also ensure that you feed well to give you and your baby every advantage during this all important period of pregnancy.

Have a good week, everyone 😀