Prenatal Vitamins & Early Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

Question
Brenda,

My husband and I have been trying to become pregnant. Were both pretty healthy people. Expect for an occasional bug we hardly get sick. We also do not smoke or drink. Our families are pretty healthy as well and there have been no risk pregnancies in the family's past. This will be our first child so we are both excited and nervous. I have been doing some research about prenatal care. I read some scary things regarding birth defects when a mother takes certain doses of vitamins... I hope I didn't cause more harm than good by taking any. I have a tendency to freak out over things. I decided to not take anymore multi-vitamins but switch over to a prenatal type... What do you think?  

My question is regarding Multi-vitamins intake during the First Trimester... I have been taking Multi-vitamins and Mineral Supplement for awhile now and haven't thought anything of it. Until  I compared prenatal Vitamins with what I have been taking my whole life or at lease when I remember to take them... Below is what I have been taking:

Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 Tablet  

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value

Vitamin A (as Retinyl Palmitate and Beta-Carotene) 10,000 IU 200%  

***Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid with Rose Hips) 250 mg 417%  

Vitamin D (as Cholecalciferol) 400 IU 100%  

Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate) 30 IU 100%  

***Thiamin (Vitamin B-1) (as Thiamin Hydrochloride) 25 mg 1,667%  

***Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2) 25 mg 1,471%  

***Niacin (as Niacinamide) 50 mg 250%  

***Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 50 mg 2,500%  

***Folic Acid 400 mcg 100%  

***Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 50 mcg 833%  

***Biotin (as d-Biotin) 50 mcg 17%  

***Pantothenic Acid (as d-Calcium Pantothenate) 50 mg 500%  

Calcium 54 mg 5%  
 (as Tricalcium Phosphate, d-Calcium Pantothenate and Dicalcium Phosphate)  

Iron (as Ferrous Fumarate) 10 mg 56%  

Phosphorus 23 mg 2%  
 (as Tricalcium Phosphate and Dicalcium Phosphate)  

Iodine (as Potassium Iodide) 150 mcg 100%  

Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide) 100 mg 25%  

Zinc (as Zinc Sulfate) 15 mg 100%  

Selenium (as Selenium Yeast) 25 mcg 36%  

Copper (as Copper Sulfate) 2 mg 100%  

Manganese (as Manganese Sulfate) 5 mg 250%  

Chromium (as Chromium Chloride) 100 mcg 83%  

Molybdenum (as Sodium Molybdate) 15 mcg 20%  

Chloride (as Potassium Chloride) 1 mg <1%  

Potassium (as Potassium Chloride) 1 mg <1%  

PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic Acid) 50 mg *  

Inositol 15 mg *  

Choline Bitartrate 15 mg *  

Answer
Dear Jess,

I can already tell you are going to be a frequent questioner once you are pregnant.  :-)  Happy to have you on board!

Nothing here to worry about. You have no idea how many women have taken MUCH more toxic substances well into the first trimester of pregnancies and have delivered healthy babies. Generally, these are harmless vitamins/minerals in healthy adults. Be aware that you can find an abundance of information out there and not all of it is accurate. I guarantee if you look hard enough you can find something that tells you that soap will give you cancer or tea causes blood disorders.

The main thing is to be as healthy as possible when you conceive and throughout your pregnancy. Starting the prenatal vitamins now is a great idea. There are different types of prenatal vitamins with different dosages as well, so you should consult your OB about which one he/she prefers or get a Rx for one. Mainly, they want the appropriate amount of folate. Adequate intake of folic acid can help to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. The recommended amount of folic acid during pregnancy is 600ug. The other important nutrient is iron. Few women get the amount of iron that they need to keep up with the 50% increase in blood volume and for storage in the baby's liver. 30mg of iron is recommended during pregnancy. The "right" amount is the key. More is not necessarily better for some things.

Below is a list of the Dietary Reference Intakes as recommended for pregnancy by the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (1998) to help you get started.
Calcium - 1300mg (under age 19), 1,000mg (over 19)
Phosphorus - 1250mg (under age 19); 700mg (over 19)
Iron - 30mg
Zinc - 15mg
Iodine - 175ug
Magnesium - 400mg (under age 19); 360mg (over 19)
Vitamin A - 800RE
Vitamin D - 5ug
Vitamin E - 10mg
Vitamin C - 70mg
Folic Acid - 600ug
Thiamin - 1.4mg
Riboflavin - 1.4mg
Niacin - 18mg
Vitamin B6 - 1.9mg
Vitamin B12 - 2.6ug

I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. Write back anytime!

Brenda