Our takeaways:
- While folic acid is important, don’t forget about other pregnancy vitamins and minerals such as calcium, choline, iron, omega-3 and vitamin D for healthy baby AND mom!
- Choline plays a role in your fetus’s brain development. It’s important to get choline from your diet because it is not found in most prenatal vitamins.
When I told my mom friends that we are trying for a baby, the first thing they told me was making sure to start taking folic acid. And that was the first time I heard of it. Not coincidentally, the pregnancy literature across the board emphasizes (A LOT!) on the importance of folic acid to fetus’s brain and spine. So as a pregnant woman (/to-be), you really can’t and won’t miss it, which is a good thing of course!
Comparing to the overwhelming love for folic acid, there are a list of other equally important vitamins/minerals we don’t see/hear about as much. While these vitamins/minerals are essential in supporting healthy growth of fetus and preventing birth defects, some of them aren’t even in your prenatal vitamins. Let’s find out more about these often “forgotten” nutrients!
Key vitamins and minerals other than folic acid
Here’s a summary table of the top 5 often forgotten nutrients needed for pregnancy. Main sources: ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Synecologists) and NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
| Nutrient | Daily Recommended Amount | Function | Best Sources |
| Calcium | 1300 milligrams (age 14-18) 1000 milligrams (age 19-50) | Builds strong bones & teeth | Milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines, dark green leafy vegetables |
| Choline | 450 milligrams | Important for fetus’s brain and spinal cord development | Milk, beef liver, eggs, peanuts, soy products |
| Iron | 27 milligrams | Helps red blood cells deliver oxygen to fetus | Lean red meat, poultry, fish, dried beans & peas, iron-fortified cereals, prone juice |
| Omega-3 | 650 milligrams | Critical for fetal brain & eye development | Low-mercury & high DHA fish (See our other blog post: Not all fish are good!), seaweed, walnuts, seeds (pumpkin/sunflower/chia/flax) |
| Vitamin D | 600 international units (IU*) *1 IU = 0.025 micrograms | Builds strong bones & teeth; healthy skin and eyesight | Sunlight, fortified milk, fatty fish, egg yolks |
Calcium
Your baby is spending a lot of time in your uterus building up their bones and teeth. And Calcium is a mineral that enables it. If you don’t get enough calcium, your baby will take whatever it needs straight from your bones during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This can lead to temporary bone loss. Dairy products are the best sources for calcium. However, if you have trouble digesting milk products, you can get calcium from other sources, such as broccoli, fortified foods (cereals, breads, and juices), almonds and sesame seeds, sardines or anchovies with the bones, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Choline
Choline plays a role in your fetus’s brain development. It may also help prevent some common birth defects. Experts recommend that pregnant women get 450 mg of choline each day.
Choline can be found in chicken, beef, eggs, milk, soy products, and peanuts. Although the body produces some choline on its own, it doesn’t make enough to meet all your needs while you are pregnant. It’s important to get choline from your diet because it is not found in most prenatal vitamins.
Iron
Iron supplies the fetus with blood and oxygen, helps build the placenta, and gives you the extra blood volume you need throughout pregnancy. Since pregnant women are prone to anemia, iron supplementation also ensures that you have the right amount of red blood cells in your blood. Anemia during pregnancy is associated with higher rates of premature delivery and low infant birth weight. Most prenatal vitamins supply the extra amount you need during pregnancy.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of fat found naturally in many kinds of fish. Omega-3s may be important for brain development before and after birth. Flaxseed (ground or as oil) is also a good source of omega-3s. Other sources of omega-3s include broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, cauliflower, and walnuts.
The most common suggestion for pregnant women is to eat at least 2 servings of fish or shellfish per week (Learn more about selecting the right fish in our other blog post: Not all fish are good!). However, according to NCBI, it is impossible to meet the omega-3 fatty acid daily requirement of 650 milligrams from just omega-3-rich vegetable oils and 2 servings of seafood a week. So fish oil supplements supplying EPA and DHA, or algae-derived DHA is recommended.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D works with calcium to help the fetus’s bones and teeth develop. It is also essential for healthy skin and eyesight. All women, pregnant or not, need 600 international units of vitamin D a day.
Good sources of vitamin D include fortified milk and breakfast cereal, fatty fish (salmon and mackerel), fish liver oils, and egg yolks.
Some final words
Of course these five most forgotten nutrients are not all you need for a healthy pregnancy (for you and for the baby). B and C vitamins are also essential in forming red blood cells, maintaining nervous system, and promoting healthy gums, teeth and bones. Make sure you consult your health care providers before taking any supplements.
Based on the above and our current diet (not dairy or seafood heavy), I would probably need to look for prenatal vitamin options that complement my daily intake of calcium and Omega-3s. Also, living in the PNW where sunlight is very limited, I would consider vitamin D supplement as well.
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