Folic Acid Awareness Week: How to Get the Nutrients You Need When You're Expecting

The first week of January is Folic Acid Awareness Week, raising awareness among expectant mothers of an important prenatal nutrient that helps prevent birth defects like spina bifida. This week encourages women to attend to their prenatal health needs and get the proper nutrition. Read on to learn how to get folic acid and other important nutrients for your body and prenatal development when you're expecting!

What is Folic Acid?

Folic Acid, or Vitamin B9, is a vitamin that's necessary for proper cell growth. If Folic Acid is taken before and during early pregnancy, folic acid can prevent up to 70% of serious birth defects of the brain and spine, called neural tube defects. 

The CDC and the United States Public Health Service recommends that all women between the ages of 15 to 45 years of age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent two types of neural tube defects: spina bifida and anencephaly. Since these birth defects develop within the first few weeks of pregnancy, it is important to have enough folic acid in your body before becoming pregnant and to continue getting enough folic acid during early pregnancy. 

Other Benefits of Folic Acid

Women need folic acid even if they are not planning to become pregnant, as it is also vital in making red blood cells. Without enough folic acid, you can suffer from folate deficiency anemia. 

Folic acid is also helpful for synthesizing and repairing one's DNA and RNA, preventing age related hearing loss, and helps in new cell growth.

How Do I Get Enough Folic Acid?

As stated above, women should take a minimum of 400 micrograms of folic acid a day, and up to 800 micrograms if they are pregnant. This can be obtained by taking a multivitamin, or in the foods that you eat.

Folic acid is naturally found in foods, such as:

• Spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables
• Oranges and orange juice
• Nuts
• Beans
• Poultry (chicken, turkey) and other meats
• Whole grains
• Breakfast cereals
• Breads and pasta
• Flours
• Cornmeal
• White rice

Stay committed to your health and remember to take the recommended dose of folic acid each day to ensure yours and/or your child's safety.

The Best Prenatal and Maternal Health Products are Available at Mountainside Medical Equipment

Ensuring you and your child are at your healthiest involves many different aspects of health: the right diet and nutrients, adequate rest, and the right medications to manage ongoing conditions. Luckily Mountainside Medical Equipment has you covered! We've got everything from pregnancy tests to folic acid supplements to breast pumps to improve your experience at every stage of your pregnancy and child rearing. Click this link to visit our pregnancy and breastfeeding health products!