When a woman becomes pregnant, there is a lot of changes that she needs to make. She may need to change her eating habits and lifestyle in order to ensure the health of her and the baby she is carrying. One way her doctor can help her with this is by prescribing special prenatal vitamins that she is to take throughout her pregnancy. But what does this little multivitamin do for her and the baby, and why is it different from a regular off the shelf multivitamin?

The first main difference between a prenatal vitamin and a regular multivitamin is the kind of supplements that are found in the vitamins. Prenatal vitamins are specially made for a mother and her growing child. There are over 20 vitamins and minerals packed into these
little vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin D. So, instead of taking 20 different pills every day, all a mother has to take is one prenatal vitamin and she is ready to go.

Prenatal vitamins are so important to not only the growth of the baby but also to the well being of the mother. When a woman is pregnant, the growing baby takes all the nutrients he or she needs to grow properly from the mother. This may leave the mother feeling tired or run down because she may be lacking the nutrients that help keep herself going. Taking these vitamins replenish these supplements and help keep mom active throughout the day.

Another important reason for taking prenatal vitamins is to help a pregnant woman keep proper nutrition even when not taking meals. During the first three months of pregnancy, an expectant mother can experience fatigue and morning sickness that may cause her not to eat well, if at all. By taking these vitamins, she can keep her health up even though she is not eating properly.

The last thing you should consider when choosing vitamins is your lifestyle. While the formula for the vitamins is rather standard, you may want to consider taking a different
formula depending on how you live. For instance, if you are a vegetarian or vegan you may need a special supplement with extra vitamin B12 and E which are vitamins found in animal fats. Or if you are lactose intolerant you may need to higher concentrations of calcium and vitamin D since you can't get them from milk or dairy. You may also need to take more than one prenatal vitamin if you are expecting multiple births.

In conclusion, the best prenatal vitamins really do make a difference. They make it easier to spend less time stressing about a baby's potential health, and more time working on the fun preparations that are part of those months spent expecting. So making an appointment to talk with a doctor about the best vitamins available is definitely the smartest option and something that should be done sooner rather than later. After all, this way it becomes possible to know what the big differences are between brands available, which allows for moms to make the right choices that lead to a healthy and happy pregnancy.

Author's Bio: 

Hey there, I’m Nancy, founder and editor in chief here at www.tomycook.com, and I’m absolutely in love with food and health blogs. I’m on a mission to share my insider cooking, food and health tips with all of you…