Essential Nutrients in Pregnancy Diet: Folate and Folic Acid

For expectant moms, eating the most nutritious foods is very important to promote your baby’s overall growth and development. The foods that soon-to-be-mom eats during her pregnancy do not only affect the baby’s health while inside your womb but also for the years to come.

There are essential vitamins and minerals that deserve more attention during pregnancy. And this is what I will be featuring in this blog – the essential nutrients that expectant mom should intake more while in her pregnancy stage. For the meantime, I will be giving some insights about folate and folic acid, its importance, and what are the possible effects to the baby when pregnant women is unable to have enough amount of folate during pregnancy.

Folate is a vitamin B, B9 in particular, that is found naturally in certain foods like leafy green vegetables. This essential vitamin helps prevents defects in the neural tube. This neural tube that develops 4-6 weeks after her last period becomes the spine and brain of the baby. Any defect in the formation of neural tube, due to lack of folate, could lead to serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Aside from that, a woman with insufficient amount of folate in her pregnancy is very at risk to preterm delivery or give birth to babies who are under normal weight or weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces. This is exactly the reason why it is very important for a woman to immediately consult to the obgyn the moment she missed her period so as to be able to have the right vitamins and minerals needed during pregnancy.

Before conception and throughout pregnancy, it is recommended for a pregnant woman to have 800 micrograms of folate or folic acid a day.  And to ensure that she has an enough amount of folate in the body, the synthetic form of folate – known as folic acid – is often prescribed by most obgyn. This synthetic form of folate is usually available in supplements and fortified foods.

By the way, for my folic acid supplement, my obgyn prescribed me to take folart. 

Pregnancy Symptoms Varies

After 28 years, I am now experiencing the biggest changes in my life and that is – pregnancy. In 7 months time, I will be a mother and (I’m keeping my fingers crossed).

This isn’t the first time for me to become pregnant. This is actually my second time. The first one was perhaps not yet meant for us. I was on my early 2nd trimester then when I lost our supposed-to-be first child. I was at the office by the time when I had spotting. So I decided to go home early. Since I am working in Legazpi City, which is 60 kms away from our real house, I dropped by in my boarding house and tried to call and inform my obgyn for this unusual incident. At first she said, I just need a bed rest. But 2 hours after, the bleeding continues. I am so worried and started crying for I would never want to lose that little creature currently developing in my womb. I asked my bother to accompany me to the nearest hospital in our area with my hopes that I will still save my "baby". Unfortunately, after thorough examination, the obgyn in that hospital (where I am admitted) told me that it’s a threatened abortion and I have to undergo D&C. Though it is very painful in my part, I have to accept the fact that it will always be impossible to cuddle the fruit of my very first pregnancy.

Just 2 months after my D&C, I am pregnant again. 

image from www.realsavvymoms.com

Compared to my first pregnancy, I am having difficulties this time. I am already experiencing that weird symptoms of pregnancy, which I am lucky enough not to encounter them before. Morning sickness, vomiting, picky to foods, sensitive to strong smell, mood swing – I am experiencing right now all of these weird common symptoms of pregnant women. During my first pregnancy, it is still fresh in my mind that I only crave for food that  that is white like somai, buko  pie,  buko salad, fresh buko, and the likes. And guess what's my favorite drink? None other than but buko juice - either pure  or in shake form.  So, I can positively say that it is really true that pregnancy symptoms are not the same all the time. 

What is Just a Minute Update for?

For my first post, there's nothing better to share than the prime reason why I created this blog.

This is not my first time in blogging world. I have been into blogging for several years already. However, most of my posts were work-related so I seldom share something that is more personal. This is the reason why I decided to create this just a minute update blog where I can post or share anything about my personal life.

Hopefully, you will always have a time to read whenever I post some updates in this blog. :)