Pregnant mothers often complain to me that when they go to the hospital, the doctor does not explain at all and directly prescribes them a bunch of vitamin supplements, including vitamin multivitamins during pregnancy, calcium or iron, etc.
Didn’t you say that multivitamins already contain iron and calcium? Should it be added?
They were full of doubts and asked the doctor for fear that the doctor would be too troublesome. They took it home and did not dare to eat it easily. They had to turn to me on the Internet.
Food supplement is suitable for most pregnant mothers.
In a few cases, The doctor may diagnose the pregnant mother’s calcium deficiency or anemia through the clinical symptoms or blood test results of the pregnant mother, and will suggest that this part of the pregnant mother take multivitamins and supplement calcium or iron at the same time. It is possible to supplement the two together at this time, but the number of patients in the outpatient department may be too large, and the doctor does not have much time to explain clearly for the pregnant mother.
However, in most cases, if the pregnant mother does not have a clear manifestation of calcium deficiency anemia, it is not necessary to take these supplements in combination, as long as the multivitamin is supplemented and then appropriate food supplements are carried out.
In the “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents” (2007) (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”) published by the Ministry of Health, there is a passage like this:
Compared with non-pregnant women, The demand for energy and various nutrients is a little more, Especially calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin A and other micronutrients. In order to meet the increased demand for various nutrients during pregnancy, The food intake during pregnancy increases correspondingly, but the dietary composition should still be a balanced diet composed of various foods. The food should be rich in types and complete in nutrition, and there is no need to avoid eating. When the nutritional needs cannot be met from the food for various reasons, nutritional supplements can be reasonably used under the guidance of doctors.
Therefore, nutrient needs should first be obtained from food. Reasonable diet and balanced nutrition are the necessary material basis for the healthy development and growth of the fetus, and are also healthy methods to prevent and treat anemia, cramps, gestational diabetes and other common diseases during pregnancy.
Do anemia pregnant mothers have to take supplements?
Generally, if pregnant mothers do not have anemia symptoms before pregnancy, the iron and hemoglobin in their bodies are sufficient for their own use.
However, the fetus also needs to absorb a large amount of iron and hemoglobin during its development, so it may cause insufficient iron and hemoglobin content in the pregnant mother’s body. Anemia in the pregnant mother is also a normal phenomenon. At this time, the first consideration should be to supplement iron through diet.
Eating more iron-rich foods can effectively prevent and correct the anemia of pregnant mothers.
< < Guidelines > > It is suggested that the daily intake of iron by pregnant mothers will vary according to the pregnancy period:
- Early pregnancy (~ 12 weeks): 20 mg/day; In the second trimester of pregnancy (13 ~ 28 weeks): 29 mg/day; Late pregnancy and lactation (28 weeks ~): 24 mg/day.
So, should we eat some what?
Foods rich in iron include:
- Animal blood, liver, lean meat and other animal foods, such as Auricularia auricula and other plant foods
The absorption and utilization rate of iron in animal food is higher than that in plant food, so we should eat more animal food rich in iron.
If pregnant mothers cannot correct anemia by relying solely on iron-rich foods, then iron deficiency anemia can be diagnosed.
The results of the 2002 Survey on Nutrition and Health Status of Chinese Residents show that the incidence rate of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy is about 30%, which is a common disease among pregnant mothers in China.
If the pregnant mother suffers from iron deficiency anemia, she can supplement additional iron agents under the guidance of a doctor, such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous fumarate, polysaccharide iron complex, iron dextran, etc. Choose one of them to supplement.
In order to promote the absorption and in-vivo utilization of iron, it is recommended that pregnant mothers eat more foods rich in vitamin C, such as oranges and orange juice, while eating iron. For example, taking iron with orange juice will increase the absorption of iron.
On the contrary, milk, coffee, tea, etc. will hinder the human body from absorbing iron, so iron should be avoided from being taken at the same time as these foods.
From 20 weeks of pregnancy, please supplement calcium every day.
- Early pregnancy: the baby is in the stage of tissue and organ differentiation, and the demand for calcium is not much; After 20 weeks of pregnancy, the baby’s bone growth accelerated and the demand for calcium began to increase. After 28 weeks of pregnancy: the baby’s bones begin to calcify and the demand for calcium is more.
< < Guidelines > > Recommend that pregnant mothers should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day. If the pregnant mother is short of calcium at this time, the baby in the womb will instinctively absorb enough calcium from the mother’s bones, which may cause osteoporosis in the pregnant mother.
According to reports, pregnant women who eat traditional Chinese food and do not drink milk have a 16% decrease in bone mineral density after delivery compared with non-pregnant women of the same age, and calcium deficiency during pregnancy will also increase the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome.
Therefore, during pregnancy, one should eat more calcium-rich foods, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy, pay more attention to calcium supplement, eat some calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, bean products, etc., and at the same time, one should also take into account vitamin D supplement, because vitamin D can promote calcium absorption.
- Foods rich in calcium: beans, milk, cheese, almonds, yogurt, tofu, soy milk, broccoli, etc. Foods rich in vitamin D: vitamin D fortified milk, yogurt, cod liver oil, salmon, canned tuna, canned sardines, eggs, etc.
When pregnant mothers cannot meet their body’s demand for calcium by eating calcium-rich foods alone, they can supplement additional calcium agents such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate under the guidance of doctors. The formula of calcium supplements usually contains vitamin D to promote calcium absorption.
Many pregnant mothers worry that too much calcium supplement will lead to dystocia, They think that [if you eat too much calcium tablets, the baby’s head will harden, and then it will not be easy to give birth]. In fact, sufficient calcium supplement during pregnancy will indeed harden the fetal bones, but soft tissue covers the cranial suture and fontanelle on the baby’s head, making the baby’s head shape plastic, so calcium supplement during pregnancy will not increase the probability of dystocia.
As an ordinary pregnant mother, in addition to the normal diet, it is generally more appropriate to supplement 500 ~ 600 milligrams of calcium tablets every day if necessary.
In addition, women should also insist on calcium supplement after delivery, especially during lactation.
If the breast-feeding mother’s body calcium is insufficient, the mother’s body blood calcium will decrease, causing calcium in the bone to free out, prone to osteoporosis. Many mothers complain about postpartum falling [lunar disease], lumbago all day long, in fact, it is probably caused by calcium deficiency.
Note: Most pregnant mothers have severe early pregnancy reaction and severe pregnancy vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy, while supplements such as iron or calcium are generally tablets or capsules with large tablets, which are difficult for pregnant mothers with pregnancy vomiting reaction in the first trimester of pregnancy to accept. Therefore, even if additional calcium and iron supplements are needed, it is usually recommended to take them after the pregnancy vomiting reaction stage.
Responsible Editor: Fu Ting
This article is taken from the book “Ji Lianmei Talk: Chinese Should Use Drugs This Way”, which is reprinted by the author’s authorized clove garden.