Top 5 Prenatal Vitamins

To help ensure a successful pregnancy and healthy baby, doctors and midwives typically recommend that women take a daily prenatal vitamin, beginning as early as possible in the pregnancy. HealthNews expert Constance Rock prefers food-based prenatal vitamins, taken as early as preconception (for those who are actively planning or trying to have a baby).
Food-based prenatal vitamins contain folic acid and the nutrients that are in a form bioavailable to the cells in your body. The absorption is high compared to a synthetic vitamin and you will most likely not get digestive upset or nausea from it. (Something to think about as the six-week mark nears, the time in which most women who get morning sickness remark that it starts.) It is also good to ensure that the vitamins have sufficient iodine, which is critical to the developing fetus.
Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, an assistant professor medicine at Boston University Medical Center, says, “Iodine nutrition is critically important in pregnancy. Women who are deficient in pregnancy have children often with lower IQs or neurocognitive delays. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in the world.”
Also of importance is folic acid, which reduces the risk of neural tube defects, iron, and calcium—good for your bones and that of the developing fetus. So what brands are tops in food-based prenatal vitamins? Here is a list of 5 stypically recommended supplements:

• Rainbow Light Complete Prenatal System (60 tablets, $14.99)
• New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal (48, 96, 192 or 270 tablets, prices vary by size)
• Garden of Life Raw Vegan Prenatal (90 $29.99)
• Simply One Prenatal Vegetarian (90 tablets $28.99)
• Healthy Belly Essentials Prenatal Health (500 capsules $79.95)