Skipping Prenatal Vitamins Could Put Your Baby at Risk

During my pregnancies, I hated taking my prenatal vitamins. Don't get me wrong: I loved most of the vitamins' effects. Most important, I knew it was vital for the health of that little bean growing within. Also, at least initially, I felt healthier and even looked better. But at a certain point in some trimester or other, those giant pills began to make me feel completely sick to my stomach. Crackers and ginger tea got me through, but still, each day, I would my swallow that horse pill with a sense of dread.

The prenatal pill might be our first lesson in the sacrifices of motherhood: We have years ahead of us of doing things we might not choose to do but do anyway, purely because they benefit our kids. A new study makes it all the more clear that pregnant women and those planning to get pregnant should take that giant prenatal vitamin daily, regardless of how it makes them feel. That pill, it turns out, could make all the difference for your baby's language development.

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Researchers say low levels of vitamin D in pregnant women can put their kids at risk for developmental language difficulties later on -- but that taking a vitamin D supplement (which is part of the mix in pre-natal vitamins) can minimize that risk. The experts say women who are planning to get pregnant should also get their vitamin D levels checked first and, if needed, start supplementing their vitamin D early.

Considering that low levels of vitamin D can also lead to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, well, that horse pill is nothing to say nay to. Or to say neigh to, either, for that matter. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

What do you think of the new research highlighting the importance of vitamin D during pregnancy?