One of the most frequent pieces of advice you hear when you are pregnant is about the importance of getting enough folic acid. Folic acid is really one of those things you should get before you are pregnant, while you are trying to conceive. By the time you find out you are expecting, your pregnancy has already progressed beyond that crucial stage when folic acid is so important. That is why a good prenatal vitamin is so important; and that is why you should start taking prenatals as soon as you stop using birth control.
Why am I talking about folic acid? October is Spina Bifida awareness month. Spina Bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect, affects eight births every day. It happens when the spinal column doesn’t close completely. It can sometimes be closed with surgery, but that does not always fix the problems that the original condition caused. Partial paralysis is often a side effect of Spina Bifida. As horrible as this condition sounds, and truly is, taking folic acid every day before you get pregnant can reduce your chances of having a baby with this defect by as much as 70%!
With odds like that, it’s no wonder that organizations like the Spina Bifida Association are eager to teach women about the importance of taking folic acid during their childbearing years.
How much folic acid should you be taking? The American Pregnancy Association recommends that all women of childbearing age get about 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. The easiest way to get the recommended amount is to take a prenatal vitamin, but you can also get plenty of folic acid through your diet. Foods rich in folic acid include: liver, egg yolks, chicken giblets, dried beans and lentils, split peas, almonds, nuts, whole grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, bananas, oranges and peaches.