When you are carrying a baby within your body, you naturally have a higher need for certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Not only should you be concerned with your own pregnancy health, but also the healthy development of your unborn child. You should clearly be eating a well balanced diet, with the proper foods from all the major food groups. Most doctors will also recommend a quality vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure that nothing is missed.

While you are making your food choices, you should avoid some of the extras that are unnecessary for pregnancy health. This would include sugars, fats and other empty calorie foods. You are obviously going to gain weight during your pregnancy but you do not need to add pounds of fat that you will just have to work on losing after your baby is born. You also should avoid any kind of alcohol while you are expecting as alcohol does cross the placental barrier and no one is certain how much will cause birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome.

When you choose a vitamin and mineral supplement to support your pregnancy health, there are certain nutrients that are more important than others and are often lacking in normal diets. You will need to have the supplement include at least vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. Each of these nutrients support normal cell and tissue growth for your baby to develop properly.

Knowing which supplement to purchase can be difficult as this industry is not so tightly controlled as the drug industry. Be sure to buy only from a reputable manufacturer with a proven track record of consistency and high quality. Check into the sources of the nutrients they use, as well. For example, the wrong source of omega 3 will also have the wrong type of vitamin A which has been linked to birth defects.

Taking an omega 3 supplement is very important to promote proper baby brain development. You should take the right kind though as not all are made for pregnant women.