Being pregnant can be scary?so much of the baby?s growth and development is out of your control. But the best way to give your little one a healthy start is to take prenatal vitamins. These supplements can minimize the risks of birth defects, enhance your baby?s development and prevent the depletion of your own vitamin and mineral supply. Because of these benefits, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada recommends them for all pregnant women.
Choosing a supplement

If you already take multivitamins, you might wonder if it?s necessary to buy prenatal vitamins, but they really are different: Prenatal vitamins have higher amounts of a few star baby-growing nutrients, so it?s best to switch over to them even before you try to conceive. Experts say it doesn?t matter which specific prenatal vitamin you choose, though. ?All prenatal vitamins are slightly different from one another,? says Batya Grundland, a family physician and the maternity care lead at Women?s College Hospital, ?but it doesn?t seem to matter which one you take.? That?s because they?re consistent in the most crucial ingredients: folate and iron.

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Prenatal vitamins will make your kid smarter, says new studyThe importance of folate

Also known by its synthetic version, f...