To encourage a healthy pregnancy, you must depend on prenatal vitamin supplements that can meet the special nutritional requirements of the times. During pregnancy, the body needs a high amount of folic acid, calcium, and iron together with a range for vitamins and omega-3-fatty acid and DHA that are all very essential for the good health of mom and baby and ensure safe childbirth. When you have a well-balanced diet backed up with supplements packed with prenatal vitamins, your body receives the vital nutrition throughout the various stages of pregnancy.

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Prescription prenatal vitamin supplements

You can buy prenatal vitamin supplements at many stores, because it does not require a prescription to purchase prenatal vitamin supplements, but having a prescription might help you in some way to choose the right product. It means that buying a supplement against a prescription is your personal choice if you want to increase the likelihood of receiving the right amount of nutrition from the supplement. Although all nutritional information is available on the label of the product, what it translates for you is not easy to understand, and only a doctor can tell how good it will be for you. This helps because individuals have specific dietary needs, and the doctor can prescribe a product that contains a particular vitamin that you might need.  

OTC supplements 

If you are buying OTC (over the counter) prenatal vitamin supplements, then you must have some knowledge to understand the implications of the ingredients as stated on the label. It should help to know how much use the supplement will be for you. Choose a supplement that contains folic acid, calcium, iron, and DHA in Omega-3-fatty acids, even if you are not sure about the other vitamins and minerals.  Vitamin A, B, C, and D, as well as zinc, are the other nutrients that the supplement must contain. If you want to have a high amount of some vitamins, then you must know about its dosage to judge if the supplement suits you.

If you are buying OTC supplements, you should be very careful to know what you are buying because the products are unregulated, meaning there is no quality monitoring by regulatory agencies as applicable for prescription supplements. Mary Ruth Organics is a good quality brand that offers a variety of prenatal and postnatal vitamin options, from liquids to capsules.

Look for approval of the product

A safe way of buying the right quality prenatal vitamin supplements is to buy products that have the approval of some independent organizations such as the US Pharmacopeial Convention or NSF International. The endorsement assures a high-quality product, and you can always consult your doctor to confirm that you have chosen the right prenatal vitamins that you need.