One of the most important things a pregnant mother can do nutritionally is take a prenatal vitamin. Don't take my word for it; the CDC itself recommends that all women of childbearing age should be getting folic acid supplementation (a key component of prenatal vitamins), as it helps prevent certain types of birth defects. However, as a vegan, taking a supplement can be a difficult process, since many pills aren't made with us in mind. Fortunately, there are some ways around this.

Try a Vegan Prenatal Vitamin

Even though the typical store brand and cheap supplement brands aren't going to have vegan options, there are some terrific vitamin brands out there that do cater to vegans. Better yet, these tend to be some of the best prenatal vitamins out there!

Some great brands that offer vegan options include Rainbow Light and Deva. Rainbow Light in particular is a very well-reputed vitamin brand, with its Prenatal One getting 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon from over 650 reviewers.

Vegan DHA

DHA is important for your baby's brain function, but the most common source is fish oil, which simply won't do. Fortunately, there are algae-based sources of DHA that are vegan-safe. Deva comes through again with a vegan DHA that is easy to tak, just be sure to get the "Non-Fish" version rather than the "Delayed Release", which seems to have a much worse taste/smell.

Many prenatal vitamins don't normally come with DHA in them, so it's important to find a good source that you can take reliably.

Foods to Supplement Your Diet

Green, leafy vegetables are full of folic acid, which (as previously mentioned) is important for preventing birth defects. Try some broccoli in your stir fry or spinach on your salad to keep your folic acid stores high. Also, as an FYI, folic acid and folate are the same thing, so if you see something say "folate" don't be confused.

Hopefully this article was helpful to you, here's to a happy, healthy pregnancy!

Image Credit: jcheng on Flickr

Source: Prenatal Vitamin HQ