Taking a daily prenatal vitamin is an easy way to help support a healthy pregnancy. The options below are closely aligned with recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Always talk with your prenatal care provider before starting any new vitamin or supplement.
Prenatal vitamin options include:
- Horbaach Women’s Prenatal Multivitamin
- One A Day Multivitamin Complete Advanced Prenatal
- Nature Made Prenatal All-in-One Softgel
- Theranatal One Prenatal Vitamin
- Walgreen’s Prenatal Multivitamin Softgel
- Zahler Prenatal Vitamin with DHA + Folate
Choline
Choline supports your baby’s brain and nervous system development.
Goal: About 450 to 550 mg per day from food and/or supplements.
Choline-rich foods include:
- Chicken breast
- Salmon
- Pork chops
- Eggs
- Skirt steak
- Shrimp
- Navy beans
- Milk
- Broccoli
- Green peas
Choline supplements are available in different strengths, such as 300 mg, 500 mg, or 550 mg. Your provider can help you choose the right dose.
Calcium
Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth for both you and your baby.
Goal: About 1,000 mg per day from food and/or supplements.
Calcium-rich foods include:
- Yogurt and kefir
- Milk (cow’s milk and fortified soy or almond milk)
- Cheese
- Spinach and kale
- Tofu
- Salmon
- Chia seeds
- White beans and lentils
- Almonds
- Figs
- Fortified orange juice
Calcium supplements also come in different strengths, such as 500 mg, 600 mg, or 1,000 mg. If you do not get enough calcium from your diet, your provider may recommend a supplement.
Additional information available at: www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy
Getting recommended vaccines during pregnancy is a safe and effective way to protect both you and your baby from serious illnesses. The vaccines most commonly recommended in pregnancy include flu, Tdap (whooping cough), COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). These vaccines can help keep you healthy and provide your baby with protection after birth. Always talk with your prenatal care provider about which vaccines are right for you.
Flu (Influenza) Vaccine
The flu vaccine is:
- Safe for you and your baby during any trimester of pregnancy
- Effective at reducing the risk of severe flu illness while you are pregnant
How does it protect my baby?
After you receive the flu vaccine, your body makes antibodies that are passed to your baby during pregnancy. These antibodies help protect your baby from the flu until they are old enough to get their own flu vaccine at 6 months of age.
Whooping Cough (Tdap) Vaccine
The whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) is:
- Safe for you and your baby
- Recommended between 27 and 36 weeks of each pregnancy
How does it protect my baby?
The Tdap vaccine helps your body make antibodies that pass to your baby before birth. These antibodies help protect your baby from whooping cough until they can start their own whooping cough (DTaP) vaccine series at about 2 months of age.
COVID-19 Vaccine
The COVID-19 vaccine is:
- Safe for you and your baby during any trimester of pregnancy
- Effective at reducing the risk of severe illness from COVID-19
How does it protect my baby?
After vaccination, your body creates antibodies that can be passed to your baby during pregnancy. These antibodies may help protect your baby from COVID-19 until they are old enough to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, typically starting around 6 months of age.
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Vaccine – Pfizer
The Pfizer RSV vaccine is:
- Safe for you and your baby
- Recommended if you are between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy during RSV season (September through January)
How does it protect my baby?
The RSV vaccine helps your body make antibodies that are passed to your baby before birth. These antibodies can help protect your baby from severe RSV illness during the first 6 months after birth.
