Calcium with Vitamin D in Pregnancy

I have been taking Calcium with Vitamin D supplements for a couple of months now and since I became pregnant I started to wonder if I should continue taking the supplements.

Heres what I found on the Internet.

Vitamin D - Why do we need Vitamin D?

Vitamin D helps us to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphate in our body. We need calcium and phosphate to keep your bones and teeth healthy.

Vitamin D also help us fight infections and may even reduce our risk of getting some cancers, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

If we don't get enough Vitamin D when we are pregnant or breastfeeding, it can preven our baby from absorbing calcium properly. A lack of calcium can cause our baby to develop weak teeth and bones.

How can we get Vitamin D?

There are two ways we can get Vitamin D:

• Our body makes Vitamin D in response to sunlight
• We can get vitamin D from our food, drinks or supplements

Good sources of Vitamin D in food include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, and foods fortified with Vitamin D such as margarine and some breakfast cereals. Res meat and egg yolk also provide a little Vitamin D.

During the winter when there isn't as much sunlight, our food and body stores will give us the Vitamin D we need.

Do we need to take Vitamin D supplement?
It's recommended that we take a supplement containing 10mcg of Vitamin D during pregnancy and while we are breastfeeding.

Most pregnancy multivitamins contain Vitamin D. Only take a multivitamin that's made specially for pregnancy.

Vitamin D levels can be checked with a blood test. Pregnant women who are at a risk will be offered a blood test early in pregnancy. If the level is too low, you will be advused to take Vitamin D supplements. You should take the amount of supplement prescribed by your doctor or midwife.  This amount may change depending on what your blood level is. Sometimes higher doses are needed at first to build your level up. There is no danger of over dose with these amounts.

Vitamin C & Pregnancy

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is essential for tissue repair, wound healing, bone growth and repair and healthy skin. Vitamin C also helps our bodyy fight infection and it acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage.

I know both pregnant women and the baby needs this vitamin daily - its necessary for the body to make collagen, a structural protein thats a component of cartilage, tendons, bones and skin. Based on animal studies, some researches believe that Vitamin C deficiencies in newborn babies can impair mental development.

Vitamin C also helps our body absorb iron. 

Some studies show that taking too much Vitamin C in the form of supplements during pregnancy may increase the risk of preterm birth and there are rare reports of babies with scurvy (a severe vitamin C deficiency) to expectant moms who took vitamin C supplements. Of course excessive vitamin C can also upset your stomach.

I also heard that taking too much Vit C can cause cell damage in the fetus. 

Vit C is also in a lot of foods we consume everyday but it is also water-soluble so you do lose a lot of it every time you pee and pregnant women do pee more than other people! Besides, it is a primal vitamin to support our immune system, which is crucial during pregnancy. 

Heres the recommended amount of vitamin C I found:

Pregnant women - 85mg 

Pregnant 18 years or younger - 80mg

Breastfeeding women - 120mg

Breastfeeding 18 years or younger - 115mg

I have been taking at least 3000mg of Vitamin C but I guess I should look at cutting it down. The recommended daily intake is 85mg for pregnant women age 19 and older. The maximum is 2,000 mg per day. I am taking Elevit which contains 80mg, so I should be only taking 1000-1500mg of Vit C instead.