• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Find A Doctor
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home / Wellness / Baby's Health Center / Folic Acid: The Healthy Baby Vitamin

Folic Acid: The Healthy Baby Vitamin

folic acid pillsFolic acid is a pregnancy superhero!  Taking a daily multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid is one of the best ways to prevent birth defects and an important step toward having a healthy baby, yet only about one-third of women know about it.

Folic acid is a naturally occurring B vitamin. It helps a fetus’s neural tube develop properly. The neural tube is the part of a developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube does not close properly, a baby is born with a very serious birth defect called a neural tube defect (NTD).

The good news is that folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects. However, folic acid only works if taken before getting pregnant and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman may even know she is pregnant. Since nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, it’s important that all women of childbearing age (even if they’re not trying to get pregnant) get the recommended daily amount of folic acid.

The best way to get enough folic acid is to take a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid in it and eat healthy foods. Most multivitamins have this amount, but check the label to be sure. You also can get folate (the natural form of folic acid) in some foods you eat, but most women don’t get the recommended amount of folate or folic acid from foods alone.

You May Also Like
9 Foods You Should Never Eat after Age 30

About 3,000 pregnancies are affected by neural tube defects each year in the United States. If all women took adequate folic acid before getting pregnant and during early pregnancy, up to 70 percent of neural tube defects could be prevented.

Once you’re pregnant, you should increase your folic acid intake to at least 600 micrograms of folic acid. Your prenatal vitamin should have the right amount of folic acid you’ll need during pregnancy.

Most women should limit the amount of folic acid they take to 1,000 micrograms a day unless otherwise directed by a health provider. For example, women who have had a previous pregnancy affected by birth defects of the brain and spine and women with sickle cell disease should be sure to talk with…

Continue Reading

The Latest In Baby's Health Center

Black Newborns Die 3 Times More when Looked after by White Doctors

Black babies in the United States are facing an uphill battle. We already know by reports that we've shared that Black women are more likely to die in childbirth and any other race. But now, new research has shown that read more about Black Newborns Die 3 Times More when Looked after by White Doctors

Have You Tried Vaseline For Your Child’s Summer Eczema?

Eczema is one of the leading skin ailments in the US. That’s evident by the $3.8 billion per year that’s spent on treatments and medications. A large percentage of infants develop atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. It read more about Have You Tried Vaseline For Your Child’s Summer Eczema?

Bell’s Palsy: The Misunderstood Facial Condition

What is Bell's palsy? Bell's palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. Damage to the facial nerve that controls muscles on one side of the face causes that side of your face read more about Bell’s Palsy: The Misunderstood Facial Condition

*UPDATE*: Dad Raises Quadruplets After Wife Dies During Childbirth

Since March 2015, almost 13,000 people have donated to single dad Carlos Morales' GoFundMe page, and even more have been captivated by his story – including celebrities. Carlos brought home the quadruplets in March 2015, a whole two months after they read more about *UPDATE*: Dad Raises Quadruplets After Wife Dies During Childbirth
Pregnant woman

Gestational Diabetes & Postpartum Depression: More Than The Baby Blues 

There is evidence that mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes have an elevated risk of developing postpartum depression symptoms. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop in the late stages of pregnancy in women who don’t already have read more about Gestational Diabetes & Postpartum Depression: More Than The Baby Blues 
Breast Milk Production

6 Natural Ways To Increase Your Breast Milk Production

The time has come to feed your little one and you want to start off on the right foot! They say “breast is best”, but this natural nectar may not come as easy to some. The good news is that read more about 6 Natural Ways To Increase Your Breast Milk Production

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Rihanna: The Healthy “Thick” Weight PlanRihanna: The Healthy "Thick" Weight Plan
  • 10 Cities With The Highest HIV Rates10 Cities With The Highest HIV Rates
  • Mrs. Parker From ‘Friday’ at 70 & Still Turning Heads!Mrs. Parker From 'Friday' at 70 & Still Turning Heads!
  • Best-Selling Author, Eric Jerome Dickey, Dead at 59Best-Selling Author, Eric Jerome Dickey, Dead at 59
  • 14 Most-Overlooked HIV Symptoms14 Most-Overlooked HIV Symptoms

Podcast

Diabetes prevention and management podcast

Dr. LeNoir is joined by Dr. Lenore Coleman, a Pharmacist and Founder of Healing Our Village, as they offer you the tools you need to prevent and manage diabetes.

Listen Now

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2021, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.