What should I do if I didn’t take folic acid before pregnancy? Can I take folic acid after pregnancy?

Many mothers are worried that they didn't notice when they were pregnant, let alone taking folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy. Expectant mothers should not worry. If you didn't take folic acid before pregnancy, it is still useful to take it in time after pregnancy. However, it is not good to take too much folic acid~

What to do if you didn't take folic acid before pregnancy

What should I do if I didn’t take folic acid before pregnancy? If you didn’t take folic acid before pregnancy, you can take folic acid three months after pregnancy. If you haven’t taken folic acid for three months, you can go to the hospital for an ultrasound to confirm whether the fetus has neural tube defects. If not, not taking folic acid before pregnancy will not have a big impact on the health of the fetus. Maintaining a balanced nutrition and a regular schedule will be of great help to the healthy development of the fetus.

It is generally recommended that expectant mothers take folic acid three months before and after pregnancy, which can promote the maturation of young cells in the bone marrow and prevent neural tube defects in the fetus. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin, usually found in high levels in various fruits and fresh vegetables, with citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables being the richest. In addition, animals' liver and kidneys also contain a lot of folic acid. Foods with high folic acid content include animal liver, leafy green vegetables, bean sprouts, cereals, peanuts, etc. For example, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, green vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, rapeseed, Chinese cabbage, oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, etc. are all foods rich in folic acid. Expectant mothers should pay attention to eating more of these foods in their diet, which can also help supplement folic acid.

Pregnant mothers are worried about what to do if they did not take folic acid before pregnancy. Generally speaking, a certain amount of folic acid can be taken in through food. If the pregnant mother is not picky about food and eats more fresh vegetables and fruits, the intake of folic acid is sufficient. However, if a mother who has previously been pregnant with a baby with neural tube defects is preparing for pregnancy again, the probability of having a baby with neural tube defects is 2%-5%, or if there is a spina bifida patient in the family, the baby born is likely to have congenital malformations. Therefore, this type of women should follow the doctor's advice before pregnancy and take folic acid according to the dosage to reduce the incidence of congenital malformations in the fetus and promote the healthy development of the baby.

I didn't take folic acid before pregnancy and found that it was still useful after I was pregnant.

Although more and more couples of childbearing age are planning their family planning, there are still many cases of accidental pregnancies. The unexpected arrival of the baby makes prospective parents happy and surprised. They are happy that they will become parents, but surprised that they heard that they should take folic acid tablets before pregnancy. Is it still useful to take them now that they are pregnant? After discovering pregnancy, it is still necessary to take folic acid tablets as long as it is within 3 months of pregnancy. Folic acid plays an important role in cell division and growth, nucleic acid, amino acid, and protein synthesis. It is an indispensable nutrient for the growth and development of the fetus. The first 3 months of pregnancy is a critical period for fetal neural development. If the expectant mother lacks folic acid at this time, it is easy to cause fetal neural tube defects and increase the incidence of spina bifida and anencephaly. Therefore, it is best to start taking folic acid tablets 3 months before pregnancy until 3 months after pregnancy. In view of the fact that there are many people with accidental pregnancies, couples of childbearing age should take folic acid tablets regardless of whether they are planning to get pregnant.

Supplementing folic acid is not the more the better. Excessive folic acid intake may cause dementia in babies.

It is necessary to take folic acid tablets, but excessive intake of folic acid not only fails to prevent fetal malformations, but can easily lead to zinc deficiency in expectant mothers. If the expectant mother continues to be zinc deficient, it will cause dementia in the baby. Some expectant mothers not only take folic acid tablets, but also consume various nutritional supplements, such as maternal milk powder, multivitamin tablets, etc. Multivitamin tablets and some maternal milk powder contain folic acid. If you only take one multivitamin tablet or only drink maternal milk powder, it is generally safe for expectant mothers. However, if you take folic acid tablets at the same time, it may be an overdose. The folic acid intake of ordinary expectant mothers is 0.4 mg/day. If you are an expectant mother with a family history of neural tube defects, you should consult a doctor and increase the dosage appropriately.