During pregnancy, getting adequate nutrition and proper vitamins is top of mind for most moms-to-be. But the importance of vitamins should be considered before and after pregnancy in addition to those beloved nine months.

Many women of childbearing age in the United States do not maintain good nutritional status before, during or after pregnancy. National studies indicate that intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, zinc and especially calcium are less than recommended levels for women between 20 to 49 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These days, doctors encourage women to begin a prenatal vitamin even before pregnancy to get the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals and to prepare the body for the months to come. A prenatal vitamin includes all the daily vitamins needed in a woman's diet plus folic acid, which is very important during pregnancy to help decrease the risk of birth defects.

"Pregnancy is the most important time to eat the right foods for yourself and your baby," says Nicole Britvan, a registered dietitian in San Francisco, Calif., at the Kaiser Permanente Outpatient Nutritional Clinic. "Will the prenatal cover everything? It may, but we never encourage that. Prenatals are coverage to make sure you get what you need."

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