Folic Acid

[jld128]

hi all

just looking for some advice i am 13+5 weeks pregnant had dating scan last friday and everything is perfect, for the past year i have been on the higher does of folic acid due to a family history of spina bifida and since becoming pregnant i've been taking my folic acid plus a pregnancy vitamin, i'm just wondering now do i continue to take both or drop the folic acid now, i've left a vm for my midwife but just thought i'd ask on here in the meantime

TIA :)

If your multivitamin contains folic acid I wouldn't take a folic acid supplement on top. You will get some amount of folic acid from your diet as well.

I'm sure midwife would agree.

Thank you very much
thinking i was told to take both for the first 12weeks, i'll check tomorrow:)

justcurious OP will have been told to take higher dose Folic acid due to family history- it's a way way higher dose than in the pregnancy vits

OP- I think you really only need Vit D now as bubs is fully formed but given family history, I'd wait for confirmation. Straight Vit D should be in pharmacy and is much much cheaper than pregnacare etc

Not the same scenario as you OP, but my midwife told me to take folic acid for first tri, stop for the second, and continue again for the last xx

Never heard about taking it in the last one. Why did midwife say that toomuch

Definitely not the standard advice!

No idea! She said I could keep taking it in second if I preferred seeing as we would be continuing with it again in third tri! Am in a different country, remember having the same advice with my DD. Didn't look too much into it as I've hardly remembered to take them anyway, and blood shows all was fine

Folic acid is to prevent neural tube defects which would have formed by 12weeks therefore don't need to continue. Vitamin d should be taken through out pregnancy. However, if you have low folate levels you may be more likely to be anaemic so may be advised to take it again at a later stage

Thanks for all the advice i've just spoken to midwife and she has confirmed i don't need to take the higher dose folic acid anymore and to just continue with my pregnacare multi vit :) 1 healthy spine now built in my little pip!