Every expectant mother knows that being healthy while pregnant is essential both for her and for her unborn baby. This is why most pregnant women often take special diets and frequently go to the doctor for checkups to ensure that all is going well with the pregnancy.

However, not many women are aware that you can actually start preparing for your baby’s health even before you become pregnant, and this is by increasing their intake of folic acid.

The main role of folic acid in the body is to assist in the production of erythrocytes or red blood cells. It is an essential nutrient for the development of unborn babies especially during the fetus stage. Folic acid is responsible for the prevention of neural defects and the health of the baby’s brain. To make sure that the unborn child gets adequate amount of this nutrient, a pregnant woman should take about 600 to 800 micrograms of folic acid everyday.

The neural tube in a human embryo is actually a hollow tube of tissue that will develop into the spinal cord and the brain. This development occurs about two weeks following conception. If the neural tube fails to develop properly, this can result in various types of neural tube defects, such as the following:

• Spina Bifida
  This happens when the neural tube does not completely close when developing into the spinal cord. In the mildest cases, this defect won’t have any health consequences at all. However, there are some severe cases where this will result in permanent paralysis.

There are surgical solutions that can be done after the child is born, but there is really no guarantee that the condition can be treated. Children who are born with spina bifida must be monitored closely to make sure their bones are developing normally.

• Anencephaly
  When the neural tube development is incomplete, part of the brain will be left uncovered, and this can cause severe mental retardation. In many cases, it will inevitably lead to death.
• Encephalocele
  This happens when the skull does not develop fully, leaving a hole where part of the brain is exposed. This can be surgically corrected after birth but there are no guarantees of complete recovery.
• Death
  With some neural tube defects, the damage will be so severe that the baby will die in the mother’s womb.

How to Get the Right Amount of Folic Acid

When a pregnant woman consumes adequate amounts of folic acid before and during her pregnancy, she considerably reduces the risks of neural tube defects. Getting healthy doses of folic acid is important for everyone but for women who are actively trying to conceive, it is even more important to get sufficient amounts of this nutrient.

There are several folic acid supplements available, as well as regular food products fortified with this substance. However, the best source of folic acid is still by eating foods that are naturally abundant with it, such as the following:

• Legumes
• Nuts
• Organ meats
• Whole grains
• Leafy green vegetables

Folic acid is not water-soluble so it is stored by the body and you don’t need to take it everyday. However, if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, a daily dose of folic acid is recommended.

As you have seen, the risks involved in suffering from folic acid deficiency during pregnancy are much too serious to ignore. For this reason, you should start increasing your folic acid intake even years before you plan to have a child.