Make Sure You’re Ready to Start a Family with a Daily Multi-Vitamin Such As Nestle Materna

When I was a young newlywed and ready to start a family, I knew that I needed to make sure my body was healthy and able to handle the strain of pregnancy. I limited processed foods and sugar in my diet, ate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and took a multi-vitamin every day. And because I had done some research about pre-natal health, the vitamin I chose was Nestlé Materna, which contains thirteen essential vitamins including 1 mg of folic acid.

I’m not alone in my knowledge of the importance of folic acid during pregnancy. In fact, in the recent Nestlé Materna Pre-natal Poll of Canadian women, 91% of those polled knew pregnant women should take a multi-vitamin containing folic acid. But what many women don’t realize is that they should be taking that multi-vitamin before becoming pregnant as well. About half of all pregnancies are unplanned and often, women don’t know they are pregnant until they’ve missed their first period. But folic acid is especially important in the first four weeks of pregnancy in order to prevent Neural Tube Defects such as spina bifida.

baby ultrasound

And the benefits of a daily multi-vitamin continue even after giving birth, especially for women that are breastfeeding. Nestlé Materna also provides iron, calcium and vitamin D to ensure that a woman’s body is capable of producing milk for her baby without compromising her own health in the process. As someone that doesn’t eat a lot of meat, getting enough iron is something that’s always been a challenge for me and I tend to bruise quite easily as a result. I still remember how the bruises on my legs faded in mere days once I started taking Nestlé Materna. That was enough evidence for me that it was providing nutrition my body desperately needed!

One of the other findings in the Nestlé Materna Pre-natal Poll was that for many women, simple healthy choices such as taking a multi-vitamin containing folic acid decline after the first baby. In fact, there is a 13% drop in the number of women who take pre-natal vitamins with folic acid when comparing the first pregnancy to third and later pregnancies. I have to admit, I understand how this can happen. After all, with a first pregnancy, a mother has the luxury of focusing completely on her body and the needs of the baby growing inside her. But with future pregnancies, a mother is already caring for a child as well as for herself, and women have a tendency to put their needs last when it comes to caring for their children.

nestle materna bottle

But when something as simple as one small multi-vitamin each day can help prevent serious disorders and ensure a healthy life for your baby, it’s important to find a way to remember to take that vitamin! One of the best ways I’ve found to remember a daily vitamin is to keep the bottle out and visible on the counter. I never seem to take my vitamins when the bottle is hidden away in the cupboard, but when the bottle is visible, remembering is much easier! And if you’re an on-the-go woman that is often out of the house, fill up a pill container and download a pill reminder app to ensure that you always remember to take that vitamin no matter where your day takes you.

When it comes to ensuring that you’re doing the best you can for your body and your baby, taking a daily multi-vitamin like Materna as soon as you start trying for a baby and continuing until you finish breastfeeding is one of the easiest and most effective choices you can make. Women can learn more about the pre-natal and post-natal nutrition at NestléBaby.ca. Remember, Health Canada recommends all women who could become pregnant, as well as those that are pregnant or breastfeeding, take a multi-vitamin containing at least 0.4 mg of folic acid such as Nestlé Materna. So if you’re starting a family, make sure you make a pre-natal vitamin part of your daily routine!

mommy kat and kids rp2

34 thoughts on “Make Sure You’re Ready to Start a Family with a Daily Multi-Vitamin Such As Nestle Materna”

  1. I’m taking an extra dose of folic acid along with my prenatal/postpartum vitamins, at my doctor’s recommendation. I noticed that my nails and hair are healthier when I’m on them too.

  2. Hi there..

    I stumbled across this article when viewing some other things on the site..I agree w/Christine above..& aside from some really great contests, most of the posts on here read like infomercials for whatever product…But I guess if you’re getting something for free, you’re going to review it favorable.
    I would HIGHLY recommend doing your research on Materna & on Nestle in particular..they have the WORST track record for “promoting” their products as being the one & only (& even recall when they were giving away formula to women in 3rd world countries..encouraging them to use it & not breast feed).
    I wouldn’t trust Nestle further than I can throw their global multi-national butts..there are LOTS of other & way better pre-natal vitamin (& whole food, nutritional, shake, etc) choices out there..do your research & talk to a naturopath (as most Dr’s don’t know a damn thing about vitamins & are just promoting whatever drug company came by with samples, or are giving kick-backs for)..Just b/c it’s the first one on the shelf, or the one with the most commercials on TV, doesn’t mean it it the best one (ingredients, or ethics..) Be informed.

    1. Thanks for sharing your opinion, Michelle. I actually live in Canada, and doctors here don’t receive kick-backs. Whether or not a woman chooses to trust her doctor is up to her; personally mine was wonderful and I trusted her and her opinion very much. This feature, as mentioned, is about the results of the survey and the importance of taking prenatal vitamins before becoming pregnant. And yes, since I don’t accept features for products I don’t believe I would enjoy, I do tend to feel positively about them. Of course, being an overall positive person injects itself into my writing style as well. :)

  3. I sure wish we would have had this kind of info when I was pregnant with my babies, years ago. I only remember starting to hear about folic acid in the mid 80s, with my third.

  4. Prenatals are definitely key when you’re thinking of having a baby. I remember I only started taking prenatal vitamins after I found out I was pregnant, but when I knew were were ready to expand our family with another baby, I started taking them earlier.

  5. I can see how it would be easy to let this slide for your second baby if you have a rambuntious older child running you ragged. So getting into a routine of taking the vitamin every night is a good idea.

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