Your diet must provide both you and your developing baby with the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals you both need. It's important that pregnant women not overdo their intake of fats, oils, and sweets. One place where Dad can take a role in a healthy pregnancy is by helping Mom to get the vitamins and minerals she and the developing baby need.
Some women have trouble getting enough of certain foods.
For example, lactose intolerant women may be unable to have milk products. A prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement should be taken once a day to help fill the gap. One vitamin, called folic acid, deserves special mention. Getting at least 0.4 mg of folic acid every day in the months preceding pregnancy and the first 6 weeks of pregnancy has been shown to decrease the incidence of spina bifida, a common birth defect. Many women take prenatal vitamins or multivitamins while they are trying to get pregnant.