TThe Importance and Function of Vit C in a Pregnant Woman’s DietVitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, which means we do not store it in our bodies long. Because of this, we must eat sources of vitamin C frequently throughout our day to be well. Also, it is a bit of a “fragile” vitamin, depleted from our bodies by stress, and it is sensitive to air, light and heat. Vitamin C is one of the most important antioxidants found in nature. That means that it fights free radicals in your blood stream, and makes it so that they cannot do damage to your cells. Vitamin C is essential to the health of your body’s cells, as a matter of fact, and in the integrity of the space BETWEEN the cells. It helps your body to produce collagen, which is a protein that your body needs to form connective tissue in ligaments (your uterus is slung by ligaments!), skin, and bones. If you are careful to eat adequate amounts of Vitamin C in your diet during pregnancy, your tissue is less likely to tear when you push your baby out. It also means that you are less likely to hemorrhage AFTER birth. Eating a diet high in sources of vitamin C means that you will build a healthy placenta, have healthier and stronger blood vessel walls (which means that you are likely to have varicosities and hemorrhoids), and it also means that you will have fewer stretch marks at the end of pregnancy as well as having tissue that bounces back and regains its shape more quickly after pregnancy!
One of the benefits of adequate intake of Vitamin C during pregnancy is that your amniotic sac is dependent on it to stay intact during labor. Since your amniotic sac acts as a hydraulic system and protects you and the baby both from contractions, and protects both you and the baby from infection, it is a good thing to avoid being in the 11% of women who begin labor with a spontaneous rupture of membranes. One easy way to do this is to build strong amniotic membranes by feeding your body enough Vitamin C from the beginning of pregnancy on!
Having adequate Vitamin C in your diet also means that your baby’s cells (and the space between them), bones, skin, and blood vessels will be in better shape at birth and in early infancy. After birth, continuing to eat good amounts of Vitamin C will mean that your body has plenty to access to add to your breast milk, ensuring that your baby continues to get adequate Vitamin C to be well, this time in its milk.
Getting more than 2,000mg of Vitamin C in a day can put a pregnant woman at risk of miscarriage or premature birth, and can actually cause a dependency in the newborn baby! That said, eating FOODS rich in Vitamin C, rather than supplementing with a pill, makes it more difficult to overdose on the vitamin, as you tend to feel full well before you reach a dangerous level vitamins! Use Google to find a list of foods rich in Vitamin C. Some of them may surprise you! Try to vary where you get your Vitamin C, as having a varied diet ensures that you get a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants for your body to utilize.
One of the benefits of adequate intake of Vitamin C during pregnancy is that your amniotic sac is dependent on it to stay intact during labor. Since your amniotic sac acts as a hydraulic system and protects you and the baby both from contractions, and protects both you and the baby from infection, it is a good thing to avoid being in the 11% of women who begin labor with a spontaneous rupture of membranes. One easy way to do this is to build strong amniotic membranes by feeding your body enough Vitamin C from the beginning of pregnancy on!
Having adequate Vitamin C in your diet also means that your baby’s cells (and the space between them), bones, skin, and blood vessels will be in better shape at birth and in early infancy. After birth, continuing to eat good amounts of Vitamin C will mean that your body has plenty to access to add to your breast milk, ensuring that your baby continues to get adequate Vitamin C to be well, this time in its milk.
Getting more than 2,000mg of Vitamin C in a day can put a pregnant woman at risk of miscarriage or premature birth, and can actually cause a dependency in the newborn baby! That said, eating FOODS rich in Vitamin C, rather than supplementing with a pill, makes it more difficult to overdose on the vitamin, as you tend to feel full well before you reach a dangerous level vitamins! Use Google to find a list of foods rich in Vitamin C. Some of them may surprise you! Try to vary where you get your Vitamin C, as having a varied diet ensures that you get a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants for your body to utilize.