The pregnancy phase is a very important period for women. The doctors always recommend maintaining the optimum levels of all of them. Of all, Vitamin K during pregnancy is one of the most essential and ignored vitamins by many pregnant women.
Every small meal or supplement that you consume takes a direct toll and also affects the little one. Hence, it is essential to know in detail about the uses of Vitamin K during pregnancy and make sure you maintain them appropriately. If you are new to this topic, don’t worry at all, we have got you covered. This article will encapsulate, in detail, the essence of vitamin K and pregnancy.
In This Article
- What is the Importance of Vitamin K During Pregnancy?
- How Much Vitamin K is Needed in a Pregnancy Diet?
- Food Sources of Vitamin K
- Can You Take Vitamin K Supplements While Pregnant?
- Do Prenatal Vitamins Have Vitamin K?
What is the Importance of Vitamin K During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, vitamin K generally provides us with a bundle of benefits. The body requires a lot of strength and immunity during both pre and post-delivery conditions. Vitamin K helps your body to get ready for the delivery and ensures self-healing after delivery. The importance of vitamin K during pregnancy are discussed as under:
- Vitamin-K has similar properties to calcium. Hence, it helps to develop healthy bones and improve bone density. Healthy bones are significant, especially during labor and post-delivery healing.
- It is essential to make sure your body has adequate blood to prepare itself for the delivery. Vitamin-K does this job for us during pregnancy.
- In very rare circumstances, pregnancy may cause some bad tooth decay. Vitamin K helps us from the acids that harm the tooth.
How Much Vitamin K is Needed in a Pregnancy Diet?
There is a saying which goes, “too much of anything is good for nothing.” Likewise, too much of any vitamin is not suitable for both you and the little one inside you. So, how much Vitamin K do you require during pregnancy?
Vitamin K is commonly contained in all the regular foods that we consume. Hence, you have to follow a healthy and balanced diet to get adequate Vitamin K. The composition of the vitamin is not lost during cooking. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, and the liver comfortably stores it for future use.
The requirement of Vitamin K during pregnancy differs between every individual based on size or weight. According to the NHS published report, on average, an adult required one mcg (microgram) of vitamin K in a day for each kilogram you weigh.
For instance, if you weigh 75 kg, you require 75 mcg of vitamin K each day. Please note that a microgram should not be confused with a milligram. One milligram is 1000 times bigger than one microgram.
Food Sources of Vitamin K:
It is better to consult your doctor and know the existing levels of vitamin-K as too much vitamin-K in your body can result in a detrimental effect. You can rely on food sources of vitamin K. The following are the food that is rich in Vitamin K.
- All leafy green vegetables including spinach, collard, lettuce, and kale.
- Other vegetables like beetroot, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, leeks, cucumber, artichokes, peas, and beans.
- Eggs
- Fish
- Cottage Cheese, cream, and milk
- Olive Oil, Canola Oil, and Soya bean Oil are believed to have the highest vitamin K levels.
Can You Take Vitamin K Supplements While Pregnant?
As mentioned before, vitamin K is a commonly available substance in all the food that we consume. But, it depends on every individual body condition with the intensity of the consumption of the vitamin, for example, if you have any pre-existing medical condition or your medical condition does not support adequate consumption of Vitamin-K then the consumption needs to be monitored accordingly.
Lower consumption of vitamin K affects your body and the fetus’s health condition. In such circumstances, supplements can help you in getting the unabsorbed portions.
Certain women also tend to develop cholestasis during pregnancy. It is a precarious condition that delays or hinders the normal flow of bile in the gallbladder. Severe itching is a common symptom of this condition. The significant risk of cholestasis is early delivery.
A healthy diet and adequate vitamins are necessary for the proper development of the baby. Hence, it is necessary to discuss with your doctor and take the supplements based on their suggestions.
If your body is such that it naturally does not consume adequate vitamin K during pregnancy, then the body might contain low levels of blood clotting. Therefore, the doctors might recommend a supplement or injection to increase the levels of vitamin K. This may increase the levels of vitamin K during pregnancy and decrease the unusual bleeding. It is recommended to take the proper suggestion of your doctor before taking supplements to stop unusual bleeding.
Do Prenatal Vitamins Have Vitamin K?
Prenatal vitamins are the extra supplements your doctor suggests to help you support the pregnancy phase. Though most of the significant vitamins meet in the food we consume during pregnancy, an extra inch of each must keep both you and the fetus healthy. Hence, it is essential to cover up the nutritional gaps with the help of prenatal vitamins. And vitamin K is one of the most important nutrients in prenatal vitamins. It also supports a healthy heart. Hence, it is always including it in the prenatal vitamins.
Pregnancy is both an exciting and confusing phase. Too much information flows your way, and it takes time to understand and digest each of them. The benefits of vitamin K during pregnancy and its importance is one such topic that you need to research even before you try to get pregnant as the levels are very important for you and your unborn baby.
