Why Your Nutrient Needs Skyrocket in Pregnancy (And How to Choose the Right Prenatal)

Pregnancy is a season when your body simply needs more—more rest, more support, and yes, more nutrients. During this time, demands for key nutrients like folate, iodine, choline, and vitamin D increase significantly. If these needs aren’t met, deficiencies can have long-term effects not only for you, but for your growing baby as well.

Nourishing your body during this incredibly important and transformative time isn’t optional—it’s foundational to supporting a healthy pregnancy.

Is a healthy diet enough?

Even when you’re eating a well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet, it can still be difficult to meet all of your increased nutrient needs during pregnancy through food alone. This is where a high-quality prenatal vitamin becomes an essential part of your pregnancy toolkit.

Let’s break down a few of the most important nutrients to look for—and why they matter.

Folate

Folate (vitamin B9) is a critical micronutrient for fetal brain and spinal cord development. In the very early weeks of pregnancy—often before someone even knows they’re pregnant—the neural tube forms and closes, eventually developing into the brain and spinal cord. This process typically happens within the first 3–4 weeks of pregnancy.

Folate plays a central role in this process by supporting rapid cell growth and division, as well as methylation—a biochemical process that is essential for proper neural tube closure and healthy brain and spinal cord development.

A quick (and gentle!) biochemistry moment—bear with us. Many supplements and fortified foods use folic acid, which is a synthetic form of vitamin B9. Folic acid must be converted in the body to its active form, methylfolate, before it can be fully utilized. Some individuals have a harder time completing this conversion, which can lead to less-than-optimal absorption.

To bypass this conversion step altogether and support optimal absorption, it’s ideal to choose a prenatal that contains methylfolate rather than folic acid.

Current Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) in the U.S. are:

• 400 mcg/day for women of childbearing age who are not pregnant
• 600 mcg/day for pregnant women

Iodine

Iodine is a crucial micronutrient for thyroid health and function. If you want a deeper dive into iodine’s role in fertility, thyroid health, reproductive health, and hormone balance, be sure to check out our earlier blog: Iodine and Women’s Health: What You Need to Know.

When it comes to pregnancy, iodine deserves special attention. It plays a key role in fetal brain and nervous system development, as well as in thyroid hormone production and regulation for both mom and baby.

The current RDAs in the U.S. are:

• 150 mcg/day for women of childbearing age who are not pregnant
• 220 mcg/day for pregnant women

Because iodine intake varies widely based on diet and food sourcing, it’s an especially important nutrient to confirm is included in your prenatal.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Calcium is essential for bone health, and during pregnancy, needs increase to support fetal skeletal development. At the same time, adequate calcium intake helps protect and maintain mom’s own calcium stores.

During breastfeeding, approximately 3–5% of a mother’s calcium stores can be depleted through breast milk production. While these losses haven’t been directly linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, ensuring adequate calcium intake before, during, and after pregnancy is still incredibly important.

One of the best ways to support calcium absorption? Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in fetal immune system development, overall fetal growth, and—importantly—calcium absorption.

Without getting too deep into the weeds, the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) helps activate receptors in the intestines that increase the production of calcium-transporting proteins. These proteins work together to improve calcium absorption into the bloodstream—essentially helping your body actually use the calcium you’re consuming.

Current RDAs in the U.S.:

• Calcium: 1000–1300 mg/day (pregnant and non-pregnant women)
• Vitamin D: 15 mcg/day (pregnant and non-pregnant women)

 
Many perinatal practitioners recommend higher levels of vitamin D for optimal lab levels.

So… which prenatal should I choose?

Understanding nutrient needs is one thing—actually choosing a prenatal is another. With so many options on the market, it’s no wonder this step feels overwhelming.

One important thing to know: many prenatals still rely on outdated RDAs that were originally based on research conducted in men’s bodies—not women’s, and certainly not pregnant women’s.

This is where Needed stands out.

Needed recognized this gap and created prenatals that are science-backed and designed with women’s unique needs in mind—especially during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum, when nutrient demands are higher across the board.

Needed Prenatal Multi provides 5x more nutrition than outdated RDAs, helping better meet the increased nutrient demands of pregnancy.*

How does Needed compare to other prenatals?

Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials delivers *8x more nutrition than other leading prenatals on the market.
It includes 551 mcg of folate in the methylated form, to support healthy neural tube development and methylation..

And yes—it really is that good.

Needed prenatals are third-party tested, meaning an independent, unbiased organization verifies the safety, quality, and accuracy of all label claims. In short: what’s on the label is exactly what’s in the product.

Needed offers multiple prenatal options: capsules and a vanilla powder, so you can choose what works best for you. I used the vanilla powder during my first pregnancy when I simply couldn’t swallow any pills and it was such a game changer for me personally. 

You can easily purchase Needed prenatals directly through their website:
https://thisisneeded.com/products/prenatal-multi-essentials

Looking for More Support? 

Navigating prenatal nutrition—and figuring out how to best support both you and your baby—can feel confusing. You don’t have to do this alone.

Using every tool available to you, including personalized nutrition guidance and high-quality supplementation, is one of the simplest ways to support a healthy pregnancy. Our 1:1 coaching services are designed to be that extra layer of support—someone firmly in your corner.

Let’s do this together. Reach out today to begin your journey toward nourishing and supporting your growing life with expert guidance every step of the way.

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This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to my patients and personally use.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

*Based on the total daily dosage of nutrients provided compared to leading prenatals as determined by IRI sales data as of December 2025

Sources:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4933077/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-bone-health