Nutrients, how much more and why do you need and where to get them?

Vitamin B12/Cobalamin- The demand during pregnancy increases by 10% compared to that of a non-pregnant woman. 

Why does a pregnant lady need Vitamin B12/Cobalamin?

Vitamin B12/cobalamin is crucial to the pregnant woman for:

• proper functioning of red blood cells, a deficiency leads to anemia (abnormal production of red blood cells). Vitamin B12 is "essential" for the production of red blood cells
• proper functioning of the nervous system, deficiency may lead to neurological symptoms such as tingling, numbness, muscle weakness and nerve damage
• proper development of baby and its delivery without any complications, deficiency is linked to increased birth defects (neural tube defects, spinal cord and brain development problems) and impaired brain processing. 

So, in what foods is Vitamin B12/Cobalamin found?

• Fish
• shellfish
• liver
• red meat
• eggs
• poultry
• dairy products such as milk cheese and yogurt
• fortified nutritional yeast
• fortified breakfast cereals
• enriched soy milk or rice milk