What to Look for in a Prenatal: The first important decision as a mom
- Natalie Wescott
- Dec 13, 2025
- 8 min read
You can be eating well, sleeping well, and doing “all the right things" but still fall short nutritionally during pregnancy. I see this all the time with women who genuinely prioritize their health. They can cook from scratch, choose organic produce, eat high quality proteins, and focus on whole foods... yet their labs still come back low in iron, vitamin D, choline, magnesium, or omega-3s.
But why? Isn't food the best source of nutrition?
The answer is yes, but also no. Pregnancy is the only time in life when your body is building two systems at once, your own and your baby’s. Blood volume increases almost 50 percent. The brain and nervous system form at remarkable speed. Hormones rise dramatically. Every one of these changes demands micronutrients at levels far beyond your standard, pre-pregnancy needs.
Most women simply cannot meet these needs with food alone, even when eating well. And that's not the woman's fault! There are so many reasons why diet alone is not enough, and that is what I want to explore in this post.
This post walks through the key nutrients required in preconception and pregnancy, why deficiencies are so common, and how thoughtful supplementation can support (not replace) a nutrient-dense, whole-food lifestyle.
Why Diet Alone Is Not Enough
Before diving into the nutrients, it’s important to understand the larger context: nutrition needs during pregnancy and postpartum have dramatically increased, while the nutritional density in food has historically decreased.
Even the most intentional eater will face challenges meeting prenatal requirements.
Soil depletion has lowered nutrient density in produce
Modern farming practices and mineral-poor soil mean today’s fruits and vegetables often contain fewer vitamins and minerals than they used to. This affects magnesium, selenium, zinc, B vitamins, and more. Women simply cannot rely on produce alone for the same nutritional benefits that food provided 60 years ago.
Even organic produce, though grown more cleanly, still only contains the minerals that were available in the soil it came from.
Pregnancy dramatically increases nutrient requirements
Building a placenta, expanding blood volume, forming neural tissue, and supporting rapid fetal growth demands a higher level of iron, folate, choline, omega-3s, iodine, protein, and magnesium. Many of these needs double during pregnancy!
For example:
Iron needs rise from 18 mg/day to 27 mg/day.
Choline needs climb to at least 450 mg/day, and many women benefit from twice that amount (930 mg).
DHA needs spike during the third trimester as the fetal brain grows rapidly.
Folate becomes essential not only for fetal development but also for healthy placental function.
It is almost impossible to meet these clinical-level targets with diet alone.
Nausea, food aversions, and digestive changes limit intake
Pregnancy nausea often reduces intake of proteins, vegetables, and nutrient-rich foods. The hormonal slowing of the GI tract also affects appetite and absorption. Even the most well-planned meals mean little if your body cannot tolerate them consistently.
Nutrient absorption varies widely between women
Two women can eat the same diet and absorb wildly different nutrient levels. There are many environmental, medical, and emotional impacts that can impair absorption.
Many prenatal nutrients are scarce in the modern diet
Some of the nutrients with the highest demand in pregnancy are the ones many women naturally under-consume:
Choline (highest in egg yolks and liver)
Omega-3s (highest in fatty fish)
Iron (highest in red meat and organ meats)
Magnesium (highest in nuts, seeds, greens, cacao, legumes)
Unless a woman consumes these foods daily and in substantial amounts, she may struggle to meet recommended intakes through food alone. Some of these nutrients have also falsely been advised against in the past during pregnancy so some prenatals won't include them (such as choline or magnesium)
Nutrient competition occurs in pregnancy
Calcium and iron compete for absorption. Zinc and copper must be kept in balance. DHA competes with omega-6 fats for receptor sites. These interactions complicate meeting needs through diet alone.
Thoughtfully formulated supplements help fill these unavoidable gaps and are formulated in the correct ratios!
Signs of Nutrient Depletion
Women are often undernourished in pregnancy which manifests as symptoms that are dismissed as "normal":
occasional fatigue
brain fog
hair loss
mood changes
Current data suggests that up to 95% of women continue to be nutritionally deficient, even when taking a prenatal!
The Problem with Most Prenatals
First of all, prenatals are not FDA approved, which means the FDA does not check their formulas for accuracy or potency before they reach the shelf. FDA approval isn’t required to have a high-quality supplement, but it does mean you need to be selective and cautious with lower-quality or budget prenatals.
Second, standard prenatal vitamins provide the bare minimum of nutrient doses based on outdated RDAs (recommended daily allowances) from the 1940s. Despite changes in soil nutrients, food quality, environmental factors, and lifestyle changes, the recommended nutrient levels have not kept up. Also, RDA's do not reflect optimal nutrient levels, they reflect levels that are just enough to avoid deficiency!
Third, many conventional prenatals rely on nutrient forms that aren’t the most bioavailable. A common example is folic acid. While it’s widely used, a significant portion of the population is not able to convert folic acid into its active form, making folate a more supportive option. But many prenatals still default to folic acid.
My Prenatal Story:
I have 2 children, my son was born in 2022, and my daughter was born in 2024.
When I found out that I was pregnant with my son in 2021, I knew that I needed a prenatal but did not have any in-depth knowledge on actual nutritional needs. I picked the cheapest prenatal on Amazon and went with that. Halfway through my pregnancy, I started researching prenatal needs and added a folate and choline supplement (both cheap Amazon choices). Thankfully, my son was born healthy, but I cringe thinking about the lack of true nutrition my body truly had during that time.
When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter in 2023, I did a bit more research and was more knowledgeable about prenatal nutrition. I looked up individual trimester needs and researched what different prenatals had to offer. At the end of the day, I was taking about 7 pills every morning to meet my ideal daily needs! While that pregnancy was more supported than my first, the sheer number of pills I was taking every day was more than I wanted.
It wasn't until after I had my daughter that I was introduced to a brand that formulates their prenatal for optimal nutrition and is an amazing option.
The Prenatal I Love and Recommend:
After extensive research, I found a prenatal that checked every box with what I was looking for. This prenatal stands out from conventional prenatals for many reasons:
It provides 5x more nutrition than outdated Recommended Dietary Allowances*.
It uses clinically studied dosing to provide optimal nutrition
It includes key nutrients that many other prenatals leave out (choline, Vit D, Vit A, B12, selenium)
Every batch is third-party tested
Has the Clean Label Project Purity Award, is Certified Pesticide Free, is Climate Label Certified, Certified B Corp, and 1% of the Planet Certified.
Better cost-per-nutrient ratio (especially with a subscription). I definitely would have saved money if I had known to use Needed Prenatals with my pregnancies instead of buying multiple supplements.
Excludes iron: Iron absorption is negatively impacted when it is taken with other minerals (such as calcium). It is pointless to add iron to a supplement where calcium is included. Also, not every woman needs iron supplementation. Talk to your provider to see if iron supplementation is right for you in your pregnancy!
It also does not include Omega-3. This is to minimize oxidation of the product. It also is more potent and better absorbed when taken separately.
Leading prenatals dose even below outdated Recommended Dietary Allowances for most nutrients*. See table below for more.
Let's talk more about some of the specific nutrients included in this prenantal and why they are important.
The Prenatal Nutrients Women Need Most
Pregnancy is a period of accelerated growth and cellular development, and the nutrient demands placed on the mother are unlike any other time in life. Below are some of the nutrients most essential during pregnancy that are commonly not included in conventional prenatals!
Folate
Why it matters: Folate plays a non-negotiable role in early embryonic development. By the time many women realize they are pregnant, the neural tube has already begun forming, which is why adequate folate status in the beginning of pregnancy and even before conception is so important. Folate assists in DNA synthesis, cell division, fetal organ formation, placenta development, and red blood cell production.
Why deficiencies are common:
Up to 40% of women have reduced ability to convert synthetic folic acid into its active form due to MTHFR variations.
Modern diets, everyday stress, medications, and GI conditions reduce B-vitamin absorption.
Folate demand increases rapidly as early pregnancy progresses.
Signs of suboptimal intake: occasional fatigue, brain fog, difficulty conceiving, early pregnancy complications.
Needed Prenatal Multi: contains 918 mcg in both the powder and capsules.
Choline
Why it matters: Choline is now considered as crucial as folate for fetal neural development. It forms the backbone of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter essential for memory), supports cell membrane structure, aids methylation processes, and contributes to optimal placenta development.
Adequate intake has been shown to influence:
fetal brain development and long-term cognitive function
There are multiple emerging studies that show a link to higher IQ in children whose mothers had adequate choline intake during pregnancy!
support healthy liver function in both mother and baby
Why deficiencies are common:
Many prenatal vitamins on the market include little to no choline.
Dietary choline is richest in foods many women reduce or avoid (like eggs or organ meats).
Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials: Contains 200mg
Vitamin D
Why it matters: Vitamin D is a hormone and influences over 200 genes involved in immunity, glucose regulation, endocrine balance, bone formation, and healthy embryo development. It works with calcium and magnesium to support fetal skeletal growth and maternal bone density.
Why deficiencies are common:
Limited sun exposure
Indoor lifestyle
Geographic location
Darker skin pigmentation
Low intake of fatty fish
Signs of deficiency in mom: fatigue, muscle weakness, bone pain, frequent illness, blood sugar fluctuations.
Needed Prenatal Multi: contains 4000 IU in both the powder and capsules
Magnesium
Why it matters: Magnesium is essential for muscle relaxation, healthy nerve signaling, blood pressure regulation, energy production, and stable blood sugar. During pregnancy, women often experience cramps, restless legs, occasional headaches, constipation, or sleep disruptions which are all symptoms associated with suboptimal magnesium.
Key roles of magnesium include:
calming the nervous system
supporting healthy muscle tone (including the uterus)
reducing nighttime cramping
improving sleep quality
supporting bowel regularity
Why deficiencies are common:
Soil depletion has reduced magnesium levels in produce
High stress depletes magnesium rapidly
Many women do not consume enough leafy greens, nuts, seeds, or cacao
Pregnancy increases magnesium requirements
Signs of low magnesium in mom: muscle cramps, irritability, poor sleep, occasional constipation, and headaches.
Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials: Contains 125 mg
Navigating pregnancy nutrition can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to get it perfect to give your baby an incredible foundation. Small, intentional steps add up, such as choosing nutrient-dense foods, understanding your body’s needs, and filling in the gaps where diet alone falls short. You’re already doing so much by learning, preparing, and caring for your growing baby.
If you’re looking for a supplement that truly supports these increased nutritional demands, Needed is a brand I trust and personally use. Their thoughtful formulations make it easier to meet the needs of both pregnancy and motherhood.
This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend and use personally.
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.
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