Folic Acid

[Natalie V]

I'm 8 wks pregnant & have been taking folic acid since i discovered my pregnancy 2 wks ago. Everything I read tells me that folic acid in the first 4 wks is crucial. Although my doctor's response is 'you can't turn back the clock', I'm now worried sick that my lack of awareness has damaged my baby. Everything i read compounds this fear further & i'm now dreading my 1st scan. Am i the only one??
Thanks for your time
Natalie

 

[handbagqueen]

Hi Natalie,
Welcome and congratulations!
I didn't start taking folic acid until I found out at 6 weeks. Most books i've read say that its fine as long as you start taking it as soon as possible.
A lot of women don't realise until around this time anyway so try not to worry too much- I was out on the town quite a few times before I was aware and had a few too many sambuca shots (it was the christmas party season!) but I can't turn the clock back and since I found out I've changed to a much healthier lifestyle- thats all you can really do.

 

[debecca]

Hi Natalie,

First of all, don't panic - your doctor is totally wrong to bring this up because there is nothing you can do now!

I didn't start taking Folic Acid until I was 5 weeks' pregnant (when I found out) and my baby by then had already been through heavy drinking, a bout of food poisoning, an 8000-mile plane flight and my crap diet.

She is however completely healthy and exactly the right height and weight and so on for her dates.

For what it's worth, the only girl I've met on here whose baby went on to have spina bifida was a religious Folic Acid taker. You can only do so much before you have to accept that nature takes its own course.

Please please don't worry hun

 

[HideiLu]

I only found out past 10 weeks that I was pregnant! And when I saw th doctor he gave me some folic acid but gave me no reason to worry that I hadn't taken it until then.

Lucie x

 

[Sherlock]

Ditto what debecca has said. Apart from I did start taking folic acid before I became PG, but honestly I didn't start from the recommended 3 months beforehand or whatever it was. It was more like 3 weeks And I forgot to take it on more than one occasion. But LO is fine and well.

Please try not to worry about it now. Keep taking it till 12 weeks, eat as well as you can for you and LO and ask if there is anything we can help with

If you are worried about foods to eat/not eat and so on, just ask and someone will be happy to help. Or find some of the old discussions on it all here. Loads of helpful info for just about every aspect of pregnancy

FWIW, we all did things we've worried about since becoming PG. You are not alone in worrying, but please don't ge too het up about it. Heck, I'm way down the ticker and I still worry about goodness knows what, and I know I am not alone in this. The thing is to not let it take over and distress you

 

[handbagqueen]

Sorry to jump on this thread but I've just realised I'm over the 12 weeks (well, not just realised but you know what I mean..!) Should I stop taking it now?! I've been taking pregnacare extra and it says its for right up until breastfeeding...

 

[Sherlock]

Sorry to jump on this thread but I've just realised I'm over the 12 weeks (well, not just realised but you know what I mean..!) Should I stop taking it now?! I've been taking pregnacare extra and it says its for right up until breastfeeding...

If you are taking a separate folic acid supplement you can stop taking it around now. You should in theory then be getting enough for your body in your day to day diet.

My MW told me that vitamin supplements were not needed in pregnancy if you were eating a healthy well balanced diet. I ensure to eat lots of steamed or raw veggies (esp green stuff), wholemeal foods, starchy/carb foods like pasta, rice and potatoes and also a few portions of meat and fish a week. Red meat for iron etc, turkey over chicken as its less fatty and fish for omega 3 intake and low fat intake. Of course I have treats as well. Life would be boring otherwise

 

[dannii87]

Hey! I wouldn't worry too much, think of the thousands of women who didn't take it before it was discovered, they had healthy children

I am past 12 too and not taking the tablets anymore, but found that Kellogs Rice Krispies contain folic acid so I have a little bit when I eat my breakfast in the morning

xxx

 

[Natalie V]

Thank you so much everyone for your responses. I feel so much better than i did this morning, having read a book last night which stated in no uncertain terms that you HAVE to take folic acid before conception to prevent spina bifida and that was that.

I hate the fact that these books assume everyone has a perfectly planned pregnancy. It just ends up leaving those who aren't so perfect and organised feeling remorseful, panicked, guilty and terrified of the damage they have done. I was also drinking red wine like it was going out of fashion before i realised i was pregnant and every blo**dy book and website has made me feel horrendous for that too - did i miss that meeting all women were supposed to go to as soon as soon as they started menstruating which warned us we had to take folic acid, be tee-total and eat like Gillian Mckeith in case we ever got pregnant??!

It's so nice to hear from other real women who, like me, haven't done it perfectly but have done their best since finding out the happy news. Thanks so much for taking the time - I'll sleep much better tonight than i did last night.

Good luck with all your pregnancies xxx

 

[Mildly]

I wouldn't worry about the folic acid. A friend of mine only started taking it at 6 weeks when she found out and has a perfectly healthy little boy now.

There are so many things to feel guilty about nowadays. My pregnancy was planned and we tried to conceive for 11 months, even so, I was so used to not getting pregnant each month, that I had a few drinks on Christmas Eve although I didn't know I was pregnant at that point. I'm sure it'll just mean my LO will like vodka and orange when he/she grows up I think I also had a sneaky cigarette (I had given up the month before) And thinking about it I probably ate brie because I love it Meh, I agree with the other girls, what matters is how you proceed from now on in. Also it's good to remember that women managed perfectly well having babies before all these guidelines were in place

Also welcome and congratulations on your pregnancy

 

[dannii87]

Oh Natalie, just noticed you're in Bedfordshire too! Where abouts are you?

xx

 

[Natalie V]

I'm in Arlesey. And I'm having the baby at Bedford hospital - how spooky would it be if we ended up in the same ward! xx

 

[dannii87]

That would be spooky!! I'm having mine there too! We might see each other at appointments or antenatel classes or something and won't even know who each other are!

When are you due? (Sorry for taking over your thread lol) xx

 

[Natalie V]

what a small world! they've estimated around 20th september...xx

 

[dannii87]

Ah I'm due 23rd August, well we might be early/late so maybe!

xx

 

[kalia]

I started taking folic acid when we decided we would start ttc soon - I think that was in May. I finally finished the bottle of tablets at 16 weeks - in November. There only were 90 tablets!!!! So my baby definately didn't get everyday If you are taking every day then you are doing a lot better than I did. I was going to make the point that my mum never took folic acid and I'm fine but then I realised that I had just been saying I can't even remember to take a tablet everyday so maybe I'm not so fine!