{"id":496,"date":"2022-08-21T20:19:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-21T19:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/folic-acid\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T09:25:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T08:25:36","slug":"folic-acid","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/folic-acid\/","title":{"rendered":"Folic Acid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2022\/08\/healthy-start.jpg\" alt=\"Healthy Start\" class=\"wp-image-735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2022\/08\/healthy-start.jpg 700w, https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2022\/08\/healthy-start-300x102.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Your baby will benefit if you take folic acid supplements before you get pregnant and in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Currently, it&#8217;s recommended that you take a 400 microgramme (0.4milligramme\/mg) folic acid tablet every day\u00a0starting when you are trying to get pregnant\u00a0and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:60%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center supplementary is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>However, for women who are overweight with a body mass index of over 30*, a higher dose of folic acid is required and you should attend your GP to discuss this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*to work out your BMI \u2013 you need to know your height and weight \u2013 visit NHS inform to find out more and calculate your BMI:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhsinform.scot\/healthy-living\/food-and-nutrition\/healthy-eating-and-weight-loss\/understanding-your-healthy-weight-body-mass-index-bmi-and-waist-to-hip-ratio-whr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NHS Inform BMI Calculator<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You are\u00a0entitled to free\u00a0folic acid\u00a0(and other vitamins) through\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/feedingyourbaby\/introducing-solid-foods\/best-start-foods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Healthy Start<\/a>\u00a0when you are pregnant. Ask your midwife for more information.\u00a0You should also eat foods rich in folate such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Green Vegetables<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Fortified Cereals<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Oranges<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Berries<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Potatoes<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Lentils<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Speak to your midwife if you have had a previous pregnancy with a neural tube defect, are on medication for epilepsy, or have diabetes, as you might need a higher dose which is only available on prescription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2022\/08\/RSB-Folic-Acid.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here for the latest recommendations on Folic Acid from &#8216;Ready, Steady, Baby&#8217;<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information presented on this site is for general use only and is not intended for people living with any medical conditions who are seeking personal medical advice; it is not a substitute for the advice of your doctor or midwife. If you have any questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your condition, please consult your local GP or midwife.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your baby will benefit if you take folic acid supplements before you get pregnant and in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Currently, it&rsquo;s recommended that you take a 400 microgramme (0.4milligramme\/mg) folic acid tablet every day&nbsp;starting when you are trying to get pregnant&nbsp;and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, for women who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/widewidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-496","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"NHS Lothian","author_link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/author\/nhs-lothian\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":false,"rttpg_excerpt":"Your baby will benefit if you take folic acid supplements before you get pregnant and in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Currently, it&rsquo;s recommended that you take a 400 microgramme (0.4milligramme\/mg) folic acid tablet every day&nbsp;starting when you are trying to get pregnant&nbsp;and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, for women who","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/496\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/maternity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}