vitamin c in pregnancy dose?

Vitamin C during pregnancy
Vitamin C is important for a healthy immune system, and during pregnancy it helps you and your baby make collagen for your tendons, bones, and skin. To get enough vitamin C during pregnancy, eat citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables that are rich in this important nutrient. Because it's fairly easy to get enough vitamin C from your diet and your prenatal vitamin, you probably don't need to take a vitamin C supplement.
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IN THIS ARTICLE

Why you need vitamin C during pregnancy
How much vitamin C do pregnant women need?
Best foods with vitamin C during pregnancy
Do you need a vitamin C supplement during pregnancy?

Why you need vitamin C during pregnancy

Both you and your baby need vitamin C daily because your bodies use it to make collagen, a structural protein that's a component of cartilage, tendons, bones, and skin. Vitamin C is also important for a healthy immune system.

Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is essential for tissue repair, wound healing, bone growth and repair, and healthy skin. Vitamin C helps your body fight infections and acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage.

Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron, especially from vegetarian sources.

Signs of a vitamin C deficiency include fatigue, gum inflammation, slow-healing cuts, bruises, and dry skin.
How much vitamin C do pregnant women need?

Pregnant women need more vitamin C than women who aren't pregnant – and breastfeeding women need even more.

Pregnant women ages 18 and younger: 80 milligrams (mg) per day

Pregnant women ages 19 and older: 85 mg per day

Breastfeeding women ages 18 and younger: 115 mg per day

Breastfeeding women ages 19 and older: 120 mg per day

Nonpregnant women ages 18 and younger: 65 mg per day

Nonpregnant women ages 19 and older: 75 mg per day
Best foods with vitamin C during pregnancy

Citrus fruits probably jump to mind – they're especially high in vitamin C – but leafy greens and many other fruits and vegetables are also excellent sources. Choose fresh foods as your source of vitamin C because heat can destroy this vitamin. Also, keep in mind that some cereals and juices are fortified with vitamin C.

Vitamin C also helps maximize the amount of iron you get from the other foods you eat. (You need a lot more iron during pregnancy, and it can be hard to get enough.) That's why it's a good idea to try to include a vitamin C-rich food with every meal. This is especially true when eating vegetarian sources of iron, like beans – the vitamin C can help you absorb up to six times more iron.

Foods that provide vitamin C include:

6 ounces orange juice: 93 mg
6 ounces grapefruit juice: 70 mg
one medium kiwi: 64 mg
1/2 cup raw, sweet green bell pepper: 60 mg
1/2 cup broccoli, cooked: 51 mg
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced: 49 mg
1/2 medium grapefruit: 39 mg
one medium baked potato: 17 mg
one raw, medium tomato: 17 mg
1 cup spinach, cooked: 9 mg

Do you need a vitamin C supplement during pregnancy?

There's usually no need to take a separate supplement. You can easily get the vitamin C you need from fruits and vegetables, and your prenatal vitamins also contain vitamin C.
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It's not a good idea to take large doses of vitamin C when you're pregnant. The maximum daily amount that's considered safe is 1800 mg for women 18 and younger and 2000 mg for women 19 and over. Excessive vitamin C can upset your stomach, and more studies are needed to understand how these supplements could affect pregnancy outcomes.