What is Vitamin-B12 deficiency ?

Being water-soluble, vitamin-B12 (cobalamin) aids the formation of red blood cells, supports the brain and nervous system and participates in developing DNA. Vitamin-B12 requirement increases significantly during pregnancy as it contributes to the one of the major key to the fetus growth and deliverance. If a pregnant mother does not have enough iron in her diet, this can create serious medical issues for both herself and her newborn.

If your diet is low in B12.:

Maternal Complications for Vitamin-B12

• Anemia: Fatigue, weakness and breathlessness may be signs of megaloblastic anemia, a condition caused by a lack of vitamin B12.
• Neurological Problems: Patients who have a B12 deficiency over a long time can develop psychiatric problems, difficulty learning, memory issues, problems walking and numbness or tingling.
• In some cases, B12 deficiency can be linked to giving birth prematurely and delivering a baby of reduced birth weight.

Fetal Complications for Vitamin-B12

• In pregnant women, taking vitamin B12 before birth supports the correct closure of the neural tube in the fetus. It leads to the risk of birth defects viz. spina bifida and anencephaly.
• Developmental Delays: In-sufficient B12 in the body during pregnancy, may leads to developmental delays, cognitive impairment, and neurological abnormalities of the child.
• Failure to thrive can happen with newborns, a warning sign that their growth is weak and their feeding may be off.
• Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet may mean that women during pregnancy are not getting enough Vitamin-B12 as it mostly appears in animal foods.
• Expectant mothers require higher amounts of nutrients and vitamins than before, so they must watch what they eat.
• When pregnant, women must consume more vitamins and minerals than usual and this means they need to focus on their diet.

Ways to Avoid and Address Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Dietary Modifications:

• All nutritionists should acknowledge the necessity of Vitamin B-12 and inform the patients where it is available like from meat, eggs, dairy products & fortified cereals etc.
• Vegetarians and vegans can try special forms of plant-based food, including soy milk, nutritional yeast and B12 supplements.

Supplementation:

• If their health-care provider advises it, expectant women at risk of deficiency should add Vitamin B12 to their diet.
• Because the body needs extra B12 during pregnancy, many prenatal vitamins include it.

Regular Monitoring:

• At this time, testing pregnant women includes measuring vitamin B12 and other vitamins in their blood.
• As soon as the symptoms are spotted, both the mother and her baby get the treatment they need.

Medical Conditions which are to be managed:

• Doctors often give shots of B12 for pernicious anemia or other digestive system problems to prevent a lack of B12.

Conclusion

Such deficiency is serious in nature, but it can be preventable. Taking a proper diet and the right supplements allows B12 levels to remain healthy for both the mother and the fetus.

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