Supplementing Your Pregnancy
One of the most important things you can do after getting a positive result on a pregnancy test is to begin taking a folic acid supplement. Folic acid is extremely important in human reproduction and to the growth of your baby.
Folic acid is a complex B vitamin (B9), and can be found naturally (as 'folate') in liver, eggs, beans, asparagus, spinach, strawberries, and melons, as well as many other foods. Even fast-food french fries contain folate, and many countries have decided to fortify their grain products (such as breads and cereals) with folic acid to ensure the population gets it on a daily basis.
How Folic Acid Helps
That positive pregnancy test could even be said to be the result of folic acid. Folic acid helps the male reproductive system create and sustain strong sperm, and is essential to the processes of implantation, egg growth, and the creation of the placenta in women.
Your pregnancy test reveals a new responsibility: caring for another person - not simply tending to someone else, but taking care of yourself so you can give this little one a better existence. Mothers whose diets are rich in folic acid have healthier babies.
The Real Results of Your Pregnancy Test
A positive pregnancy test is more than a sign; it's a call to action. As a prospective parent it's your job to ensure your baby has the best chances in life that you can possibly provide. This pregnancy test is the beginning of a long and significant relationship with both yourself and your baby.
Begin by promising to take better case of yourself. If you don't exercise, eat well, or take vitamin supplements, let this pregnancy test change your mind. Babies whose mothers did not take folic acid supplements are at a high risk of neural tube defects, an entire range of malformations of the spine, skull, and brain. By simply taking a little pill with your breakfast each morning, you can prevent your baby from being permanently handicapped. This is the awesome power that a positive pregnancy test gives you, and the awesome power of folic acid.
High folic acid intake has also been shown to reduce chances of cleft lip and cleft palate, limb defects, abnormalities in the urinary tract, and congenital (that is, hereditary) heart defects. Now that you have the pregnancy test results, taking a folic acid supplement just for the next month can solidly protect your baby from this entire spectrum of problems.
Many people don't think something as little as a pregnancy test is going to change their lives, but it does. If you've got positive results, start taking care of yourself and your little one today - don't wait. Folic acid can give your baby the great start it needs in life.
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