I want to go back to folic acid because this is not only important to take before getting pregnant but also during the pregnancy so we have a few ideas for you on getting the right amount talk us through this sure so it’s actually been recognized for a long time that folic acid really is critical in preventing what’s called neural tube defects like we were saying before just the development of the the brain and the spinal cord and making sure there are no holes actually in the in the spinal cord I believe it was the FDA that actually started mandating that folic acid be added to a lot of just daily foods like breads and cereals are fortified with folic acid and then in the prenatal vitamin it has the required amount 400 micrograms a day to take throughout the pregnancy are there other important vitamins that you should be consuming yes in a typical prenatal vitamin any brand is okay that’s a very common question which one should I get the limit Whole Foods the one at Costco as long as it says prenatal on it it has a minimum amount of folic acid iron calcium iodine and also lower levels of vitamin A compared to other vitamins okay it doesn’t matter if you get your nutrients from a supplement versus through food I don’t think so it’s easier to control how much are you getting through a vitamin a lot of patients aren’t sure if whatever they’re eating does that translate to the required amount most people aren’t eating the exact same thing every day so it doesn’t matter which source as long as they’re getting enough.