The browser you are using is too old for our website. Please visit www.aptaclub.ie from Chrome and you will be able to browse normally.

Pregnancy

      Vitamin A in pregnancy

      Yogurt Pot With Apricot

      Vitamin A in pregnancy

      Balancing act 

      The brilliance of Vitamin A

      Vitamin A is important for your developing baby; it helps to build their immune system and is needed for healthy skin and eyes. Too much, however, can be harmful. Learn which sources of this immune-enhancing nutrient to include in your pregnancy diet and which foods and supplements to avoid to ensure a safe intake.


      Vitamin A helps to support:
      Normal visual development

      Vitamin A helps to support:
      Immune system development

      What is vitamin A?

      Vitamin A contributes to the development of two of the most intricate and extraordinary parts of your baby’s body – their eyes. It is also important for their immunity and skin cell production, while helping to develop the millions of tiny air sacs, called alveoli, in your baby’s lungs. These allow oxygen to transfer into the blood, and carbon dioxide to transfer back out.

      Vitamin A is available in two forms:

      • Retinol – found in high levels in some meat and fish products, and in safe levels in dairy foods and eggs
      • Beta-carotene – a substance in fruit and vegetables that the body can convert into vitamin A

      Is vitamin A bad for pregnancy?

      Getting the right amount of vitamin A in pregnancy is a bit of a balancing act; too much can harm your developing baby and lead to birth defects1, while too little carries certain risks to you and your baby’s development. A healthy intake will ensure your baby gets the nutritional support they need for normal development. Fortunately, this is easy to achieve by following the simple but important guidelines below.

       

      Blueberries
      Your body makes a safe form of Vitamin A from the beta-carotene in fruit and vegetables

      Why is vitamin A important for mum in pregnancy?

      Due to its supporting role in the immune system, vitamin A benefits your own health throughout pregnancy. An adequate, safe intake is important at all stages. However, your risk of deficiency is higher during the third trimester when requirements increase due to your baby’s accelerated development and increased blood volume. Your body naturally prioritises your baby’s needs, which is why you need more.

      Mum To Be In Striped Top

      A healthy supply of vitamin A during pregnancy builds up your baby’s natural stores in preparation for the first few months of life

      Building up your baby’s stores

      Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it is stored in the liver and fat cells of the body. A healthy supply of vitamin A during pregnancy builds up your baby’s natural stores in preparation for the first few months of life.

      A low level of vitamin A can affect your baby’s immune function after birth, leaving them more susceptible to infection and illness.

      Getting the balance right

      Your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A in pregnancy is 750ug per day and increases to 1200ug per day while you breastfeed.

      Because it is found in dairy foods and some fruit and vegetables, most people get all the vitamin A they need from a well-balanced diet.

      Certain foods that are high in vitamin A, such as liver and liver pâté, are on the list of foods to avoid in pregnancy. As long as you avoid these foods, your intake should fall within safe levels and not pose any risks to your baby’s development. Some non-pregnancy supplements also contain high levels of vitamin A, such as cod liver oil, which should be avoided.

      Sources of retinol (the animal-based form of vitamin A) include:

      • Cheese
      • Fortified spreads
      • Yogurt
      • Eggs

      Your body will convert the beta-carotene that gives certain fruit and vegetables their orange colour into vitamin A. Beta-carotene can be found in:

      • Carrots
      • Oranges
      • Sweet potatoes
      • Apricots
      next steps

      Maintain a healthy intake of vitamin A by:

      • Making sure any supplements you take don’t contain vitamin A
      • Avoiding liver or liver products like pâté
      • Including plenty of orange-coloured fruit and vegetables as a part of a healthy balanced diet, as well as dairy foods and eggs
      recipe-book-icon-circle.png

      Free recipes 

      Delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from our team of nutritionists 

      Join now for free

      Your baby's future health begins here

      Your baby's future health begins here

      At Aptaclub, we believe that experience helps to build resilience; that
      each new encounter, whether in pregnancy or after birth, can shape your
      baby’s future development. With our scientific expertise and one-to-one
      round the clock support, we can help you and your baby embrace tomorrow.

      Join Aptaclub

      Related articles

      Questions about feeding and nutrition?

      Our nutritionists and feeding advisors are always on hand to talk about feeding your baby. So if you have a question, just get in touch.

      Free recipes

      Delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from our team of nutritionists

      Join now for free

      Your privacy is important to us and therefore we would like to explain how we use cookies on this website. With your consent, we will use cookies to measure and analyse how our website is used (analytical cookies), to tailor it to your interests (personalisation cookies), and to show you relevant advertising and information (targeting cookies) we think you will like. For more information please read the cookie statement.

      Privacy Settings

      You can choose your preferences anytime for cookies and tracking. For more information please read our cookie policy.

      • Strictly necessary

        They are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services (setting your privacy preferences, logging in, filling in forms, etc.). You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.

      • Analytical cookies

        They allow us to count visits and traffic sources, to measure and improve the performance of our site. They show us which pages are the most and least popular and how visitors move around the site. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.

      • Personalisation cookies

        They enable website’s enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third parties whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

      • Targeting cookies

        They may be set through our site by our advertising partners, to build a profile of your interests and to show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.