If you’re pregnant or have children under the age of 4 you can get free vouchers or payments every 4 weeks to spend on:
- Cow’s milk
- Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
- Infant formula milk
- Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- Get help to buy food and milk
- You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.
Healthy Start Vitamins and Vitamin Supplementation
Eating a healthy, varied diet in pregnancy will help you get most of the vitamins and minerals you need. But when you’re pregnant, or there’s a chance you might get pregnant, it’s important to also take a folic acid supplement. It’s recommended that you take:
- 400 micrograms of folic acid every day – from before you’re pregnant until you’re 12 weeks pregnant
This is to reduce the risk of problems in the baby’s development in the early weeks of pregnancy.
It’s also recommended that you take a daily Vitamin D supplement.
You can find further information about this here: Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy
Healthy Start vitamins contain both folic acid and Vitamin D. You can buy these even if you are not eligible to the free vitamins. Your midwife can direct you to the national site to claim your vitamins. Your local pharmacist will be able to provide and give advice on vitamins required when planning a pregnancy.