You should get enough of the vitamins you need from a healthy diet. But some vitamins are particularly important in pregnancy These vitamin supplements are recommended for pregnancy: Folic acid: helps to reduce the risk of spina bifida, heart or limb defects and some brain tumours in babies Pregnant women are advised to start taking a daily dose of 400 micrograms (µg) of folic acid before getting pregnant, and continue taking them until 13 weeks’ gestation. If you did not take folic acid before you became pregnant you can still start taking it as soon as you realise you are expecting a baby