Folic acid, a B vitamin, helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when taken very early in pregnancy. It is available in most multivitamins, as a folic acid-only supplement and in some foods. The March of Dimes encourages all women of childbearing age to take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, as part of a healthy diet. Most multivitamins have this amount, but check the label to be sure. A healthy diet includes foods that contain folate, the natural form of the vitamin. Such foods include fortified breakfast cereals, beans, leafy green vegetables and orange juice.

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