Prenatal Vitamins Support Healthier Pregnancies for Moms and Babies

Like many Filipinos, Suzette moved to Hong Kong at the age of 19 in search of better employment opportunities and higher wages. But she always planned to move back to the Philippines and continually sent money home to build a new house for her family.

Suzette finally returned home to Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon after her house was completed. She settled back into her hometown and began working as an administrative aide at the local rural health unit. But life had another surprise.

At age 40, Suzette was unexpectedly pregnant. She already had two older children, who were then 14 and 10, but a previous miscarriage left her anxious about having another child. However, through her work, she learned how she could keep herself and her growing child healthy with a new prenatal vitamin, followed by exclusive breastfeeding after birth.

Better Nutrition in Pregnancy and Beyond

Many women and children in the Philippines suffer from a deficiency of at least one micronutrient that is vital to healthy development, disease prevention, and well-being. A quarter of pregnant women suffer from anemia, which can lead to complications for both mothers and babies. Moreover, one in five pregnant women is nutritionally at risk, meaning they are at an increased risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth and are more likely to give birth to low birth weight infants.

Luckily, better nutrition during pregnancy can significantly improve the health of both mother and child. In collaboration with the government of the Philippines, health workers, and community members, Helen Keller Intl, as part of the Transforming Lives Through Nutrition consortium, is providing access to new, comprehensive prenatal vitamins for pregnant women.

These multiple micronutrient supplements include 15 essential vitamins and minerals to support a healthy pregnancy. Evidence shows that they can improve women’s nutrition and reduce the risk of preterm birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight.

In 2025, Helen Keller brought these prenatal vitamins to Nueva Ecija, reaching thousands of pregnant women with essential nutrients during a critical health moment in their lives.

To support good nutrition beyond pregnancy, we also trained community health workers in 125 villages across the province, strengthening their ability to counsel pregnant women on breastfeeding, introducing solid foods, and vitamin A supplementation for children.

Helping Children Grow and Thrive 

Suzette felt like she could see a difference as soon as she began taking the supplements. “Even during the ultrasound, they kept saying, ‘Your baby is big!’” she laughs. “I thought she would only weigh three kilos [6.6 lbs.], but she was 3.5 [7.7 lbs.] when she was born.” An impressive change, considering her first two boys each weighed less than three kilos at birth.

After giving birth to her daughter, Suzette received counseling and support for breastfeeding, which had been a challenge with her older children. The additional help enabled her to breastfeed her daughter longer.

“I really didn’t expect that I could still breastfeed!” Suzette beams. “With my first two children, my milk supply was intermittent. After just two months, it was already gone.”

Suzette’s now one-year-old daughter, Misha, will also continue benefiting from Helen Keller’s support for local health workers. We work with the health system to stock and distribute vitamin A and deworming capsules for children to support good nutrition and health as they grow up.

Suzette is glad that she received the new comprehensive prenatal vitamins during her pregnancy, and that Misha will receive the care she needs to grow and thrive.