What is the importance of folic acid for the pregnant woman and the fetus?

Folic acid or folic acid is a type of vitamin (B) and women who are planning to become pregnant are advised to take it and continue to take it in the first part of pregnancy to prevent the baby from developing neural tube defects and some other birth defects.

As I mentioned, folic acid is one of the B vitamins (vitamin 9). This vitamin plays an important role in cell production and division, including the production of red blood cells.
Why do you need to take folic acid during pregnancy?

Folic acid helps protect your child from developing neural tube or spinal cord defects, such as spina bifida. It also helps prevent birth defects. In addition, your body needs folic acid because it works with vitamin B12 to produce healthy red blood cells. Thus, you avoid anemia (anemia).
Your baby's brain and nervous system are formed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, so it's important to take folic acid to protect it from neural tube defects and other congenital diseases.
How much folic acid do you need?

Doctors recommend taking a daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid in supplement form as soon as you are planning to have a baby. Then continue taking it for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It is also preferable to eat a lot of food containing folic acid.
If your family has a history of neural tube defects, your doctor will prescribe a very high daily dose of folic acid, or if you take medications for medical conditions, such as epilepsy, your doctor may prescribe a higher dose of folic acid.
You can stop taking folic acid from the 13th week of pregnancy (the second trimester) but if you want to continue taking it there is no harm in doing so.
Foods you can eat to get folic acid

Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, whole grains, legumes, yeast and beef extracts. Try incorporating some of these folate-rich foods into your diet:
broccoli
peas
asparagus
Brussels sprouts
chickpeas
brown rice
Potatoes or baked potatoes
beans
Orange or orange juice
Hard-boiled eggs
salmon