importance of vitamins

In their book, A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health (Now available - Avery, Putnam, Penguin), Dr. Dean Raffelock and Dr. Robert Rountree say that the underlying cause of many postpartum ailments (especially in those women who did not suffer from those ailments before pregnancy) are deficiencies in important nutrients. If a woman’s body is deficient in key vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids, the fundamental energy producing metabolic processes in a woman’s body that help maintain emotional and physical health will not function properly.
Now, blood test are available that tell mothers exactly what nutrients her body is defficient in, so that's good news!