My Pregnancy Health Tips, Vitamins and Remedies
Pregnancy is a magical time for so many women or it can be an absolutely awful experience (hello, morning sickness!) but either way it's a very important time to take care of your health and well being. Your baby is utilizing all your vitamins and nutrients and they even say babies in utero can soak up our emotions! No pressure, right? Having gone through 3 healthy pregnancies myself, I've learned a few things along the way and identified things that have really helped me in my journey to becoming a Mom. Most of what I learned comes from my wonderful midwives sharing their advice, my experienced doulas, my naturopathic physicians and my own research/experience.
Before you even think about getting pregnant, it's always recommended to get started on a really good quality prenatal vitamin. In fact, my doctor as well as my naturopath both recommended staying on a prenatal indefinitely since it's really just a higher concentration of vitamins. Having gone to a naturopath since 2010, I learned that not all vitamins are made equal. For example, I remember being told how certain forms of vitamins are more easily absorbed by your body - such as calcium carbonate being a form that is difficult for your body to actually absorb versus calcium citrate which is a more readily available form of calcium that your body recognizes. I always take this into account when choosing my vitamins and supplements. Quite literally, you’ll just urine out the cheap vitamins and flush that money down the toilet!
Another example is the synthetic form of folic acid versus folate, which your body can process more easily. The prenatal vitamin that I have been on since before I was even pregnant with my first daughter back in 2014 is Vitanica Maternal Symmetry. This was recommended to me by the first naturopathic doctor that I ever visited all the way back in 2010! I love that this brand was created by a female naturopathic physician, for women. They make vitamins for all stages of a woman's life. This particular prenatal vitamin also contains herbal support such as red raspberry leaves (this is supposed to strengthen the uterine muscles - you've probably heard of red raspberry leaf tea to prepare for labor) and ginger root. I’ve heard some women complain that their prenatal makes them nauseous but I'm happy to report that I've never had any side effects from this vitamin which is why I've remained on it throughout my pregnancy and breastfeeding journey for more than a decade now.
Here’s a list of my pregnancy must-haves and clean brands that are all gluten and dairy free, majority vegan and organic - all recommended by my naturopathic physicians. I am not a medical professional and encourage you to consult with your own trusted healthcare professionals before taking any new supplements. I am simply sharing what has worked well for me to support my babies and healthy pregnancies.
Herbal Prenatal Vitamin - This is the one I have taken for over a decade through all pregnancies and while breastfeeding. It contains high quality ingredients and never made me feel nauseous. It’s gluten free, vegan and non-gmo. Vitanica makes another great supplement I have taken in the past to prepare for becoming pregnant called Pregnancy Prep which is basically a blend of herbs to make your menstrual cycle regulate and help you become pregnant. I took this supplement after breastfeeding to help my cycle become more consistent.
Folate Supplement - I have always taken additional folate during pregnancy to help boost my levels. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “If you do not get enough folic acid before and during pregnancy, your baby is at higher risk for neural tube defects. Neural tube defects are serious birth defects that affect the spine, spinal cord, or brain and may cause death.” Given this information, I never wanted to take a chance so I always figured a little extra folate supplementation couldn’t hurt.
Calcium Magnesium - Think about your baby’s bones forming and how much calcium is being depleted from your body. After breastfeeding each time, my teeth always felt way more sensitive, too! I swear these babies just suck our nutrients from us so it’s always important to replenish your calcium levels. As I talked about above, we chose this brand because it contains calcium citrate which the body can more easily absorb. The bottle also says “The minerals in this product are chelated to citric acid to help increase absorption within the body. Vitamin D has been added to enhance absorption and utilization of calcium. A special base of herbs has been added for additional nutritive support.” It’s always interesting to learn how certain vitamins and minerals aid in the optimal absorption of other vitamins and minerals - another reason a high quality vitamin is necessary.
Vitamin D - Speaking of vitamin D, I supplement at higher levels since previous blood testing had shown me to be very deficient. My naturopath asked me if I felt much better overall on a sunny day versus a rainy, cloudy day and I said of course! She said that means my body absorbs vitamin D efficiently from the sun and it’s important to supplement it during the winter and when I am not getting out in the sun. I will tell you, when I first started supplementing 10,000IU of high-quality vitamin D, I did feel overall so much better. I always felt awful in the winter and, while supplementing, I feel like a whole new person! Since a lot of babies born during the winter months experience jaundice, this is another reason vitamin D levels in mom are so important. I never supplemented any of my babies with vitamin D drops since studies have shown that if Mom takes more than 6,000 IU per day, the vitamin D will transfer in her breast milk to her baby.
Prenatal DHA - Nordic Naturals is a brand I have trusted for years and also give to my kids and even my dog. DHA is an important part of pregnancy. According to Nordic Natural’s website, “DHA builds healthy tissues in many organs throughout fetal development and after birth. A developing fetus rapidly accumulates DHA in the third trimester. DHA during pregnancy improves birth and infant outcomes.” I have always supplemented with this prenatal DHA before pregnancy, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Magnesium Capsules - Magnesium plays so many important roles in your body. I supplement with 2 forms of magnesium on a daily basis. These capsules were recommended to me by my naturopath and I do find it helps with overall stress and relaxation. According to Baby Center’s website, “Almost every system in your body – and your developing baby's body – needs magnesium. This mineral plays an important role in nerve and muscle function and helps to maintain normal blood pressure. It also helps your baby build strong teeth and bones. Plus, research suggests that getting adequate magnesium during pregnancy can help prevent preterm labor and other pregnancy complications.” As someone who experienced elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, magnesium was especially important for me to help maintain lower blood pressure.
Complete Mineral Complex - After blood testing for vitamin levels in my body, my naturopath got me on this mineral complex. She had me stay on it during pregnancy, since so many minerals get depleted from your body while growing a baby!
Probiotic - This is an important one. A daily probiotic is extra helpful during pregnancy when tons of women experience constipation and other issues with their bowels. Keeping your gut healthy is extremely important for your baby’s and your own health. I have taken this brand for years and like how many different strains it contains. Some probiotics only contain maybe 2 or 3 different strains of helpful bacteria - this one has 8 plus it’s shelf stable meaning it doesn’t require refrigeration and is easy to travel with.
Super Food 100 - My taste buds were always terrible during pregnancy, especially first trimester when I felt gross and/or too tired to cook, so I ate a less than healthy diet during those times. This Super Food tablet is a whole food vitamin to fill any diet gaps I had during those time periods.
B-complex - Vitamin B6 is associated with morning sickness and all B vitamins are associated with anxiety levels. I have been on this b-complex for years after learning my levels were very depleted after my first pregnancy. I do think this contributed to the postpartum anxiety I experienced which is why this supplement is so important to me. According to the American Pregnancy Association, “B vitamins, which you'll often hear referred to as the vitamin B complex, are particularly important aspects of your nutrition during pregnancy, especially vitamins B6, B9, and B12. These three specifically help minimize the risk of birth defects as well as relieve some symptoms of pregnancy.”
Magnesium Spray - I have supplemented magnesium for years now, but since you don’t absorb magnesium as efficiently when taken orally, I also supplement topically. I mostly spray this on my feet before bed. It helps me sleep more soundly and I have never experienced muscle spasms or restless leg syndrome as so many pregnant women do.
Iron - My prenatal vitamin contains iron, but I also like to boost my iron levels by cooking with my cast iron skillet. I love this skillet to make my morning eggs with. Iron definitely helps boost my energy levels during pregnancy.
Yes, it’s a lot of vitamins, but think about how much work your body is putting in to grow a little human. It’s exhausting. Plus, when Mom feels better postpartum, everything just goes more smoothly. I will write more about my experience with postpartum anxiety after my first baby and how filling the vitamin deficiencies literally cured my anxiety. Not to mention, vitamin deficiencies in the body are linked to so many diseases. This is such an important topic to me, so I hope this information helps someone out there have a healthier pregnancy and postpartum period!