Pregnancy Supplements | My Complete List

I have gotten a lot of questions on what supplements I would suggest for pregnancy, and which ones I take while pregnant! So I thought the easiest (and safest) way for me to share this info with you, is to tell you what I have taken throughout my pregnancy.

Just for disclosure I am not saying these supplements are safe for you to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. Most of these supplements are ones that I know about with my background in nutrition, while studying into herbs and supplements along the way. Therefore I have to tell you to do your own research, talk with your own healthcare providers (NDs, doctors, nutritionists, whatever that may be) and make the choice for yourself! Anything said through this post has not been evaluated by the FDA. None of these products are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. There are supplements listed here that some practitioners would caution away from, but through experience (my own & others) and my own research I have obviously felt it necessary to take, orrrr I would't be taking them.. haha!

Alrighty, having said all that, here is my list below in alphabetical order. Some of these supplements are ones I maybe took in the beginning of pregnancy, and some I may have introduced later into pregnancy. I think what is easiest is if I just give you a list, and break down the when, why, and how beside each one! Please if you have any questions feel free to email me. I would also highly recommend the book 'The Natural Pregnancy Book' by Aviva Jill Romm. She is a herbalist and a midwife and has poured out SO much amazing information all into one book. With categories for common pregnancy related issues, and advice on how to deal with them holistically. It is my GO TO book !! Seriously, I probably use it at least twice a week!

Here we go..

Calcium; I introduced Calcium fairly early into my pregnancy because my multi-vitamin does not contain it like most do. Calcium needs to be taken away from other minerals for best absorption, especially iron. This is why I was so drawn to the 'Innate Baby & Me' multi, because it had iron, but no calcium! Therefore I am free to take the recommended calcium intake separately from my iron and take as much as needed. Therefore I take a separate Cal/Mag blend; one that has other minerals for calcium absorption, once a day.

*Just for the record.. I am not being paid by any companies to give out their product names. If you have further questions regarding brands or where you can buy them, feel free to e-mail me.

Immune System Mushroom Spray; I will give you the brand name on this one, cause I think they are the best mushroom growers in the world, honestly. Plus I do not know what different companies would offer in their products in terms of ingredients. So for safety purposes this is 'Host Defense Myco Sheild Spray", I emphasize spray because they do have capsules and liquids which differ from ingredients. This is something I just keep on hand, to use if I have been around people who are sick, feel like I'm getting sick, or feel I need to use some prevention. I would say up til this point (28 weeks pregnant) I have used maybe a total of 15 - 20 sprays? I have been pretty lucky in not getting any crazy sickness', but I also like to keep my immune system and gut healthy!

I like to contribute this to probiotics, vitamin c, healthy food, lack of stress, and good sleep quality.

Iron; A lot of pregnant mothers will know if their iron levels are low, because they have had them checked if not once, but a few times during their pregnancy. My fertility doctor at Fertility Care Toronto already had me on an iron supplement before I conceived. Therefore it was only natural to continue once I was pregnant. I currently get my iron levels check through my midwife as well. Iron should not cause constipation if it is being absorbed properly. Therefore I would recommend you grab one from your local health food store. I myself take either an Iron Bisglycinate or a Heme Iron, but occasionally a liquid as well. I find that I get tired really easily, colder and frequently dizzy without enough iron. This is an important mineral to make sure you have lots of pre labour as well, so check in with your healthcare practitioner on this one!

Magnesium; My most loved supplement. Honestly, this is the number one thing I could not get rid of! Magnesium is used by over 800 different things in the body, and its a very common deficiency. I have taken magnesium for years, and I can definitely notice when one brand is not working for me, because the chocolate cravings kick in! haha. I take one magnesium in the evening, to help me sleep, help prevent leg cramps and help absorb my calcium. There is SO many things that your body uses magnesium for, but these are my top reasonings for taking it.

Multi - Vitamin; I honestly feel like I have taken a prenatal vitamin longer than some people who already had multiple children, only cause I started to take one when we started trying! lol. Let me just say, multi-vitamins are not my favourite supplement. I think they are extremely over-rated.. They give you the basic dose of your daily needs, and each brand is so different from one to the next that you really need to read your labels to know how much you are getting of each ingredient. Having said that if you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding, I would put this at the top of the 'needs' list for supplements. This is a time in your life where you do need to make sure you are getting the basic dose of each essential nutrient. I think you just need to be smart on which one you choose! Please do not buy the chewy one with all the sugars, dyes, and artificially made ingredients. If its not going to be absorbed, and is chalked full of ingredients unknown to the body, I don't think it is going to do you much good. SO please check with someone (even if its the advice from the lady at the local health food store) and read the ingredients before picking one out. I personally love the "Innate Baby & Me' multi like I said earlier. I take what the label tells me too and I will continue until I'm either done breastfeeding, or done having babies! :)

NAC; This supplement is actually an amino acid & antioxidant. I took it prior to conception to help increase cervical mucus, and I have taken it throughout my pregnancy for other reasons. The biggest reason is because the NAC (also known as N-Acetyl-Cysteine) is needed in the body to help make Glutathione. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant produced by the liver, and has been said to prevent miscarriages, and vomiting during pregnancy.

Omega 3; Essential Fatty Acids (notice the Essential right in the front ;) ). This is a fairly common supplement to be taken throughout pregnancy. I myself have a harder time digesting the capsules, so I take a delicious liquid one! Its something I have made an effort in remembering to take twice a day throughout pregnancy, and will continue to take while breastfeeding. For those wondering, I myself do not feel its necessary to take a High DHA omega. I think newer research has shown that our bodies are able to split up the EPA and DHA as needed, and although the baby needs more of the DHA, we as a mother, need the EPA for our brains! haha

Passionflower; I have loved using passionflower even before I was pregnant for that over active mind you just cannot shut off! Works like a charm. So when I read more about it in Aviva Romm's "The Natural Pregnancy Book" I was so happy, and felt at ease about taking it as needed during my pregnancy. Personally I feel that Cortisol (the stress hormone) could cause more havoc than just being able to calm yourself down if needed anyways. During pregnancy I have loved having this in my cupboard to use if I have had an overwhelming day or if I just need to stop thinking, ya'll know what I mean? haha. I do use this as needed, some days I take two, and some days I take none. But I have found it to help me sleep through the night during my pregnancy as well; I will just take one capsule with my magnesium before I go to sleep.

Probiotic; Probably my second favourite supplement out there, is the probiotic. Now there is many different probiotics out there on the market when we look at brands, strains, counts, shelf stability, refrigerated.. All I am going to say is our gut needs the good bacteria! The research for probiotics are growing year by year, and we are seeing how much a healthy balance of bacteria

effects our gut, immune system and overall health. I personally think probiotics are a must have in anyones cupboard, not just for pregnancy! I do switch up what brand I take from time to time, but currently I take the Garden of Life (shelf stable) Women's Blend Probiotic. It works for me, I love that the strains are targeted towards women's flora, and its conveniently a one a day thing!

Progesterone Suppository; This is actually a prescription I take. I started taking progesterone before I was pregnant to help with getting pregnant because my levels were so low. Once I was pregnant I would get blood work done every week to make sure these levels were in the right place, and then my fertility doctor would adjust them accordingly. I currently am still getting blood work done every other week and take a suppository once every other night. I will continue until my levels are stable enough that she tells me I don't need them anymore!

Red Raspberry; Most people drink red raspberry tea a few weeks before they are due. I personally have taken red raspberry in a capsule form for fertility (when we were trying) and then all throughout my pregnancy. I took it to prevent miscarriage and now to prep everything for birth. This is a controversial thing to take, so make sure you do your own research. Again you can read more about it in Aviva Romm's book or ask your ND or nearest herbalist :)

Thyroxine; Again this is a prescription, I currently get all my thyroid levels check through blood work once a month and will continue to take this as long as I need it.

Tyrosine (L-Tyrosine); This is an amino acid that plays an important role in thyroid hormones, and can actually help the thyroxine work 'better'. Not to mention it produces important brain chemicals that help with mood support!

Vitamin B Complex; The main reason I take a B-Complex is because I have a history of adrenal fatigue, and B vitamins play a big role in the body when stress it at hand. The B-complex I take actually has each B vitamin dosed in the way it should be, as though you were going to take each B vitamin separately. Most B-Complexes will be a B-50 or B-100, but if you compare labels you'd be surprised how much more could be in there. Therefore I also get a full 1000mcgs of B12 in each dose.

Vitamin B6; I took this additionally to my regular B Complex during the first 10 - 12 weeks of pregnancy to help with morning sickness and nausea. Although I didn't have much sickness, it can also help with progesterone levels.

Vitamin C; This vitamin I think can be underestimated in how much it can do for you. I take Vitamin C just as needed, or as a precaution for when I am trying to avoid getting sick during cold and flu season. How much should you take? I will leave that up to your discretion, I wouldn't over do it while your pregnant. In fact while we were trying to get pregnant we avoided taking any added Vitamin C other than what was in our diets because it had been known to dry out cervical mucus!

Vitamin D; I think Vitamin D is SO important, and have seen this Vitamin work wonders in so many of my clients lives as well. I am not going to get into dosing. If you can get your blood work done to see where your levels are at, it is easier to know how much you should take for a maintenance dose. This is a fat soluble vitamin, so your body will store what is needed for later if it has the extra available to do so. I take Vitamin D for mood support, skin health, and for optimal absorption of my minerals!

Vitamin E; I took this mostly in my first trimester, because it is known to help prevent miscarriages! The name 'tocopherol' (type of Vitamin E) actually comes from the Greek words 'tokos' meaning birth, and 'pherein' meaning to bear or carry, summing up to mean 'to carry a pregnancy'. Neat eh?

* Make sure you check in with someone on what you are taking, it can be so important not to over do it! While at the same time you want to make sure you are getting what it needed. You CAN take to much of something, so you want to make sure that if you are talking multiple things, they do not overlap. What I mean by this is that your multi-vitamin may or may not have calcium in it, therefore that will play a role on whether or not you may need additional calcium. There is also quite a bit of difference between brands. So please, check in with your local health food store, set up an appointment with your nutritionist or ND to make sure what your doing is best for you!

*For those interested I do offer a specialized consult service via e-mail. No initial consults are needed. This is a $40 service, you can find more information under the 'Services' tab!

#Hormones #HelpingHerbs #Pregnancy