Is my prenatal eating plan good enough to skip the prenatal vitamin?

[Karamom]

I just found out I'm pregnant- surprise pregnancy- a few days ago. I'm trying to come up with a nutritional plan. I'm thinking this time I want to skip the prenatal vitamin and try to eat a really good diet. Can you look over my plan and tell me if there is anything important I'm missing? Will it be ok for me to go without the prenatal?

In addition to eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, pastured meat and good fats:

Long simmered bone broth with veg and egg shells (eggs are from my backyard so I know they have not been chlorine washed.)

Blue Ice Fermented Cod Liver Oil one spoonful daily

Coconut oil one spoonful daily

Blackstrap molasses one spoonful daily

Fermented raw veg such as sauerkraut, one Tbls daily

Brazil Nut 1 daily

Raw grass fed milk 1/2 cup daily- that is all I can stomach

whole milk yogurt 1/2 cup daily

raw local honey 1 Tbls before bed daily

eggs 2 daily from my backyard

Liberal use of pink sea salt and pastured butter daily

RRL, nettle and oatstaw infusions daily

Lugol's iodine solution 2 drops daily

Leafy greens kale, spinach, lettuce, dandelions 3x daily

lentils and beans 3-4x week

seafood salmon, sardines, oysters 3x week

Epson salt baths daily

sun for 15 minutes minimum daily

Thank you.

[newcastlemama]

I eat like this as well but still take NOW brands prenatals (and extra vitamin D) to protect myself from deficiencies. But your probably don't need to like someone eating a mainstream diet would.

Congrats! (and I am due a little before you )

[Karamom]

The reasons I would rather not is because I think with vitamins it would be easy to get to much of something and that can be dangerous also. Whereas that is not such a risk eating real food.

Also it makes my head spin trying the figure out exactly which vitamin is good and not synthetic. I feel like there are so many vitamins out there that can actually be bad for you. And the high quality vitamins are so expensive! We are on a very tight budget so I don't want to spend that extra if I don't have to. More money to buy real food!

[sanguine_speed]

Honestly, I wouldn't sweat vitamins. You're eating well.

But I have nothing else for ya, lol.

[redvlagrl]

I didn't take prenatals for either of my pregnancy and both times my m/w was really surprised at how great my bloodwork was. I do, however take folic acid for the first trimester only.

In general, I don't really believe in taking supplements. We eat a good, varied diet too.

[hildare]

i'm not a big believer in supplements, either.. i tried to eat well while preggers, too. what i ended up doing, though, was getting some prenatal supplements from rainbow light that require you to take around 6 per day to reach the 'recommended' amount. i could adjust the vitamin intake based upon how well i had eaten. that brand is pretty awesome, natural, ethically sourced, etc. if you wanted to compromise in the vitamin/no vitamin area, that's one way to do it.

and, an aside, and i KNOW people are going to argue with me about this, but i would seriously consider limiting the epsom baths. i think epsom overload sometimes might put some minerals off balance, and mg is important to contractions and calcium etc. i took epsom baths every day and never started contrax even a week after edd and with water breaking. i'm not saying that's why but i've often wondered if that was a contributing factor for me.. some people use mg sulfate to STOP contrax.. but all that is just my vague and not very scientifically grounded musing on the subject, fwiw

[Karamom]

Interesting about the Epsom salt. I'll have to look at that more. Although I haven't actually been able to get a salt bath everyday. I have 2 kids so it doesn't always happen the way I had planned.

Actually I may have to go ahead and order some rainbow light vitamins because the nausea has hit! I was doing really good until a few days ago and now I just haven't been able to get all this stuff down. I should have known, this is preg #3 but for some reason I thought I would just be able to power through it this time. Well hopefully I will be able to go back to all the great whole foods in the 2nd tri.

[Strong Mama]

I have never taken prenatals, or any supplement during my pregnancies. With the first pregnancy, I was 18 and young and didn't really know about vitamins and the such, with my second, i was in europe, they dont do prenatals...and i didnt have a great diet, either. i was very sick with both pregnancies, living on potatoes and cereal and pepsi for the first 3 months of each..........everything was fine with my babies,and with me. i havent taken supplements yet with this pregnancy, mostly because i am too sick to stomach any, but i have been eating a lot of protein and dairy, but as soon as this nausea lifts i am going to take something with iron in it.

[es1967]

Originally Posted by Karamom

Interesting about the Epsom salt. I'll have to look at that more. Although I haven't actually been able to get a salt bath everyday. I have 2 kids so it doesn't always happen the way I had planned.

Actually I may have to go ahead and order some rainbow light vitamins because the nausea has hit! I was doing really good until a few days ago and now I just haven't been able to get all this stuff down. I should have known, this is preg #3 but for some reason I thought I would just be able to power through it this time. Well hopefully I will be able to go back to all the great whole foods in the 2nd tri.

A supplement of B6 alone is what helped me tremendously w the nausea. Worked great.

[lilyka]

I never took prenatals. and my nutrition pretty much was mediocre at best. My lat two were just fine. #1 was premature but I don't know if prenatals would have helped. She was spectacular for being six weeks early. Off the charts growth wise and was out of NICU within a week. Would have been earlier but we had a psycho nurse slippin' her bottles of formula right before I came in to feed her.)

I take a vit now but only because it tastes so good....

[Sol_y_Paz]

I think your diet looks good.
I would at least take a high quality folic acid pill though.

[mama1803]

Originally Posted by Sol_y_Paz

I think your diet looks good.
I would at least take a high quality folic acid pill though.

Just wanted to add that pastured eggs contain up to 70% times more natural folate than grocery store eggs.

[Ruthla]

If you're consistently able to keep eating the greens and drinking the infusions, then you're probably fine without added vitamins. If you're not able to keep eating/drinking those, or they don't stay down, then IMO supplements are more important.

If you're feeling nauseated, I'd suggest stopping the supplemental oils for now. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in body fat, so if you were taking those regularly for a while, you've got enough stored already. Plus, extra fat can be hard to stomach, and it's more important to get the water-soluble vitamins daily. Iodine can also be stored in the body for a while. Focus on the greens, the molasses, and the infusions when your stomach is "iffy."

Also listen to your body if something makes you feel sick. If one of the greens nauseates you, eat others instead. First of all, eating something that nauseates you is likely to make you eat less overall, so consuming it would be counter-productive. Secondly, the food aversion is probably a sign that the food doesnt' quite agree with you right now, that it contains something you or baby need to avoid right now.

[FairyRae]

You may find this thread helpful: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1241375

All a/b trying to replace a multi for TTC/pregnancy.