what kind of supplements are you taking? and why?

[Krystal323]

any at all??

Just a prenatal? Extra calcium? Iron? Omega-3's?

I was thinking that it might be a good idea to buy some of those calcium chewable thingies the other day (on top of my multi's, my iron pills, bioflavonoids, RRL tea and ground flaxseeds--whew!), and that got me on a general tangent of thinking that maybe the more supplements we take, the more lazy we get with our diets...?

Maybe this is another of those "giving in to fear" issues for me--i know with my first, i was more knowledgeable about vitamins than baby development or labor positions! And that was totally out of fear--i felt like the more control i exerted over the pregnancy in terms of nutrition, exercise, etc, the "safer" i was.

Then again, I feel like it's silly to not take any vitamins at all--they do act as a bit of dietary insurance after all. (right?)

I'm curious as to what everyone else thinks about this--thanks! :

[FrederickMama]

I take extra vitamin c ....sometimes a chewable multiple - that's about it.

[Eaglevoice]

At the moment I'm taking my prenatal and rrl. If I start to get leg cramps, then I'll up the calcium, because that seemed to really help me last time. But for now, it's just the prenatals and my daily cup of tea.

[kdtmom2be]

Just my prenatals, when I remember, and the occassional Omega-3 chewable and an occassional Tums for calcium, but I try to avoid those and actually eat dairy because the colourants they use contain aluminum and I can't find my white ones.

[darsmama]

when I remember

Prenatel, flax seed 2 1200 mg pills, 2 pkgs emergen c daily.

Thats about it

[Ilana]

Now I'm taking a B Complex, zinc, vitamin C and calcium chewables when I'm feeling crampy. Before I took nothing because I couldn't stomach them. I'm just really not eating as I should and even I, who doesn't normally "do" supplements, am getting a bit worried. I think the baby is getting what he needs but I dont' think I am.

ILANA

[Krystal323]

I think the baby is getting what he needs but I dont' think I am.

yeah that's what i'm worried about too--I feel like i better be careful or my body will be a depleted malnourished wreck before i've even started nursing!

sigh...i guess i just need to calm down and think about b-a-l-a-n-c-e huh..

[Synchro246]

I am currently taking a liquid prenatal vitamin and a liquid cal mag when I remember them. I take my floridix much more regularly. Also I'll throw a vit C or a Flax seed oil or papaya enzyme in there once in a while. My diet is way different from last time and I think I am going to have to rely on dairy much more for protien.

I was having a brainstorm about iron and anemia in pregnancy. I am probably going to post some questions over in the birth professional forum. I belive that adequate oxygenation is a big pain reliever for labor. I also believe that adequate oxygenation is obviously important for fetal well-being. Now, I have to wonder if a woman's iron levels are low if she will be more likely to experience more pain thru labor and if her baby will be more likely to experince a lack of oxygen. . .just a hypothesis I want to investigate

[Krystal323]

hmm.....wow...i like how you think Laura--if you do post a seperate thread on that, can u post the linky here?? :

[Willzmama]

I haven't really taken any since about 7-8 weeks. I couldn't stomach my prenatals anymore. Some days I take a flax seed oil capsule, but not daily. I have been thinking that getting the omega oils would be good, but other than that, I am not going to worry about it. I feel better now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, but I'm on the fence about how good supplements really are, or whether it is better to just try to eat a healthy, varied diet.

[roadfamily6now]

I am not really taking anything at this point but i need to take more iron for sure.

What is flax seed oil for ??

[Synchro246]

Originally Posted by Krystal323

hmm.....wow...i like how you think Laura--if you do post a seperate thread on that, can u post the linky here?? :

Your complement lit a fire under my bum-
Here's the thread

[Synchro246]

I *think* flax seed oil is for the omega fatty acids which are so good for the baby's developing brain (and our skin?) (and other stuff?)
I'm looking forword to hearing more about it too.

[Krystal323]

:climbs up on soap box timidly and clears throat:

flaxseeds are a good source of essential fatty acids, Omega-3's more specifically. Omega-3's are needed for DHA production and are supposedly of particular importance in pregnancy. They are also a great source of fiber (which pregnant women can esp. use more of!), and lower blood pressure.

Here's a linky to the page on essential fatty acids by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine, and here's another general linky on the benefits of omega-3's (in those people's opinion )

[QuiteLikeRain]

I'm taking a prenatal daily, along with 2000mg of flaxseed oil and two pills of acidophilus.

[maliceinwonderland]

I take my prenatal (when I remember) and flax oil. I can't explain it, and there probably isn't even any research to back it up, but when I started taking flax oil (way before I got pg) my anxiety attacks went away. So you can all think I'm insane, but I don't care :P

[clavicula]

prenatal, extra C vit, Calmag, iron, some B complex ocassionally.

[Rico'sAlice]

I take 1/2 a serving (3pills/6) Prenatals (food sourced) & 1tsp CLO. I have extra SA w/ juice and/or Emergen-C, throughout the day depending on how I feel. Oh, and the RRL tea.
I drink a lot of (raw) milk and cook out of cast iron, so I haven't done any extra Ca or Fe.
Occasionally I have ground flax seeds in cereal and stuff, but that's just because I like the nutty taste. BTW- If you read the nutrition forums there is definitely disagreement (mostly between NTers and Vegans) about how easily the body converts ALA from flax seed oil into DHA and EPA. There are also different views on what are actual safe levels of Vit.A (assuming from food sources) which is some people's worries about taking CLO.
It's not a debate I personally am prepared to really delve into, but for those interested there is lots of info out there.

[jiva]

I talk a prenatal daily, calcium every now and then (if I feel like I'm slacking) and echinacea tincture (that I make) a few days a week during the colder months. Otherwise, I try to get my "supplements" from food. I eat a lot of flax muffins (and we use only omega-3 eggs) and put wheat germ in everything (from cookies to oatmeal)...eat yogurt (homemade usually) almost daily and drink a pint of nettle infusion every day. I like eating my nutrients best...that way dh and ds get them too (and they take multis and ech. as well, ds also takes dha). Now that my once veggie-fearing toddler (we're vegetarians) is eating anything I fix (but especially beans!), we are all eating really well! He's inspired me to cook more: . Who knew...

jiva

[Krystal323]

hmm yah i've heard that before about avoiding high levels of supplemental vitamin A. my multi's happen to be made with that in mind, they don't have much vit A in them. it's all just so confusing! :