need opinions on these supplements during pregnancy

[caedmyn]

This isn't exactly a TF thread, but I'd like some TF perspective's on this...I feel that a lot of my DD's health problems are due to nutritional deficiencies, particularly ones that affect her enzyme pathways that detoxify food chemicals. I'd planned to take some nutritional supplements to try to make sure the enzyme pathways for my next baby would work properly, and to try to correct some lingering health problems for myself, but I got pregnant a couple of months before I'd intended. I'd started taking most of the supplements that I thought would help right around the time I would have conceived, so I haven't been taking them for long enough (IMO) to make a significant difference, and it's difficult to determine if they're safe for pregnancy or not. Obviously I don't want to take anything that could hurt the baby, but I want to do everything I can to try to insure that he's as healthy as possible.

So...while I know there's no way to really know if these supplements are safe or not, I'd appreciate anyone's opinions on any of them one way or another.

1. B12 (methylcobalamine)--150 mcg sublingual daily...I suspect DD has a problem with her methylation pathways, and B12 and folate are 2 things that help this pathway work properly (I am taking 400 mcg of folinic acid daily but I don't have concerns about the safety of that during pregnancy.) As far as I can tell this is the form of B12 that is found in food so it should be pretty safe, but I don't really know.

2. selenium (selenomethionine)--200 mcg daily...IIRC this can help with both methylation pathways and sulfation pathways, and I suspect DD has problems with both. And, of course, selenium is very important to the immune system as well as for a bunch of other things...and we are currently living in a selenium-poor area although I've spent most of my life in a good area for selenium soil content.

3. B6 (P-5-P)--33 mg every other day...this also works with folate and B12 for methylation pathways, and I think I may have a B6 deficiency as I have very little dream recall, although I haven't had success in fixing this through B6 supplementation

4. freeze dried adrenal gland caps--I have mild adrenal issues

5. iodine--I was taking 6.25 mgs of Lugol's solution a day when I got pregnant, but stopped when I got the BFP. I'm considering taking a 550 mcg kelp capsule daily but am not sure about iodine's possible heavy metal detox effects. I do have 4 mercury amalgam fillings. I did ask on Andy Cutler's (noted mercury chelation researcher) yahoo group about this and was told that iodine didn't chelate heavy metals and was fine to take with fillings in, but now that I think about it there might be a difference between it not chelating, and it detoxing...if it does detox heavy metals I suppose that would be a bad thing during pregnancy.


Anyhow, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[TwilightJoy]

Subbing. :

[tanyalynn]

I can throw in my 2-cents. I've done supplementing on my own while nursing, and I'm working with a HCP now, but I am still really new to all this.

1. B12--no opinion, I don't know the difference between methylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin and I only have experience with the latter.

2. selenium--I think it would be okay but I think it can also (along with iodine, not sure if to a lesser extent though) be involved in detoxing heavy metals. I'd read more about this, but selenium is really important, and if you're low, it seems like it needs to be addressed.

3. B vitamins--my midwife recommended higher dosages than that just based on lots of fatigue and nausea during my last pregnancy, so I'd think that amt of B6 would be fine. I took mine as a complex with other B vits, not sure of the pros/cons there. As an aside, B6 and zinc work together, not sure if low zinc would affect B6 uptake or dream recall. Zinc deficiency is really common, I think 2nd after magnesium.

4. adrenal caps--seems like a good thing, protective for you and kiddo if your adrenals are weak since pregnancy is such a stress.

5. iodine--I wouldn't do it because of the possible detox effects (I took high amounts while nursing, later my HCP didn't come out and say that was bad, but we talked about safe ways to get iodine, and she didn't give me a simple supplement). You may want to look at modifilan--my HCP is fine with me taking it while nursing, it's a seaweed extract product that seems to reduce detox symptoms (my HCP uses it for that purpose, but it's also got some iodine in it). Not recommending it, but maybe look into it.

I'm really looking forward to others' input. I threw mine out there knowing that I don't know nearly enough, but I want to learn more.