Supplements for pg?

[lorelei]

I normally hate and don't take any sort of vitamin regularly. I will sometimes take a b-vite or something with dha if I'm feeling really tired and down, but generally that's about it.

I'm taking a Rainbow Light prenatal daily with this pg. I just had my second mw appt on Thursday, baby is good, all my levels from labs and the superfun pee testing are just where they should be.

I feel like my mw is trying to get me to buy a bunch of supplements, though. She's recommended Papayamints, and JuicePlus (which she sells,) some magnesium supplement, and various other things. I don't see that I need them, really, and hate to waste money on pills I'm not likely to even use because I hate taking pills. The birth center carries a lot (not all, but a lot) of the things she's 'recommending' that I take.

Frankly, I doubt the usefulness of any and all things of this sort and would much rather just change my diet to try to account for any lack in vitamins or minerals.

Am I over-reacting in thinking she's just trying to sell me a bunch of stuff, or is this typical of mw practices? I went to regular old ob/gyn's with my first two pg, and other than a prenatal vite, was never told to take anything else.

Thanks, mamas!

[catnap70]

I'm with you. I'm taking a pre-natal just because I'm not sure I always get what I need in my regular diet, but I have read several books that say that if you have a good pregnancy diet, you really don't even need an extra vitamin. And, my favorite way to think about these things is to think about women on the frontier and what they did--there were no Papayamints then! Save your money for other things!

[LoobyLoo]

Sounds like she's working on commission. I'm taking a general pre-natal vit as a just-in-case and for the folic acid, and have kept on taking the flaxseed supps I usually take, but haven't had any recommendations for anything else from any of my 4 MWs, and haven't heard of anyone else having anything other than a normal pre-natal vit recommended.

If she IS working on commission, I'd say that's rather naughty of her - as she's your health care professional, she has a duty to be responsible and should be making it perfectly clear what you NEED as opposed to what you might ALSO LIKE.

[madiesmommy]

I have a friend who takes juice plus, and it does sound like a good product. However, if you are healthy and you have hired her as a mw only, I don't think she should be trying to sell these things to you! If she continues to offer, then it might affect your trust of her as a mw...she needs to consider that. Maybe she just makes one attempt and lets it go when the mom says no, on the off chance she gets a sale.

If it is a recurring offer, and she doesn't take no, then you have a problem at that point.

I think you are a wise momma to minimize what you take in the form of supplements!

[JenMidwife]

yikes! I definitely don't think all that stuff is neccesary... & it really puts you in an uncomfortable position, doesn't it?

[sunnymw]

My MW: "Well, with the normal prenatals, I suggest the mom also take X and X and X... but these Rainbow Lites just have all that stuff already in them!"

[samuelsmom]

I just see the vitamins as a "supplement." I do my best to eat a good diet of whole foods, then see the vit as a "fill-in-the-gaps" kind of thing (if I even remember to take it). My MW seems to think this is fine, too. Some people see them as, "I can eat whatever I want as long as I take the prenatal vitamin!" but it doesn't sound like that's you, so I'd just keep eating well and taking the one, if that's what your comfortable with.

[lorelei]

Thanks, mamas. If the trend continues then I'll just let her know that since my levels are all fine, I feel like my current diet is sufficient. And that it's starting to feel like a sales pitch when I come in for my pn checkups and she tries to get me to buy a bunch of supplements.

I do hope it doesn't come to that, though.