supplements--what are you taking?

[Thursday Girl]

My supplements

cod liver oil
probiotics
just found liquid prenatal vitamins


I am very excited about the liquid prenatals, as when I am pregnant I have SOOO much difficulty swallowing pills, they male me vomit, or very nearly. The last two pregnancies I spent much too much time throwing up partially digested pills.

so whats on your list of vitamins and herbs to take?
and if you are feeling especially informative, any links to information about why that item?

[rzberrymom]

I'm taking dandelion and milk thistle for nausea, CLO and tons of B vitamins. I was on the couch sick for a month last time, and I can't manage that with a 3 year old this time! So, I'm really hoping the dandelion, milk thistle and B vitamins do the trick!

[AllyRae]

I'm just taking a Whole Foods prenatal (I prefer prenatals that are food based) and some baby aspirin (I have a blood condition that requires it with or without pregnancy). I'd love to be able to take fish oil, but that's a bad idea with the aspirin. :lol:

[tulipmama]

I'm taking omega 3 fish oil, CLO, Dr. Ron's multi as a prenatal, probiotics, calcium, and freeze-fried organ pills (http://www.drrons.com/organ-delight.htm
and emergen-c once a day for more b vitamins.

[elspethshimon]

I am taking: Fish oil, a prenatal, and lysine.

I'm also drinking a pregnancy tea that I picked up at the homebirth midwives' office.

[cagnew]

Wow. You guys take a lot! Before I got pg I was taking baby aspirin, B6, Folic Acid, and a prenatal. Now I am just taking the prenatal and the apsirin.

[clovermom]

Right now just a prenatal as I haven't had a chance to get to the store since the BFP. I will start taking CLO and probably iron--I like the Floradix brand, it was a lifesaver during my last preg. But it is kinda $$ so I might wait until later to start taking it regularly, it helps to up your energy as iron-deficiency is very common in preg. women.
I am thinking about taking Evening Primrose Oil later on as well--good for stretching during the birth.

[applebean]

I read that cod liver oil was not good during pregnancy (at least not early on) because of the higher levels of vitamin A in it.

I take regular fish oil from small fish, that is mercury/lead/pcb free.

[Eliseatthebeach]

I'm taking prenatal and fish oil

[clovermom]

That's interesting Applebean, do you have a brand name?

[Thursday Girl]

That's interesting Applebean, do you have a brand name?

do you have a link too? I would like to look into it.

[applebean]

I went searching before I posted. I found a few things, one of which was a link to another discussion at MDC:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-550109.html

also this one:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/agesandstages/pregnancy/#A221155

I'd have to search around for others. It seems like it may depend on the actual amount of Vitamin A in the cod liver oil you're taking, but I'd rather just take a different kind of fish oil that doesn't come from the liver.

I take Spectrum Naturals Omegas, 2 softgels per serving.

[iowaorganic]

I take YES supplements. 2 omegas and 1 mineral/day. I also take a folic acid a sea mineral shot and as many B vitamins as I can. I am contemplating getting B injections as I am soooo tired and run down. With 2 toddlers I really need to be on my A game.

I am going to Whole Foods tomorrow- I am goig to see waht they have as far as the dandelion and milk thistle and of course the liquid prenatals. Sounds like it would help me out alot!

[tulipmama]

I read that cod liver oil was not good during pregnancy (at least not early on) because of the higher levels of vitamin A in it.


Actually, high vitamin A is only a concern for synthetic vitamin A-- retinyl palmitate and some forms of beta carotene. Natural vitamin A from CLO is extremely good for pregnant and nursing women:

This (http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitaminasaga.html)article explains the benefits of natural vitamin A and the dangers of synthetic vitamin A. Here's a small explanation for why the study warning against high vit A dosage is flawed:

Distinctions between synthetic and natural vitamin A have been absent in the extensive media coverage of this study—on the contrary, the newspaper reports contain implied warnings against pregnant women eating liver, dairy products, meat and eggs, but none against eating fabricated foods like margarine and breakfast cereals to which synthetic vitamin A is added. And there has been no media coverage for subsequent studies, which found that high levels of vitamin A did not increase the risk of birth defects. A study carried out in Rome, Italy found no congenital malformations among 120 infants exposed to more than 50,000 IU of vitamin A per day.16 A study from Switzerland looked at blood levels of vitamin A in pregnant women and found that a dose of 30,000 IU per day resulted in blood levels that had no association with birth defects.17

[Thursday Girl]

i like this quote from that article, the whole thing is so interesting though.

Weston Price considered the fat-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin A, to be the catalysts on which all other biological processes depend.9 Efficient mineral uptake and utilization of water-soluble vitamins require sufficient vitamin A in the diet. His research demonstrated that generous amounts of vitamin A insure healthy reproduction and offspring with attractive wide faces, straight teeth and strong sturdy bodies. He discovered that healthy primitives especially value vitamin-A-rich foods for growing children and pregnant mothers. The tenfold disparity that Price discovered between primitive diets and the American diet in the 1940s is almost certainly greater today as Americans have forsworn butter and cod liver oil for empty, processed polyunsaturates.

[TayTaysMama]

I am taking a food based pre-natal, a flax, fish, and borage oil supliment, extra vitamin C and the days I don't get enough calcium I take some of that.

[triscuitsmom]

I am taking a food based prenatal. It doesn't make me sick at all :love (unlike the generic one I took last pregnancy)

[akayerich]

just my multi and omega-3 for now. and really trying to increase the amount of nurtients i get from real food too.
i think rrl tea sounds like a good idea too, but i think i'll wait a couple of months.

[LionTigerBear]

I have very sluggish digestion and mineral deficencies, so I take kind of a lot.

LOTS of probiotics daily
LOTS of super-digestive enzymes
Ranbow Lite (food-based) Prenatal vitamin daily
Carlson's cod liver oil capsules daily
Azomite powder for minerals daily
extra Magnesium supplement as needed
Cal/Mag/Zinc + trace minerals liquid supplement daily
Raw fresh beet juice and cabbage juice daily

I'm going to start with the Red Raspberry Leaf Tea soon too. Later on I will probably add in Floradix. I found it very useful in my other pregnancies.

[jasonswife06]

just rainbow light prenatal :D

[AKislandgirl]

I take Rainbow light prenatal, Calcium-Magnesium, and Nordic Naturals Complete Omega 3-6-9. I have about half a bottle of the omega left and then will switch to prenatal DHA from fish oil (Nordic Naturals).

[Thursday Girl]

what B vitamins do you use? brands and such.


also I thought I had heard somewhere not to start the RRLT until later. Does anyone have info on that?

[NaturalNixi]

How much and how often do you take B vitamins?

[NaturalNixi]

I despise swallowing pillows. I can usually do the tylenol sized pills but other than that I gag. What brand liquid prenatal did you find?

[WeasleyMum]

I despise swallowing pillows. I can usually do the tylenol sized pills but other than that I gag. What brand liquid prenatal did you find?

I can't swallow big pills, either, so I grind my prenatal vitamins in the coffee grinder with some flax seed, and add that mix to my yogurt&fruit smoothies. It works well for me because I can't taste the nasty vitamin that way, and since it's all ground up and mixed with other stuff, it helps with my paranoia about pills not dissolving properly and getting "pooped out". :o

[Past_VNE]

I take:
New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal (food based)
Nordic Naturals Omega-3
Floradix iron
liquid B-12 and Folic Acid, plus a sublingual B-12.

CLO....why would I want to take it? I actually don't know a whole lot about it.

I also make a major point to eat some serious "supplement style" foods....raw milk, yogurt, lots of greens, veggies, "power foods", etc.

[DreamsInDigital]

I take a whole food supplement, Emergen-C and Vitanica iron.

[RainbowEarthFaerie]

Just a prenatal and Emergen-C here. I just ordered some organic pregnancy tea and I'll start drinking that when it gets here.

[Past_VNE]

Oh, yeah....I drink Emergen-C, too. Mmmmm....good stuff.

[AKislandgirl]

I just got some organic pregnancy tea (Traditional Medicinals) which I started drinking every morning. Its really good-I'd recommend it. It has a lot of raspberry leaf in it.

[Past_VNE]

I love that tea, too, but I believe there is something in it (mint?) that reduces your milk supply. Since I'm still nursing, that puts it out for me.

[tak]

Calcium-Magnesium-Zinc
wild salmon oil
B complex + C
B12 supplement
folic acid
prenatal multi

[chaoticzenmom]

I drink the pregnancy tea once or twice a day. Nothing else. I'll start with omegas after MS goes away and I'll probably take a cal/mag supplement because I don't drink milk.

Lisa

[G&B'sMama]

I'm taking some type of generic prenatal that I picked up at the store. When I get in to the midwife I am going to ask her for a better recommendation.

I am also taking Nordic Natural's Omega-3s with EPA/DHA.

I probably need to be taking more supplements, but I wasn't sure what was safe or not. I was taking a B vitamin supplement (at a pretty high dose because I have vitiligo), D supplement, and iron when I found out I was pregnant. I stopped the B because the dose was really high and the iron because there is iron in the prenatal. I stopped the D because it was summer time and I am hoping to get some sunlight!

After I figure out what I should be taking as far as the prenatal goes, I will figure out the rest.

[Citykid]

Your midwife will probably offer to prescribe prenatals for you. It's a lot cheaper that way if your insurance covers prescriptions, but they're not vegetarian. I take Nature's Best prenatal and calcium, but when I finish my current bottle I'll check out New Chapter and Rainbow Light since they'er so popular here.

I was reading the red raspberry leaf thread and am thinking about doing that also. But I've had a m/c in the past so I wouldn't start it until the second trimester. Anybody else here thinking of doing the full RRL regimen?

[kayleesmom]

i am just taking generic prenatals right now. what is the purpose/benefit of the fish oil pills? and which do recommend and where can i find the one u recommend. I am thinking about doing RRL regimen too but would wait till 2nd trimester.

[cam&kat's_mom]

I just take some organic gummy vitamin things i give my kids.
Just ofund out 3 days ago, so havent' gotten anythign else. Plus they are about all i can stomach right now :)