Pregnancy is like a whole different ball game in your life. All of a sudden your hormones go crazy, your body is changing, and your body is no longer just your own. You’re growing a baby now, and whatever you do is going to affect your baby as well. It’s beautiful and magical but can also be a little bit stressful too. The best thing you can do for yourself is sit back, relax and take care of yourself. Keep reading to hear about some of the different vitamins and minerals that are safe to supplement with during pregnancy.
As always, talk with your health care provider before starting any new medications or supplements during pregnancy to make sure that it is the right choice and the right dosage for you.
Prenatal Vitamins
I actually recommend talking to your doctor about starting a prenatal vitamin before you even get pregnant. You should continue to take it throughout pregnancy and during the postpartum period. Prenatal vitamins are multivitamins that are formulated to meet the additional demands on your body during pregnancy. One main difference is that prenatals contain more folate (vitamin B9). Folate is essential for the successful formation of the developing neural tube.
There are a few different forms of folate. It’s most commonly found as folic acid which your body has to convert to the usable form, Methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). There is increasing evidence that is showing a significant portion of our population struggles with this conversion. This is leading people to be deficient regardless of supplementing. This, in turn, leads to an increased risk for children to be born with symptoms associated with low folate.
Your doctor can test to see if you are able to successfully convert folic acid to folate. You can also just get a supplement that contains methylated folate to eliminate the need for conversion.
Vitamin D
This is a fat soluble vitamin. It plays as essential role in immune function, bone development and strength, and cell growth. Vitamin D is often included in the labs run at the beginning of your pregnancy. Your provider will let you know if you are deficient and need to supplement with it.
Magnesium
Magnesium is found all throughout your muscular and nervous system and can be used to treat all kinds of symptoms during pregnancy. It’s a great natural laxative and can help relieve the constipation that is not an uncommon ailment during pregnancy. It can also help alleviate the intensity of headaches which can be common during the second trimester. It can also reduce the prevalence of leg cramps, something that I struggle with during the third trimester.
Calcium
Calcium is another one of those vitamins that is so easily depleted during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It’s so important for the developing musculoskeletal system and is found all throughout the body. Your body is just naturally going to make sure that baby gets the amount needed before any is leftover for you. Taking a calcium supplement can help to reduce your risk of hypertension and preeclampsia along with future dental issues or osteoporosis.
Probiotics
You may have heard about Group B strep, GBS, as it’s more commonly referred. This is a strain of bacteria found in the vaginal canal of approximately 25% of women. You are tested for it during your third trimester and if you are positive for it then antibiotics are given during labor to protect your baby from getting sick if it passes to him or her during labor.
Research has shown that supplementing with probiotics during pregnancy can prevent or resolve GBS, which in turn means that antibiotics are no longer needed during labor and delivery. I’m all for the power of antibiotics when necessary, but if I can safely avoid them then I will.
Vitamin C
Premature rupture of membranes, PROM, is when your water breaks before labor has started. This can present as a problem because once your water has broken you are at risk for developing infection so it’s important that the baby is delivered within a reasonable time frame.
Vitamin C has been found to strengthen the amniotic sac, decreasing the chances of PROM. With my first labor I had PROM, and contractions didn’t start until a few hours later. That labor ended up being really long and I hope to have a shorter labor this time. I started incorporating Vitamin C into my daily vitamin routine during the third trimester
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Red raspberry leaf tea has so many great benefits for the female body whether you are pregnant or not. It helps to strengthen and tone the uterus, which is the muscle that will be doing all of the hard work during labor and delivery. It’s also very rich in B vitamins and necessary minerals like magnesium and calcium. getting your vitamins in tea form can be easier for your body to utilize versus an encapsulated form that is has to work harder to break down.
“Women who ingest raspberry leaf might be less likely to receive an artificial rupture of their membranes, or require a caesarean section, forceps, or vacuum birth than the women in the control group.”
Studies have found that women who ingest RRL tea during pregnancy not only have shortened labors, but need less medical intervention during their labor. If there’s a chance it’ll make my labor and delivery easier, then sign me up!
Check out this study for more info on the benefits of RRL tea.
