5 Favorite Supplements for Pregnancy

I am just under six months from having my third baby, and being a person who takes many supplements for a variety of reasons there are a few that I recommend, reason being they all have effects that I can 'feel' and really help make the whole experience of being pregnant even more wonderful!

An Apple a Day...

Okay so we have all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I don't know about that but for me it serves an even more important function, it keeps the PLUMBER away!! As you have probably read (or experienced) our bodies are working harder than ever to extract the nutrients from all that we consume to nourish our growing baby. Often this can lead to some changes in our bowel movements!! I have found that without eating an apple a day it can be days between movements sometimes leading to the toilet getting clogged. Eating an apple a day keeps me regular and it keeps the toilet working in tip top shape!

Extra Tip: If you have a partner/husband letting them know that it would help you and really start your day off right if they are willing to make sure there are ALWAYS at least 2-3 apples around and to cut one up for you in the morning is a HUGE help. Personally I had a hard time remembering to 'ask' for apples and it got complicated, once I got my husband enrolled we were all happier! If you have a hard time getting your helper enrolled make sure you ask them to unclog the toilet every time it happens and remind them if they could just help with the apples it would help a lot, this will help motivate them!

Fish or Flax Seed Oil...

I thought I was crazy when I noticed this with my first pregnancy, but taking either fish or flax seed oil helps me a lot with what feels like cramping in my legs I don't know if it is the sciatica that I hear about in the pregnancy books or not but it is very uncomfortable. During my first pregnancy I had been following the Swank Diet for MS which includes taking one or both of these and I was taking flax oil in the morning with a smoothie, this habit kind of faded as I got pregnant and I was getting these cramping pains I mentioned. Then one night after drinking my first smoothie in a while I noticed they were gone! Now I am taking fish oil straight most of the time and noticed the same thing with last and current pregnancy as well. If you are vegetarian or are just grossed out by the idea of fish oil I found flax had the same effect for me. Most of these oils have the added benefit of containing Omega 3's and DHA and there are very many other Health Benefits of Fish Oil During Pregnancy not to mention helping us the rest of the time, A Look at the Health Benefits of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Supplements .

Extra Tip: If you find it easier to handle eating a can of sardines has a good amount of fish oil in it as well, some find this easier than drinking oil and it might be more affordable to do it this way too as fish oil can be expensive.

Acidophilus or Yogurt...

Acidophilus is something that I am taking currently as a supplement, I take a powder version of it because I am allergic to dairy and so choose not to eat yogurt which of course has the same stuff in it. With my first pregnancy more than with my following two I got a lot of yeast infections, which of course are NOT fun, not to mention the medicine to treat it is pretty expensive. I found that if I had a yeast infection and caught it early enough with my first pregnancy eating some plain or sugar free yogurt three times a day cleared it up!! Eating yogurt regularly and watching my sugar intake totally kept the yeast infections at bay and it is a lot more affordable and pleasant in my opinion to eat yogurt than it is to buy and use the over the counter yeast treatments. Keep in mind if it doesn't work going to the doctor is recommended because it might not be a yeast infection! I only got one with my last pregnancy and it was after eating most of a box of chocolates I received. If you like me are allergic to dairy I recommend getting some quality supplements ideally those recommended by a naturopath.

Extra Tip: I have a friend who was a doula and is now in school to become a midwife who says that if you catch it early enough inserting a clove of garlic will cure a yeast infection too!

Iron Complex...

Okay, so this one is recommended all over the place and is a part of most prenatal pills, I take it separately along with folate because of the higher dose recommendations from my medical advisors, I am mentioning it here because I found especially during my second and third pregnancies, toward the end of the exhausting first trimesters and beyond the fatigue increased dramatically. I quickly figured out one day when I forgot to take my iron pill that it was what was keeping me going. I was working during my second pregnancy and remember keeping an extra bottle of iron pills at work because if I ever forgot it I didn't think I'd make it through the day! Of course this is part of why our doctors recommend taking it but for me it really helped my daily functioning as well as helping my little growing baby inside.

Extra Tip: My favorite iron pills come from a local store called "PCC" and they are called "Iron Complex" I thought they were called extended or slow release before, but basically they look like a clear capsule of confection 'dots' that I'm guessing release the iron and B vitamins at different rates.

Be Picky About Prenatals...

Okay so here is the most frustrating story about my first pregnancy, I had purchased an affordable bottle of prenatal vitamins from the pharmacy and took them religiously as I wanted my baby to be healthy! I had an embarrassing problem though...I smelled bad. I actually became convinced that I smelled bad because I was pregnant!! Fortunately I switched pills at some point, I think to smaller ones or something and I noticed the stink totally disappeared! So long story short, the pills I was taking had something in them, that smelled so bad, it seemed to be seeping from my pores after taking it. Totally disgusting, so if you experience anything like this be sure to shop around!

Extra Tip: I have a friend who once was able to get a prescription for some pleasant flavored prenatals, so it's worth asking your doctor about because it of course makes it easier to swallow them if they don't stink so much as well.

Okay so there you have it! Those are the five things that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to make their pregnancy more comfortable, Apples, Fish/Flax Oil, Acidophilus/Yogurt, Iron & staying picky about prenatals. Being pregnant is quite a journey that is mostly fun though definitely gets tough sometimes so lets keep it as enjoyable as possible.