I believe that food was creatively designed by God to completely nourish and sustain us in all seasons of life but I also know that our soil is depleted and natural food is not as nutritious as it used to be.
Therefore as a Nutritional Therapist, I continually apply myself to find the best synergy between a healthy diet and filling in the gaps with supplements.
At some times in my life supplements have just been to supply extra nutrients and at other times I’ve relied heavily on them to support the healing processes of my body like taking digestive aids and specific nutrients to eradicate bacteria and heal my gut.
In pregnancy, it has been a mix of supporting digestion and hormone health while making sure I’m getting enough of certain nutrients that are important for building a baby!
This list is individualistic to my needs and is in no way a recommendation for what you should be taking in pregnancy but I thought it could be helpful to see what I do so you can ask your primary care provider if some of these items would benefit you!
Digestive support
HCL - I’ve used this on and off through the pregnancy to help break down food and address heartburn. I have found though that my heartburn is primarily from just the squishing of my organs as I bend over and move in certain ways rather than having undigested food left in my stomach which would be the normal (non-pregnant) reason for heartburn. HCL can be a great fix for heartburn in pregnancy for some people depending on the situation.
Digestive enzymes - This is a huge one for me, I ran out of enzymes and noticed a considerable increase in liver pain which is something I’ve had to closely address in pregnancy. Enzymes help to break down food. Our bodies naturally make enzymes but by supplementing we can give the body a boost in a critical time of hard work such as pregnancy.
Beta TCP - This is a beet-based blend of nutrients that help the liver and gallbladder function optimally and break down food, especially fats! A growing baby relies largely on fats as a source of vitamins such as A, D, E, and K which is needed for the development of the cranial bones, brain, eyes, skin, and many more vital organs.
Radish and Echinacea - These are other liver supports that I have been taking to help with the drainage process of the liver. While we can’t force detox while pregnant we can ensure that the natural detoxification pathways are open and healthy. I have noticed a significant reduction in my nagging liver pain since starting these supplements.
Liver glandular - This is desiccated liver gland which supports my liver gland. I had great intentions of eating liver weekly but in reality, this did not happen, so taking liver in tablet form is a great alternative. Liver is important for iron, vitamin A and optimal liver function.
Nutrient Support
Designs For Health Prenatal Pro - When choosing a prenatal I was careful to find something with the active forms of vitamins in it. This means natural vitamins, not synthetic vitamins. For example, D2 is the synthetic form of vitamin D and D3 is the natural form. The synthetic forms will not benefit you in the same way and can actually cause you more harm than good. Another big one I watch for in prenatal is a combination of beta carotene (the inactive form of vitamin A that is found in carrots) and retinyl palmitate (the active form of vitamin A that is found in animal fats). The body has a low conversion rate of beta carotene to retinyl palmitate which is what the baby really needs to develop. Make sure your prenatal contains some active form of vitamin A and not just beta carotene.
Kelp - Before getting pregnant I had a Complete Blood Count blood draw done last year which shows nutrients levels as well as thyroid levels. From this test I knew my thyroid was low. Since a lot of herbs, that support the thyroid, are contraindicated in pregnancy I have been taking capsules of kelp for iodine in pregnancy. In our modern diet, we don’t eat enough wild-caught seafood or sea vegetables to supply us with adequate iodine levels. I did crave seaweed snacks all through my first trimester so my cravings were definitely lining up with what my body needed.
Calcium - I aim to drink 2 cups of raw cow’s milk every day per the WAPF recommendations for pregnancy. Later in my pregnancy, I added a calcium supplement to support my body in times when I wasn’t home and not drinking milk and just in general not getting enough calcium. This is a big one for me as I’m trying to prevent tooth decay in pregnancy which can happen when the body runs out of minerals to supply the baby and starts to pull from the mother’s reserve (teeth and bones).
Magnesium - You may have heard of magnesium being great for leg cramps in pregnancy and it is but this wasn’t my main reason in adding it into my routine. When supplementing with extra calcium it’s important to keep it in a 2:1 calcium to magnesium ratio. I checked my prenatal and calcium supplement and tallied up how much extra magnesium I needed to take in order to keep those nutrients in that delicate ratio.
Iron - I had to add iron in fairly early in my pregnancy from low levels. I was on an herbal iron tincture but this didn’t seem to be raising my levels so I switched to an iron supplement and it has worked great.
Baobab power - This is an important piece in the success of my iron supplementation. Baobab is a super fruit (low glycemic) powder that supplies iron and vitamin C together which is needed for iron absorption. When I added in 2 tsp of baobab every day we noticed a significant increase in my iron levels!
Fish oil - This is an important one! Fish oil (and more specifically fermented cod liver oil) was traditionally given to young couples on their wedding day to help them have healthy children. The native peoples knew that the oil from the liver contained vital nutrients such as Vitamin A and D which helped to form beautiful babies. I have taken either Blue Ice brand fermented cod liver oil or Standard Process brand cod liver oil all through my pregnancy. It also supplies Omega 3 which fuels the anti-inflammatory process in our bodies.
Vitamin D - In my home state of North Dakota, we don’t get appropriate sunlight in the winter to make vitamin D. While the cod liver oil and my fresh raw butter do supply some vitamin D it is hard to get enough through diet alone so I have supplemented with vitamin D specifically.
Probiotic - Another high-priority supplement! I try to eat fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kefir every day but supplementing with a probiotic helps me make sure that I am getting enough good bacteria daily even when I’m away from home and not eating my normal diet. It is important for a mother’s gut to be populated with healthy strains of bacteria because the baby (when born through the vaginal birth canal) will become populated with this bacteria.
Summary
This might seem like quite a lot of supplements but I have added each one of these over time only when I have seen the need. I am not blindly taking handfuls of things that I’m just guessing might be helpful.
I also don’t take all of these at the same time each day so it is broken up between all my meals which makes it not seem like swallowing a lot of capsules all at once.
I’m always careful to eat a healthy, nutrient diet and appreciate being able to support my diet with specific nutrients along the way!
