Things I Love and Use: Supplements, Online Birth Class and More!
This post has been in the works for a long time. I get asked often what supplements I take, or what stroller I like, or what baby products are must haves etc. Instead of repeating myself over and over I figured this would both be convenient and time saving! š
I think foods are the best way to get vitamins and minerals but honestly I find it exhausting to actually eat some days much less make sure that everyone is eating paleo, raw, gluten-free *insert your diet stipulation here* etc. This is why I take supplements to help fill in the gaps.
****Disclaimer****
I suggest that EVERYONE consult their primary care provider prior to consuming supplements of ANY kind as your situation is unique and you may not need and/or do well taking the supplements that I take myself.
Supplements
I really love this prenatal from Megafood Baby and Me. I take this specific version I will include a link to because I hated the idea of taking 4 pills when 2 pills were an option! This prenatal is great because it contains methylated versions of folate and B-12. This is especially important for those who are unable to methylate properly (example: those with a MTHFR mutation). This is a whole other side bar topic and if you want to learn more I suggest contacting Dr. Jill Plentl with Hope Chiropractic to ask for her recommended resources.
Things I Love and Use: Supplements, Online Birth Class and More!
This post has been in the works for a long time. I get asked often what supplements I take, or what stroller I like, or what baby products are must haves etc. Instead of repeating myself over and over I figured this would both be convenient and time saving! š
I think foods are the best way to get vitamins and minerals but honestly I find it exhausting to actually eat some days much less make sure that everyone is eating paleo, raw, gluten-free *insert your diet stipulation here* etc. This is why I take supplements to help fill in the gaps.
****Disclaimer****
I suggest that EVERYONE consult their primary care provider prior to consuming supplements of ANY kind as your situation is unique and you may not need and/or do well taking the supplements that I take myself.
Supplements
I really love this prenatal from Megafood Baby and Me. I take this specific version I will include a link to because I hated the idea of taking 4 pills when 2 pills were an option! This prenatal is great because it contains methylated versions of folate and B-12. This is especially important for those who are unable to methylate properly (example: those with a MTHFR mutation). This is a whole other side bar topic and if you want to learn more I suggest contacting Dr. Jill Plentl with Hope Chiropractic to ask for her recommended resources.
You can click on the image above or click here to go to the direct amazon link to order.
The amazing thing about fetal development is that the neural tube is formed by day 27 in utero! This is huge because if your child is going to have a midline defect it is going to happen prior to day 27 in utero. A lot of women donāt even know that they are pregnant by that point! This is why I am such a huge proponent of taking prenatals prior to conceiving if this is something that is your goal. I know that this is not always possible for everyone, but if you can do this it is better for your rapidly developing baby to have the best nutrition to grow.
I also love to take extra Vitamin C (this is both while pregnant and not pregnant). I recently heard something from a colleague that I found VERY interesting in which they mentioned that Vitamin C had been correlated to miscarriages in women. I wish I had the research on this but unfortunately I do not. I do know that this is not the case for every woman/baby but apparently if it is a threatened pregnancy for whatever reason then it may be a good idea to not take extra Vitamin C. Either way I suggest you contact your provider to ask their opinion on ANY supplement you take. I love Vitamin C and take 2000 mg myself daily which I attribute to me staying healthy especially in the winter months when my Vitamin D levels are lower from not being outside as much.
You can click on the image above or here to go to the direct link to order this supplement.
I was told about this supplement called Cell Food and I love adding it to my water! It not only gives my water a great citrus-like flavor but it adds in trace minerals that provide me with energy which is much needed most days as a business owner and pregnant mother with two toddlers!
I donāt use this every day because I honestly forget but when I do I always notice Iām more productive that day. Haha.
You can click on the image above or here to go to the direct link to order this supplement.
The vast majority of individuals are deficient in magnesium. I always thought I just had a āsweet toothā and thatās why I would crave chocolate. Did you know that craving chocolate could actually be a sign of magnesium deficiency? Crazy huh?
The cool thing about magnesium is that it is also helpful at keeping away muscle cramps, help in providing restful sleep and aids in the absorption of calcium within the body which is beneficial not only on a cellular level but also important for your skeletal system and Iām partial to that as a chiropractor š
I take this Chelated Magnesium as it is more readily absorbed in a chelated form. It is suggested to take it around the same time each day and preferably at night to help with aiding in better sleep so taking it after dinner is the ideal timing for most people.
You can click on the image above or here to go to the direct link to order this supplement.
Thatās all for the supplements that I order online. The other two that I take are sold through professionals and I have accounts in order to have them for myself and patients.
One of these is a fish oil supplement called Cod Liver Oil. It is filled with beneficial omegas that are helpful for brain and nervous system support. With a developing baby I find it very important to supplement with this and have found that I had very few of the āpregnancy brainā moments in comparison to my first pregnancy when I did not take these.
I take them from a brand called Standard Process but I have heard amazing things about a brand called Nordic Naturals and hope to have those as another option as well.
I suggest keeping these in your refrigerator as it is an oil and if left in an unsuitable environment can cause the oil to go rancid.
I came across this study that states that when fish oils are used during pregnancy that they may cause bigger babies and longer gestation. I had never heard this before and was baffled by it so I thought I would share it as well for you to read if you would like and make your own decision from there!Ā Click here for article.
Lastly, I take a probiotic from Klaire Labs. I find that a probiotic is especially important at keeping you healthy as the majority of your immune system comes from your gut and probiotics directly benefit in providing a healthier gut flora. In the last trimester of pregnancy it is suggested that taking probiotics can help diminish your chances of testing positive for Group B strep which could help to eliminate an intervention of IV antibiotics during labor. There is a specific one for women that I suggest to pregnant women that helps to populate bacteria specific to the vaginal canal which is not only helpful for mom but also makes sure that baby (when born vaginally) is exposed to a good flora of immune building bacteria!
There is another one I love for adults called Ther-biotic complete. It has a multitude of strains and in massive quantities for maximum effect.
There is also one specific for infants. It is in a powdered form and it is something I recommend for babies who are formula fed as they are not being exposed to their motherās gut flora via breastmilk if they are 100% formula fed. It has also been shown to be helpful for babies with colic or unexplained irritability.
If youāre interested in ordering any of these I am more than happy to have them for you at my office or find someone near you if you arenāt local to me so that you can use them!
My kids are notorious for ānot likingā anything remotely healthy that we try to make for them. I am confident that I am NOT alone on this! Haha. While they do pretty well for the most part it is so hard to get them to eat adequate amounts of anything other than āsnacksā. Can I get an Amen? Itās for this reason that we give them daily supplements as well. They include the following:
SmartyPants Kids Complete Gummy Vitamins: Multivitamin & Omega 3 DHA/EPA Fish oil, Methyl B12, Vitamin D3, 120 Count (30 day supply)
These are great because itās easier to get them to eat a gummy vitamin in comparison to a chewable. Why? I donāt know. Ask them. I also like that it has D3 (the more readily absorbed version of vitamin D) and methylated B12 as well as methylated folate. These are available at Target or you can get them onlineĀ here.
This supplement is a probiotic pixie stick for my kids. They are so compliant taking this in comparison to the Klaire Labs probiotic so I use this daily unless theyāre fighting something and then Iāll bring in the big guns of the Klaire Labs since they have a wider variety of strains to help get them well. These taste delicious though. My kids think that theyāre candy and we have to put them up high so they donāt try to eat them all!
You can click on the image above for more information or click here to be directed to my website. If you have any questions donāt hesitate to contact me!
Phew! That was a lot of work to share that info about what we take and why!
Now onto one of my FAVORITE THINGS ā Online Childbirth Classes
I took this online childbirth education course as a requirement for my doula certification and I was blown away! I have taken in person Bradley childbirth classes when I was pregnant with our first child and felt like I already knew the majority of the information already. One benefit of taking it online is that you can do so from your own home instead of having to go somewhereā¦..for example maybe you go to a home for a Bradley childbirth course and the home smells VERY strongly of catsā¦yet you never see a cat any time you goā¦.haha. I may or may not have had that experience. š
I found that the online course was repetitive with some topics but I would expect that seeing as how I am actively involved in the birth world, but the great thing was that there was at least one take away from EACH class that was new information to me so I was very impressed!
If you want to check out the Mama Natural Childbirth Class online click here!
One interesting thing from the class was the suggestion to eat 6 dates/day for the last 4 weeks of your pregnancy to help provide an easier labor and delivery. You better believe Iām going to be doing this! š
*I want to add that by clicking on the links I provide I receive a small compensation. This is no way affects your price and provides a means for me to pay for this website and blog. Thank you.*
Okay this is all for now but I will be back to this periodically to update this blog and add things etc. as I find more awesome and helpful things!
In health,
Dr. Emily
