Vitamin Supplements?

[nicoleE]

Hello, My husband and I are starting to plan to have a baby, ideally we will start trying in about 3 months. I am soon to go off the pill.

I am a vegetarian (I do eat dairy and eggs but no flesh of any kind) and although I eat a vey healthy and varied diet I want to add to that with some supplements.

Are supplements worth it? Does anyone recommend any type in particular? I have heard of the Blackmores Pregnancy & Breastfeeding formula and also their Pregnancy Essencials Pack which also encludes a couple of other pills like Raspberry Leaf and another Calcium supplement. http://www.blackmores.com/products/products_detail.asp?prod=247

Are most supplements (besides folate and other 'real' essentials) a waste of money? Can you have too much, I read somewhere that a couple of vitamins (non water based so the excess is not just excreated from your body) can be dangerous if you consume too much.

Thanks!
Nicole

[wktz]

Hi Nicole,

I am not a vegetarian, but I take the Blackmores pregnancy and breastfeeding formula and haven't had any problems with it. More importantly, I haven't had any problems with my pregnancy, and the baby is developing normally :D

Doctors recommend taking folic acid for three months before you conceive, and then for the first trimester (from memory). I've continued to take the supplement the whole way through though (now 28.5 weeks) - I figure it can't hurt ;)

I think as long as you take something specifically formulated for pregnancy you will be ok. The only thing you want to watch out for is Vitamin A...don't ever take a supplement that contains this as too much can lead to birth defects or m/c. With any of the other vitamins, you are quite right, if you do have an excess they just pass through your body but they don't harm you or the baby.

All the best, and good luck with TTC!!
Kirsty

[Olivia]

Hi Nicole

I started taking Blackmores Pregnancy & Breasfeeding supplemenets before conceptions and am still taking them (I am 22 wks). Initially, my OB told me that I should be taking them until at least the 19 wks scan. He then said that I can keep taking them throughout pregnancy so I have never stopped. The only thing is the formula contains 400mg of folate and I think the RDI is 500mg, however if you have a balanced diet you should be getting enough folate from fruit, vegies and cereal anyway. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Briannabear]

The other thing to be careful of is Rasberry leaf tablets. Dont take them until the end of your third trimester. It stimulates and tones the uterus, which can bring on labour!

I use Blackmores pregnancy and breastfeeding formula too and its great. Just to be safe I take extra folate to make up the difference.

[KiLLaKaZ]

i WAS taking blackmores folate (but was planning to make the switch to the pregnancy & breastfeeding pills), but after my doctor commented on the inferiority of the blackmores brand (could be just her opinion), i switched to 'elevit', which is available from the pharmacy. you only take one daily & they are CONSIDERABLY smaller than the blackmores ones (& they are tablets with a groove in the middle, so u can snap them in half if you have trouble swallowing whole pills - which i doubt is a problem for u if u r considering blackmores!!). They are $25 for one month's supply, or about $65 for 3 months supply.

1 tablet contains:
V. B1: 1.55mg
V. B2: 1.8mg
V. B3: 19mg
V. B5: 10mg
V. B6: 2.6mg
V. B12: 4µg
V. C: 100mg
V. D3: 12.5µg
V. E: 15mg
V. H: 200µg
Folic Acid: 800µg
Calcium: 125mg
Iron: 60mg
Magnesium: 100mg
Phosphorus: 125mg
Copper: 1mg
Manganese: 1mg
Zinc: 7.5mg

*contains lactose & sucrose.
**Gluten free.

[jarrahsmumma]

Seriously, see a naturopath. Many vitamins do nothing if not taken in conjunction with other vitamins. (Calcium, magnesium and zinc, for example work in conjunction) There are a lot of myths about Raspberry leaf too. Too much Folate can be dangerous too, so make sure you are not getting an overload of it. Supplements should always be used under a practitioner.

[uptheduff]

I'm a vegetarian too, and i take herb valley pregnavite tablets because they are the only ones i can find that don't contain fish oil...check the labels, most of them aren't suitable for vegetarians!

[nicoleE]

Thanks guys, I saw a nutritionist yesterday and he is going to put me on Kelamin, which is a pharmacy only type brand (you cant get them from a chemist). I wouldnt normally trust someone with a product that is not well known however this guy is good! If anyone listens to 5AA in Adelaide they may have heard him, his name is Phil Sheldon and he is well known and respected. www.bodytalkhealth.com.au. He said it is a pregnancy multivitamin however it is more of a natural blend than the Blackmores brand, he didnt like them as a brand either.

I am starting to take fish oil, I dont mind taking it for my and my babies health, i just cant get the Omega 3 properly without it. It is a byproduct of fish and I see it as buying something made out of leather, buying a lipstick with god knows what animal bit in it or eating jelly or a cake with gelatine in it. In the end I am not risking the health of my baby for a bit of fish oil.

Thanks again for all your help.


Does anyone know where you can get a list of all the essential vitamin and mineral levels you need during pregnancy?? :confused: