Dr Clueless! and How to Pick a Prenatal Vitamin

Doctor disappointment!

So, I played a little investigative game the last time I went to the OBGYN for my second trimester anatomy sonogram.  (oh by the way...it's a GIRL!) I had realized that from week 8 to week 19 no one had even whispered a word in regards to my nutrition. At this particular appointment I was told I had only gained one pound in the last month (6 overall heading into month 5) and the doctor said, “You haven’t gained the typical amount of 3-4lbs per month the first two trimesters, but your baby is growing at a healthy rate and everything looks great”. She then asked if I was eating! I was ticked… Luckily before I could open my mouth with a smart retort, my lovely man stuck up for me and said “she eats quality nutrition and not quantity of junk”. I then looked at the doctor and said “what do you recommend that I be eating or getting more of, or even avoiding as my pregnancy progresses?” She took a minute scrunched up her nose and said “eat regularly and take your prenatal”. That’s it! Eat what regularly?! Tell that to a normal hormonally stressed pregnant woman and that may translate into pretzels dunked in chocolate cream cheese and mac n’ cheese.  No other discussion was to be had on this day about nutrition for the pregnant woman sitting in front of her.

Dr. Clueless had no idea that I am a Holistic Nutrition Coach for a living; that I fuel my days with research, experimentation and observation of foods, healthy living and supplementation.  She doesn’t realize that every time I eat I think about the foods purpose for my body and my beautifully forming baby. But shouldn’t this be a discussion at my FIRST appointment. We are growing a human being (or some of us are growing multiples) for Pete’s sake! That is a massive and delicate undertaking that starts before you ever even become pregnant.

I know that I will personally be maintaining a healthy pregnancy and a healthy weight because of y ingrained background and views on health/nutrition, but what if I weren’t someone who had dedicated that last 12 years of my life to dietary intrigue? What if day in and day out I wasn’t responsible for the well-being of other human beings who are either part of my testimonials trials for TV or my private holistic practice? What if I were just like the many of you reading this… lost and confused by mixed messaging or lack of any type of direction? I left baffled and actually infuriated on behalf of the thousands of women this doctor has seen/will see and neglect to give sound nutritional advice. And for the over 4 million other women who give birth in the US each year.

Have you had a similar experience with your doctors? I’d love to hear from you. At your next appointment start asking questions and see what kinds of answers you get. While I cannot “prescribe” any pregnancy nutritional plans as we all have individual needs, activity levels, budgets, lifestyles, access to various foods, preexisting conditions, symptoms, nausea and food aversions, etc. I can give you my experience, my research and my recipes for you to make your own educated decisions and fit what you can in your own program to maximize your own experience and health of both you and baby. That's my commitment to you with ferquent entries in this blog.

Let’s start today with how to pick your prenatal vitamins:

The formula’s out there are overwhelming to choose from. What was important to me personally was the idea that if I am taking this EVERY single day and what I take my baby also takes, I didn’t want synthetic sources of vitamins or minerals, artificial dyes or other fillers.  I wanted natural plant sources of the vitamins so I know what I am getting and there isn’t contamination of other harmful substances coming from around the world (many cheap synthetic supplement ingredients  come from China where there are no real strict regulations on cross contamination) . Also, synthetic vitamins take a while to build up in your system before you reap the benefits. Dyes and fillers are tough on your digestive health and quite possibly on your brain, gut and cell health.  After I established a natural source vitamin I then looked for the following:

1)      At least 400mcg of folic acid (I also take additional folic acid by itself at a separate time during the day from my prenatal- but that's my personal choice based on self-research)

2)      Look for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval on your vitamin, which means it meets dissolution standards. Some prenatal vitamins don't dissolve in your stomach quickly enough, which means your body loses out on nutrients. Or do this at-home test: Put your vitamin in a half cup of vinegar and stir gently every five minutes or so. Within 30 minutes (up to 45 if your pill has a gelatin or hard coat on it), it should be either dissolved or at least separated into tiny particles.

3)      Make sure you can stomach it. If you're having trouble swallowing your horse pill, see if you can find one with a slicker coating. Try taking your calcium in a separate vitamin since pills without calcium tend to be smaller (calcium takes up a lot of space), so you may want to try one of these (but be sure you get enough of this essential mineral in other ways). Chewable prenatal vitamins are also an option, but watch out for artificial sweeteners or dyes. — but don't expect great taste. If you find that your vitamin makes you constipated or gives you gas, it could be the iron. Talk to your doctor about alternatives. Try taking your pill before bed if it makes your queasy. Be sure to drink enough water that it does not lodge in your throat before you lie down.

4)      In a separate supplement – consider taking an omega complex which has DHA and EPA. These crucial fatty acids help promote baby’s brain and eye health, as well as supporting your own well-being and being anti-inflammatory. I personally like Wholemega by NewChapter because of its strict purification process and ability to maintain the integrity of the nutrients.