I am currently in week 19 of my third pregnancy. Going into my appointment with my midwife I was a bit nervous and very anxious to hear a heartbeat. During my routine checkup, I was asked if I had been taking my probiotic and calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D3 supplements to which I sheepishly answered …… no. It is my goal to have a healthy baby naturally and in a birthing center. It’s extremely important that I make sure that I am giving my body and my baby what it needs.
My midwife emphasized the importance of magnesium which a deficiency could be causing the headaches I was recently and frequently suffering from. She also reminded me that calcium would help decrease the chances of our baby being born with a low birth weight and me going into pre-term labor. All of these are important reasons to take your prenatal health seriously with magnesium and calcium rich foods and supplements.
I was taking my prenatal once a day and figured it would be enough. I tried looking up supplements online and became quickly overwhelmed and intimidated with too many choices also knows as the “amazon effect” I think I might have ordered belly cream and adult diapers instead.
Although a little embarrassed to be exposed in front of my husband who came to my appointment, I was relieved that he knew I needed his help. As soon as we got home, he started scouring the internet for the best deals on suggested natural and organic supplements. Even my detail loving husband was overwhelmed. Our birthing center had many suggested supplement brands. Even in the booklet, an effort to stay impartial to a particular brand, left way too many choices. However we had a good starting point for all natural options. As my husband was looking through the daily suggested amounts and prices of a few supplements his first thought was that we were about to spend a small fortune per month on pills in fear that I was going to choke trying to take fifteen a day. At this point I can barely remember two (we are actually on the road right now… I forgot my vitamins. Note to self: put a reminder on your phone!)
We (I mean Ryan) researched every supplement brand with its quantity, dosage, milligram and price and put it all in a neat spreadsheet. Check out our blog on supplement comparisons. We were able to get my daily pill count down to six while keeping in mind that I needed to also make sure that my diet consisted of calcium and magnesium rich foods. I should also be going outside and getting sun for natural vitamin D. Going outside is easy for me, we are outdoors people but I am usually wearing a long sleeve fishing shirt and a hat to evade the sun. So for 15-20 minutes a day I should be stripping down to my tank top and turning my hat backwards.
The pills below are the ones that we decided were best for us. Together they cost less than $80 and lasted me about two and a half months. I decided to order more for post partum since I am breastfeeding and will require extra nutrients. We decided on these particular brands because of their rich magnesium and calcium content. They contained all the required supplements just barely falling short in calcium and magnesium which is why we also researched foods that would help reach my daily requirements. The Garden of Life: Vitamin Code was one of the only choices that had the highest probiotic concentration, highest Vitamin D3 content and also rich in Calcium and Magnesium. The Honest Prenatal did not have probiotics but had the highest amount of Calcium and Magnesium than any other brand that we compared. You can click the pictures below to shop and research these supplements for yourself.
Vitamin Code (Click to purchase)
We created a quick list for you to print out that contains suggested foods along with the amounts you should be consuming daily. Fill out the form below to get this list in your inbox! Place this list on your fridge so that if you are like me and hate taking pills, you can opt to eat your vitamins naturally through food. I even made it pretty for you unlike my husband’s boring bank statements. Through Ryan’s research we have cut my pill intake down to six a day. Some are even capsules that I can stick in my smoothies that include 1/2 cup spinach which contains 78 mg of magnesium! WIN!!
Below we listed the top suggested natural supplements as well as links to purchase. We hope this information was helpful! We would love to know your thoughts! Please subscribe for more blogs from our family adventures. Leave a comment for us. We really enjoy reading your feedback.
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Love and Blessings,
Ryan and Venice
Written September 28, 2018
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