Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as medical advice. All content here is my own personal experience of taking supplements and medications in pregnancy. Consult your provider for guidance and see my full disclaimer.
We all know that eating a healthy diet in pregnancy is one of the most important things we can do. This is for the benefit of our body and that of our baby. However, we also know that eating a perfect diet is pretty impossible, especially in the throes of first trimester morning sickness.
Using high-quality supplements is a great way to fill in the gaps of a good but not perfect diet. Most of the supplements I have taken in pregnancy were at the direction of a health care provider at some point. In addition, using targeted medications under the supervision of a doctor can help support a healthy pregnancy.
If you prefer video format, please watch the video below. (However, because of YouTube restrictions I do not talk about my prescription medications in the video.)
Prenatal Vitamin
No matter who you listen to or what you read, everyone agrees that a prenatal is vital during pregnancy. It gives you an overall “insurance” for where your diet is lacking.
For most of my pregnancy while living in Germany, I took the Biocare Methylated Pregnancy Multinutrient. Since being back in the U.S., I’ve been taking the MegaFoods Baby & Me 2 pre/post-natal vitamin.
The reason I chose these particular supplements is because I have the homozygous C677T MTHFR polymorphism. Basically this means that because of my genetics, my body cannot process synthetic folic acid into folate very efficiently. Most prenatals have folic acid instead of real folate, which is the naturally-occurring B9 vitamin in foods like leafy greens and lentils.
Those two supplements have methylated folate in them, which means that the folate is already processed so that my body doesn’t have to do the work. You can find out if you have the MTHFR polymorphism through blood tests like 23 and Me. But even if you don’t have it, it’s better to take real folate instead of the synthetic form of folic acid.
Folate is necessary to help prevent neural tube defects in your baby. This is where the spinal column doesn’t close, like in spina bifida. So it’s important to start taking a prenatal BEFORE you even get pregnant! I also took extra methyl folate in early pregnancy. I used the liquid form from Biocare.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
For me, the minimum supplements to take during pregnancy would be a prenatal and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are really important for both baby’s brain development and supporting mom’s brain health and function.
Over the course of pregnancy, I’ve taken a few different brands. While in Germany, I took a combination of the Aava Labs Omega-3 Fish Oil and the Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA. Now that I’m back in the U.S., I’m taking the Carlson Labs Super Omega-3 Gems Fish Oil.
Extra B Vitamins
In addition to the extra methyl folate (real B9), I also take extra B12. While in Germany, I was taking the Seeking Health Hydroxo B12. After coming back to the U.S., I purchased a methyl B12 from Whole Foods.
B vitamins can be very helpful for boosting energy, and we know that pregnancy fatigue is real! Now, B vitamins won’t take away that fatigue completely, but they can help with boosting cellular energy as well. B12 also works in harmony with folate.
I’ve also been taking extra B6, and it’s oftentimes used as a natural morning sickness remedy. During my first trimester I took 25 mg three to four times a day. This was so helpful for curbing that icky morning sickness feeling! In the second and third trimester, I’ve gone down to 50 mg once a day.
Magnesium
This is another critical nutrient in my opinion. It’s a mineral like calcium, but we don’t hear about it as much. I’ve used the Doctor’s Best High Absorption Magnesium for most of my pregnancy.
Magnesium is important for your muscles and bones, and also those of your baby. Along with vitamin D, magnesium helps calcium to go into the bones instead of depositing in other places that it shouldn’t go.
Since I mentioned vitamin D, at my first prenatal appointment I got my vitamin D tested and it showed that I was a little on the higher side. So my doctor said I could stop taking extra vitamin D. But now that it’s winter time with less sunlight, I’ve started taking an extra 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
Sunflower Lecithin/Phosphatydlcholine
This is a nutrient that many people have not even heard of! But it definitely deserves mentioning and in my book is vital. I take sunflower lecithin for the phosphatydlcholine (or simply, choline) it provides. I learned about this from Lily Nichols, a Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator: choline is just as important for preventing neural tube defects as folate is!
Choline is actually a type of B vitamin and is important for baby’s nervous system and brain development. Food sources of choline would be things like egg yolks and liver. But I don’t eat eggs very often because I have a sensitivity to the whites. So I especially feel compelled to take choline in supplement form.
Antioxidants
The first antioxidant I’ve taken in pregnancy is vitamin E. I started taking this nutrient as an extra supplement under the direction of my functional medicine doctor several years ago. In Germany I took the NOW Vitamin E Complex. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, so it fights free radicals and things that are cancer-causing.
Another antioxidant I’ve been taking my entire pregnancy is vitamin C. I take the NOW Buffered C-1000 Complex. In addition to being an antioxidant, we all probably know vitamin C to be supportive to the immune system.
Vitamin C also helps in the production of collagen. This nutrient called collagen is important in pregnancy because your belly is stretching and your body needs extra collagen for that. Your baby also needs collagen to build his or her developing body! Finally, vitamin C can help the body detox and absorb iron better.
Miscellaneous Nutrients
- Cranberry extract: I’m personally prone to urinary tract infections (UTI’s), and pregnancy can also make a person susceptible to UTI’s. Taking cranberry extract can help prevent this.
- Digestive enzymes: While in Germany I started taking Beano because I could buy it on base. It helped a little bit with the bloating and gas I experienced. Now that we’re back in the states, I’ve been taking doTERRA’s Terrazyme supplement, which I like much better for assisting in digestion and nutrient absorption!
- Lactase enzyme: I’m a little lactose intolerant, so I make sure to take a tablet whenever I eat dairy products like ice cream or cheese.
- Probiotic: This is important for your gut health! I like to switch between different brands so my gut bacteria doesn’t get used to certain strains or combination of strains. doTERRA’s PB Assist+ is a good one.
- Magnesium powder: This usually comes in the form of magnesium citrate. My German OB directed me to take magnesium powder in water whenever I was feeling pregnancy cramps. It can also help with constipation, another pregnancy problem!
- Topical magnesium: At night, I use magnesium gel on my skin, which is a topical treatment. Topical magnesium also comes in spray and lotion forms. Any of these forms help with more restful sleep and muscle aches.
Progesterone in Pregnancy
During my pregnancy, I have also taken two prescription medications. While I am a big fan of treating ailments through diet and lifestyle, there is definitely a time and place for medications. I am not anti-medication and want to use the best that conventional medicine has to offer!
The first medication is bio-identical progesterone and this has been at the direction of my NaProTECHNOLOGY physician. Before pregnancy, I took it via injection to support the luteal phase of my cycle and treat PMS. (It totally worked!)
After I became pregnant, my NaPro doc instructed me to switch to vaginal suppositories in order to support my tiny baby and prevent miscarriage. I approached my German OB about prescribing this to me and he had no problem with that. In Germany, the brand name was Utrogest and I took 200 mg right before bed every night. But basically the medication should specifically be “progesterone” and NOT “progestin.”
Taking progesterone is not a typical pregnancy protocol but not entirely unheard of during the first trimester, especially in the case of miscarriage history. But in NaProTECHNOLOGY, they have more conservative parameters for progesterone use – which sometimes means using it into the second or even third trimesters! I took progesterone until the very beginning of the third trimester, when my natural progesterone level was at an ideal level. There are no adverse effects from taking the bio-identical form.
LDN in Pregnancy
The other medication I’ve taken during pregnancy is one that I’ve taken since 2015. It’s called low-dose naltrexone, or LDN. This is another protocol that is typically used only by functional medicine or NaPro doctors.
In higher doses (like 50 mg), it is used for opioid overdose. But in low doses (1 to 5 mg), it helps modulate or balance the immune system. This is why it helped with my autoimmunity issues! My joint pain went away, and it helped with my gut and skin issues, in tandem with diet changes and supplements.
Now, LDN has not been “proven safe” in pregnancy, simply because the studies have not been done yet. But at the same time, it hasn’t been shown to cause any adverse effects to either mom or baby during pregnancy. I personally feel comfortable and confident taking it during pregnancy.
It can interfere with the effectiveness of narcotics though, so it’s important to stop taking it near birth just in case pain management is necessary.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, supplements are simply meant to be insurance. Our food doesn’t contain the same amount of nutrients it used to, and one could argue that every single person in America should be on quality supplements.
Medications used strategically are also not to be feared! Progesterone and LDN have supported my body in ways that food and supplements couldn’t. Plus, progesterone is actually a natural substance our bodies produce, so one could argue it’s more of a supplement than a medication. If you are interested in either of these medications because you think you could benefit from them, I recommend seeking out a NaProTECHNOLOGY and/or functional medicine doctor.
What are some supplements and/or medications you’ve taken during pregnancy? How did they help you?
Ali says
This was too serendipitous not to comment- I found your blog through an interview you did about your PCS to Germany. I’m a Navy wife pcs’ing there in March. At the same time we have just gone through our 3rd miscarriage as we were doing fertility treatments at Walter Reed near DC. I just bought “It Starts with the Egg” book and your blog confirms everything I had been reading and wrote down for my doctors to test me for. I have had a successful and healthy first pregnancy so they are baffled about my reoccurring losses. I think the cocktail you are on is great and I just looked into trying to find a functional medicine doctor/practitioner but doubt that will happen before we go. Thank you for sharing all of this info- I’m sure I’ll be looking into the German brands of supplements in no time. Hope your pregnancy continues beautifully and all the best.
Malori says
Hello Ali! Thanks so much for reading and especially for taking the time to leave a comment! I appreciate it so much. Very cool on how you came to find my blog!! 🙂 Love how small this military world is. I’m so sorry you’ve faced miscarriage. I cannot say that I know what that is like, as I’ve never experienced it, but I do know the fear of loss that pregnancy after infertility brings. Getting the proper testing is key! Sometimes functional medicine doctors will work with patients long-distance, or will do long-distance after an initial in-person appointment. As far as getting help in Germany goes: I know that there are 2 NaPro Technology doctors there: one in Munich and one in more northern Germany. If you’d like to chat further please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email (malori.mayor@gmail.com) – I love helping other women with this stuff!