There is nothing that gives pregnant women anxiety more than their desire to keep their baby healthy in the womb. For that reason, they go to a doctor for a checkup regularly. If they feel anything weird in their body, the expectant moms tend to text or call the OB-GYN regardless of the time of the day to know if it’s severe or not. Considering the pregnancy is quite delicate because of the mother’s age or current health condition, they may file for maternity leave at work early to make sure that their focus is only on the growing unborn child.
Taking prenatal vitamins is recommended, too, for pregnant women, of course. Especially during this time when your taste buds have gone haywire, or you cannot eat certain foods, you need supplements to obtain all the nutrients that you and your baby need. Nevertheless, here are some tips before you do that. “We want to understand not only how emotions can help us but also how they can create difficulties if they’re of the wrong intensity or the wrong type for a particular situation,” says Dr. James Gross, a clinical psychologist
1. Know What Vitamins To Take
Folic acid is #1 on that list because it’s essential for the development of your baby’s nervous system. Doctors prescribe it even to non-pregnant women as the neural defects start to show during the first month of gestation.
Both iron and calcium can’t be far behind as well. Not only will the deficiency in these minerals cause anemia in the mother, but it also slow down the fetus’ progress. While the latter is the foundation of their bones, the former makeup pretty much the rest. Thus, it matters to consume them from the first trimester until post-delivery.
There are additional nutrients you may need as well, such as vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and D. The DHA in omega-3 is necessary, too, although not all multivitamins for expectant mommies have it. “Eat a healthful diet that is low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins and minerals. Specific dietary factors that may be beneficial in depression are the B-complex vitamins (found in whole grains) and omega-3 fatty acids (found in cold-water fish, fish oil, and flax seeds).” says ADAA member Stephanie Kriesberg, PsyD.
2. Guarantee That They Won’t Clash With Your Other Medications
Once you have an idea of what vitamins your body may lack, it’s best to speak with your doctor for another illness. Tell them explicitly that you are pregnant and that there are multivitamins that you wish to take for your child’s sake. That way, they can adjust the dosages or stop ones that might be harmful to the baby.
The physician can also suggest vitamins that won’t clash with your other medications. Adverse chemical reactions between different medicines, after all, are not unheard of. You may still consume the necessary pills yet allow a doctor to decide on the matter.
3. Find Out The Correct Dosages
On that note, you should also stay conscious of the dose of each vitamin you digest. Folks say that taking more than the suggested amount is harmful to you and the baby is an understatement. In truth, it may be lethal since pregnancy makes you metabolize the drugs faster.
Your age and condition are the top factors to take in consideration here. The dosage for the ladies in mid-20s is diverse from the quantity for the women in 50s or 60s. Meanwhile, it may decrease or increase when you are pregnant.
Of all the vitamins your system requires, calcium has perhaps the highest dose recommendation. From 1 gram, it bumps up to 1.2 grams when a child is on the way. Then, you’ll need a bit of iron (30 milligrams), folate (0.4 milligrams), and vitamin C (85 milligrams), among others.
4. Consider Taking Natural Vitamins
The thing about multivitamins in pretty packages is that they mostly consist of synthetic ingredients. Regardless if it’s whole-food or food-based, you will notice that they didn’t derive all the components from natural products. So, assuming the idea doesn’t sit well with you, you are free to try getting the vitamins from real foods.
The most accessible sources to get a hold of are ginger and olive oil. They may already be in your kitchen because they are fantastic cooking ingredients. You can use them for various recipes; that’s why you don’t have to eat them raw.
There are also teas that pregnant women can safely drink. It should ideally contain red raspberry leaf because researches indicate that the substance can make the birthing period less painful.
Don’t forget yogurt and cod liver oil, too. The aforementioned has live microorganisms that may shield the baby from atopic ailments. The last-mentioned, on the other hand, has vitamins D and A and can strengthen your infant’s body as it grows.
5. Look Into Different Techniques Of Taking Vitamins
If swallowing a pill is already a problem when you’re not pregnant, the difficulty can heighten with significant hormonal changes during pregnancy. That doesn’t entail, though, that you must skip taking prenatal vitamins. There are new ways to obtain such nutrients.
The closest form to capsules and tablets are soft gels. The shell that contains liquid vitamins doesn’t taste bad and dissolves immediately. Fish oil is an example of vitamins in soft gel casing.
Furthermore, you may take nutrients in candy form. The gummy or chocolate versions of the vitamins cancel out the hint of chemicals, which many people dislike. Even with prenatal granola bars, however, always make sure that they are sugar-free and have enough dosage of essential minerals.
Another option is to add the vitamins to your beverage of choice. Some manufacturers create ones that are easy to mix with water. Should you want to fuse the product with your vegetarian shake, that won’t be an issue either.
6. Don’t Depend On Prenatal Vitamins Alone
The last detail to remember is that you should not rely on drugs to make you and your offspring healthy. It seems effortless to give in to morning sickness and do whatever, but it cannot result in anything good. Only eat the foods you crave once in a while, especially if they are too greasy, sweet, or salty. You can perform exercises as well that have been created for expectant mothers to prepare your body for childbirth. Moreover, relax whenever you can to not let those vitamins go to waste.
Final Thoughts
“Anxiety is a broad category of symptoms, while panic attacks are a specific way in which anxiety can express or manifest itself.” Dr. Chantal Gagnon PhD LMHC said. Ensuring that you can give the proper nutrients to your child before they’re even born can decrease your anxiety as an expectant mother. There are various prenatal vitamins to take out there but choose the ones that your doctors suggest.
After everything, we all need BetterHelp – an online platform designed to connect you with the best therapists and the best deals the medical field has to offer. It’s all just one click away.
Good luck!