[pinit]I am writing this post to encourage you to challenge the status quo. It is a well-known fact that every pregnant women should be taking prenatal vitamins. But, I believe a few questions must be answered before picking the right one..
Are all prenatal vitamins created equal?
Should you take your healthcare provider’s recommended prescription for prenatal vitamins or would it be better to consult a professional versed in the nutrition field?
Does the term “prenatal vitamin” written on the packaging make it a quality vitamin, sufficient for both yours and your baby’s needs?
Or, should you focus more on the contents of the package?
Well we must take a couple things into account here. First of all, let’s acknowledge your Obstetrician and/or Midwife for their profession. They are experts in dealing with pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period (including care of the newborn). They are with you through your pregnancy to monitor your baby’s growth and development. They are there to help instruct you through the journey of pregnancy and ultimately help bring your baby into the world safely. Now this is obviously a very simplified layman’s version of the profession. But, any women who has ever given birth knows that we could not have made it through the process without them, therefore we appreciate and respect the profession for all they do.
So, that being said, let’s move onto the profession of a Nutritionist. To provide a very basic definition, a nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition and how it impacts health. Now at first glance, that doesn’t seem very impressive. That is until, you read it again.. and focus on “impacts health”. Yes, everything you ingest into your body, whether it is the food you eat or the vitamins/supplements you take, have an impact on your health. So, that means it can either impact it for good or it can impact it for bad. When you’re pregnant (and even when you’re not!), wouldn’t you like to know what will provide optimal health for you and your baby? I know when I was pregnant, I became ultra-conscious of what I took into my body. I wanted to know every (prenatal vitamin) supplement that I should be taking that would provide all the nutrition that my baby would need. Because I knew, that although I was making healthy food choices, (in most cases) there is no way to know for sure how many vitamins and nutrients we were actually getting.
That being said, I consulted with a friend of mine who has her own nutrition consulting practice. And, I was sure to take every (prenatal vitamin) supplement she recommended. Some would say I went overboard, but you know what? From the day my son was born, he has been one of the most alert babies I have ever seen! I can’t tell you how many people would comment in amazement at his alertness.
Now, I am going to be completely honest with you here and I hope nobody gets offended by my verbiage. But, a lot of babies that I have seen tend to be quite unresponsive for the first several months of their life. And, it is not uncommon for them to just have a blank stare on their face and kind of act like a vegetable. I always thought this was normal for babies. And, quite honestly I was dreading this part of childhood and was terrified that I would not feel any sort of connection with my son because of this. But, then Eli came along. From the very beginning, he has been extremely alert and expressive. Not to mention, he has always had a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. 😉 I attribute a lot of this to the nutrition he received while in the womb.
Below I will share with you a comparison chart between the supplements that I took while pregnant and the average prenatal vitamin. And, you can decide on whether or not the average prenatal vitamin is sufficient or is it actually deficient?
Supplement Facts |
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Average Prenatal Vitamin |
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Vitamin A | 10,000IU | Vitamin A | 4,000IU |
Vitamin C | 500mg | Vitamin C | 120mg |
Vitamin D | 400IU | Vitamin D | 600IU |
Vitamin E | 150IU | Vitamin E | 30IU |
Thiamin | 11.25mg | Thiamin | 1.8mg |
Riboflavin | 12.75mg | Riboflavin | 1.7mg |
Niacin | 40mg | Niacin | 20mg |
Vitamin B6 | 15mg | Vitamin B6 | 2.6mg |
Folic Acid | 800mcg | Folic Acid | 800mcg |
Vitamin B12 | 45mcg | Vitamin B12 | 8mcg |
Biotin | 300mg | Biotin | 35mg |
Pantothenic Acid | 50mg | Pantothenic Acid | 10mg |
Calcium | 750mg | Calcium | 300mg |
Iodine | 150mg | Iodine | 210mg |
Magnesium | 300mg | Magnesium | 200mg |
Zinc | 15mg | Zinc | 15mg |
Selenium | 100mcg | Selenium | 70mcg |
Copper | 2mg | Copper | 2mg |
Manganese | 5mg | Manganese | 2.6mg |
Chromium | 120mcg | Chromium | 45mcg |
Molybdenum | 50mcg | Molybdenum | 50mcg |
Potassium | 80mg | NONE | NONE |
Alpha Lipoic Acid | 10mg | NONE | NONE |
Inositol | 25mg | NONE | NONE |
Lycopene | 2mg | NONE | NONE |
Lutein Esters | 2mg | NONE | NONE |
Citrus Bioflavonoid | 100mg | NONE | NONE |
Dried Kale | 75mg | NONE | NONE |
Alfalfa | 70mg | NONE | NONE |
Mixed tocopherols | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Apple Extract Powder | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Asparagus Powder | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Holy Basil Extract Blend | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Blueberry Powder | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Grape Extract | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Oregano Powder Extract |
50mg |
NONE |
NONE |
Prune Extract | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Rosemary Extract | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Broccoli Dehydrate | 48mg | NONE | NONE |
Cranberry Extract | 50mg | NONE | NONE |
Watercress Concentrate |
28mg |
NONE |
NONE |
Parsley Dehydrate | 25 | NONE | NONE |
Pomegranate Extract | 25 | NONE | NONE |
Sage Powder Extract | 25 | NONE | NONE |
Horseradish Dehydrate | 2 | NONE | NONE |
Nutrilite Iron Folic Supplement |
30mg |
Average Prenatal Vitamin (Iron) |
27mg |
Folic Acid | 600mcg | Folic Acid | No additional Folic Acid |
Nutrilite Heart Health Omega | Average Prenatal Vitamin (Omega) | ||
EPA | 1200mg | NONE | NONE |
DHA | 600mg | DHA | 200mg |
Wellsona Brain Health Omega | Average Prenatal Vitamin (Omega) | ||
EPA | 150mg | NONE | NONE |
DHA | 1500mg | DHA | No additional DHA |
As you can see, there is a HUGE discrepancy between the Nutrilite Double X Multivitamin/Multimineral/Phytonutrient and the Average Prenatal Vitamin.
In addition to the above mentioned supplements, I also took the following:
Nutrilite Vitamin C– 500mg
Nutrilite Vitamin D– Between 6,000-10,000 IU/Day.
Nutrilite Fruits and Vegetables Supplement
Nutrilite Cal Mag D Supplement
Nutrilite Hair, Skin and Nails Supplement
Natural Vitality Natural Calm (Magnesium Supplement) Btw, this eliminates all constipation while pregnant. Thankfully I never had an issue with this. 😉
Now fast forward.. Eli is now 16 months old and amazes me everyday with how intelligent and witty he is! He has a super high immune system, is very strong and learns new words just about everyday. And, I know a part of this has to do with giving him such a healthy start at life. And, now I am able to give him Nutrilite Kids Multivitamin/Multimineral. Yay! 🙂
If you would like to learn more about the Nutrilite Brand or would like to register as a Customer to have exclusive access to their product line, please either comment below or email me directly at: Ciara @FavoredMom.com
If you choose to register directly from one of the above links, be sure to select “I already know an IBO and have their ID Number”.
You will then need to enter the following info:
Sponsoring IBO # 3471443
IBO Key- AUB
**After you register, let me know and I will give you a special “Favored Mom” discount!! :):)
Wishing you and your little ones health and wholeness!
*This post is linked to The Alder Collective. Be sure to go check out the other awesome Links!!
*This post contains affiliate links, noted by asterisks. For more information, see my disclosures here.*
Cristi says
What an interesting post! Prenatal vitamins are so important. Thanks so much for linking up with The Alder Collective. Hope to see you again next week! Have an awesome night!
Ciara says
Hi Cristi! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 I will definitely be back each week!