The Best Prenatal Vitamins

Don't panic, but if you are taking a "prenatal vitamin" you are probably wasting your money. The good news is that you have likely gotten the necessary amounts of folic acid as well as iron. But there is so much more that you need in order for your body to respond well during your pregnancy. I personally took the cheap stuff- what my doctor told me to take- and I will probably regret it for the rest of my life! Pregnancy puts a lot of stress on your body. My body responded after two under-nourished pregnancies with lifelong allergies that my current nutritional supplement program helps me deal with. But I feel very strongly that my body would not have gone through the same assault had I taken my supplements during pregnancy. I had very healthy babies, but my body was left empty and stressed. Do not let this happen to you!

What's Wrong with Pre-natal Vitamins?

Most doctors know nothing about nutritional supplements, but there are a few out there that are coming around. Dr. Ladd McNamara is one of them, and so is Dr. Ray Strand, author of What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You. Dr Strand states, "I have learned a simple concept over the past 8 years since becoming involved with nutritional medicine: as a rule, physicians do not fully understand nutritional supplementation. Though doctors thoroughly study specific diseases and the drugs they prescribe their training in nutrition and especially nutritional supplements, is definitely lacking. Unfortunately most patients anticipate their physicians understand everything that has to do with health and disease."

Yes, a DOCTOR said that! Please understand right now that you are your best doctor. You will do more research and put more time into your health than your doctor will. There are great doctors out there. But they are very busy seeing patients. There are lots of sick people out there. There are lots of high risk patients that take extra time with YOUR OB/GYN, and if you are having a healthy pregnancy, you may even begin thinking your prenatal visits are a waste of time. I do not condone anyone skipping out on OB/GYN or midwife visits, but I would like to arm you with the best supplementation plan possible for pregnancy and lactation.

The Best Prenatal Vitamin

The best pre-natal vitamin isn't actually a pre-natal but many people use it just for that purpose.  If you would like to read more, purchase Dr. Ladd McNamara's Pregnancy & Lactation: Optimal Nutritional Supplementation. You can see the best adult vitamins and best omega-3 source that Dr. McNamara recommends. You might also need an iron supplement, which your doctor can determine at the appropriate time.

Why Prenatal Vitamins are Important for Baby, Too

Here is a very important study that disputes what scientists once believed: that babies in utero were safe from toxic substances. Prenatal vitamins protect your baby by stopping free radical damage that can even occur in the womb: Pollution in Newborns