Supplements to take?
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Category: Planning Pregnancy (trying for baby)
Forum Name: Planning Pregnancy (trying for baby)
Forum Description: Trying to get pregnant? Going through fertility treatment? Just planning your first or second child? There are many people out there in the same boat to help and listen and share with
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Topic: Supplements to take?
Posted By: kebakat
Subject: Supplements to take?
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 7:58pm
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I wasn't sure where to post this topic but here goes..
Last time I was at my doctors (a while ago) I specifically asked him when it comes time to try for a baby and when I do get pregnant what extra things will I have to do because I'm a vegetarian. He told me that I'd need to take folic acid but that was it. I was suprised by this and I asked a lady at hardys and she basically said the same thing. This totally surprises me because everything that I've read about pregnancy tells me that a baby would needs tons of iron and zinc and all sorts of things to grow. And here's me a vegetarian who barely gets enough of the essential vitamins etc for myself and everyone is telling me I won't need any supplements other than the standard folic acid. Just for myself I'm already taking a multivitamin (I just brought it, didn't care what anyone told me lol) that has folic acid in it (I know that it wouldn't be as much as I would need if pregnant but can't hurt). I go through stages of taking them, and I actually find the pregnancy ones are actually the best for me anyway because they tend to have most of the things I might be lacking in my diet. I've already noticed a difference in myself this time around so I must have been lacking in something which really doesn't surprise me. Any thoughts? I'm really shocked to hear people tell me that I wouldn't need anything extra when its clear to me that I already must need something extra (judging by my bodys good reaction to my multivitamin) and it's just me, no baby as well growing inside me. |
Replies:
Posted By: Sarah Beth
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 8:13pm
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I went with Elevit, it has the reccomonded Folic acid in it, and is specifically designed for pregnant women. You can only get it from a pharmacy though so not sure if the lady at Hardys could shed some light for you.
I think you might find when the doctor does your first pre natal (or is it post?) bloods they will pick up on wha tyou are low in and you can adjust your diet from there. Most women however do get all they need from diet alone (except folic acid that is) ------------- "> 
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Posted By: jax
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 8:26pm
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With the iron levels, it's more for mum than bub (I think, correct me if wrong), because growing a baby uses up a lot of your resources. Not all women have trouble with this during pregnancy, and so not all of them have to take extra iron supplements.
Folic acid is of course good because not only does it help baby with all the growing it does at super-speed in the early stages, but helps prevent neural tube defects (the pathways that are laid in the brain for certain things). There are a few different kinds out there, I took Elevit in the first trimester, and again for a little while in the second trimester, but have since run out - not long to go now though, so can't really be bothered to be honest. Anyway, I wouldn't have thought that being vegetarian would necessarily set the odds against you all that much, it's not a marker of an imbalanced diet like some people tend to think (I was vege for two years, got this alot, long story though LOL). The reason I took the Elevit again in my second trimester (towards the end) is because my energy levels were flagging a bit and I was still working, but I'm a meat eater *shrug* and that obviously wasn't doing it for me. Really, it's a "see how you go" kind of situation, and you will have routine bloods as well at various stages, which will be sure to show if there are any serious deficiencies. Hope that helps ! ------------- Jacquie - Mama to Erin, 13.07.06 - Chief Cat Chaser & Marmite Sammie Eater 
Love many, trust few, harm none. ~Anon~ |
Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 8:54pm
| I agree with Jax, when you have your antenatal blood tests through out pregnancy that will pick up what you may be lacking in. Iron is important because if you are lacking in it later in pregnancy not only will you feel crap but there is more risk of bleeding during labour apparently. As long as you take the recommended amount of folic acid you shoudl be sweet, you cant OD on it you just pee out any extra. |
Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 28 June 2006 at 12:54am
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I'm joining the iron and folic acid bandwagons! Pregnancy has a nasty way of sapping your iron resources anyway (I'm not vego, but don't like a great deal of meat - I started this pregnancy with great iron levels and 6 months later that had turned to mush) so it's pretty common to need an iron supplement. And of course, the essential folic acid supplements in those early days! I've always been told that if you feel significantly better after taking a course of vitamins, it shows that you were lacking in those vits beforehand... if you feel better on a certain kind, it could be your body telling you it likes/needs them? But try not to stress - the blood tests they take as soon as a pregnancy is confirmed will show up any existing probs so you can nip them in the bud. Good luck in TTC... fingers crossed for you! ------------- Andie |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 28 June 2006 at 12:44pm
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Thanks Andie.
I know I'll need some supplements as you can't get B12 from anything other than meat and since I eat no meat at all I have to supplement it. My iron levels are only just on the low level of normal so my doctor isn't too happy with that already hehe. Such is the life of a vegetarian I guess. The thing that makes me different from most veges is that I've been this way all my life. I haven't met many who have done this and most people who switch to vege have stores of some of these vitamins etc whereas I don't. |
Posted By: 98765
Date Posted: 30 June 2006 at 1:30pm
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Ive heard that the baby sucks it all from you so u will be lacking but the baby will be fine cos ladies in africa and stuff with no food still have babies and breastfeed. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
www.jackkeith.blogspot.com |
Posted By: mrs frantic
Date Posted: 06 July 2006 at 2:43pm
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Yeah my midwife said that the vitamons etc are basically for mum cos teh baby is like a leach and sucks all teh good stuf from you system - the only excpoetion is folic acid if you dont have enough it cant take enough... I think you will be pretty safe by doing what your doctor recomends esp if he knows you are a veggie... ------------- Mrs Frantic Baby Maddisyn born 28 Sept 2006 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 06 July 2006 at 2:46pm
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I'm waaaaaayyyyy too lazy to read this whole thread but wanted to say that it is really important to focus on iron intake during pregnancy and then later on focus on calcium. The calcium is absorbed directly from your stores if you don't have any floating around for bub to use for bones etc and then for milk production.
So if you don't get enough calcium, it is taken from your bones and can lead to osteoporosis later on in life. |
Posted By: Mazza
Date Posted: 07 July 2006 at 8:47pm
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From what I have read it is good to take a prenatal vitamin. I have had Solgar recommended to me and make sure you are getting 800mcg folic acid a day. Some multis just have 200mcg. You can take up to 1000mcg of folic acid per day with no problems. All prenatals contain iron, calcium and B12.
I think I will take prenatal and folic acid and possibly just get a blood test to check iron as I go. I think most women end up on iron supplements at some point whether they are vege or not just cause your blood volume increases so much and your blood is providing oxygen for you and your bub. It is really important to avoid anaemia if you can cause it totally wipes you out and if you bleed much during the birth it can create a snowball effect and make things really tough for starting out with a new baby. Hope that wasn't too much of an info overload. Just so good to chat with others about it all. Sometimes people in real life look at you funny when discussing such things 
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