Prenatal Nutrition

Before I became pregnant, the Nurse Practitioner at the Birth Center gave me several pamphlets about pregnancy, what I could and couldn't eat, and she also suggested I start taking prenatal vitamins and DHA even though I wasn't pregnant yet. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is good for all sorts of things. In pregnancy it supports the brain function and retinal performance of the developing baby. It is also good for the baby when nursing. When I was in my early twenties I worked in the Nutrition and Body Care Department at Whole Foods Market and still, to this day, I can remember which brands were considered better quality, more absorbant, easier on your tummy, etc. I also remember them being quite expensive. After this appointment at the Birth Center I went over there and grabbed a bottle of the (1) Nordic Naturals DHA and (2) Complete Prenatal System by Rainbow Light. Rainbow Light is a food-based vitamin which makes it easier to absorb and it's more gentle on your stomach. I did well with these until I got pregnant and nauseous. I had to take 6 of those huge tablets each day and would gag every time. So once that bottle ran out I purchased a one a day vitamin by (3) Super Nutrition. I used to take my Women's Blend Multivitamin by them back when I worked for Whole Paycheck, ahem, I mean Whole Foods. This was much easier in my queasy state. I am now taking (4) New Chapter's Perfect Prenatal which is a three a day vitamin and the size of the tablet is much smaller. I really like mixing things up, testing a variety of things. (My cat eats a variety of wet food and I think she's not as picky an eater because of it, so maybe this baby will enjoy a variety of vitamin Cs, or something.) I might go back to the Rainbow Light vitamins when I finish the New Chapter bottle (New Chapter is quite spendy.) Gosh, that was kind of a boring post, apologies!