Drugs I've been taking during my pregnancy - Part I

Okay, drugs may have the wrong connotation, but I do want to the share the supplements* that I currently use. Two of the three I've actually been taking for a while longer and always meant to talk about but never got around to it so even if you aren't pregnant, you still might find this useful information.

My philosophy about supplements is that they shouldn't be necessary if we were all eating the perfect diet. Except that nobody actually does eat the perfect diet so a few well chosen supplements can be useful in one's overall healthy plan. The well chosen part is important because they are drugs and you can't just trust a bottle because it says "all-natural." There are a few other herbs and teas that I've heard a lot of good things about but until I find a mid-wife whose opinion I trust, I'm not going to take them. But I feel pretty confident** in these three:

Pro-cycle PMS Formula (Pre-natals):

While these aren't technically "pre-natal" vitamins, they are what I take all the time and they work as a pre-natal too. Although I try and get everything through my diet, it's got the folic acid, vitamin C and Bs that I need just in case. They do have high amounts of some specific vitamins but after doing my own research and having both my doctors check them out, they've been approved. Both doctor's noticed that they were high in vitamin A but upon further inspection they realized that it is actually beta-carotene, a pre-cursor to Vitamin A. You might turn a bit orange if you eat to much of it, but no worries about the baby.

I first heard about them in the book Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon and through her ties to the CCL and I order them through this website they recommend. The website isn't the most modern, but I like knowing I am supporting a pro-life company. They are also a bit expensive but I know exactly what I am getting and what I'm not (no sugar, oils, aluminum, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, etc) with my money.

I take the full dose (4 pills/day) and probably will continue as long as I am pregnant, nursing or could become pregnant - so basically the next twenty years. Craig has been taking another all purpose vitamin from the same store, Adrovite, although he only takes 4 pills a day (out of the recommended is 6 for those). Now that his job is done for a while, reproductively speaking, he'll probably finish the bottle and stop for a while.

Floradix:
Floradix is an herbal and iron supplement. Most preggos suffer from anemia during pregnancy but I've known women of all ages that consistently struggle with this, especially ones that are very health conscious or vegetarians because they aren't eating buckets of red meat each week.

This is a great solution because it doesn't have that nasty side effect that so many other iron supplements tend to inflict (cough, cough, constipation, cough). If you have tried standard iron pills but haven't noticed a difference, it might be because they aren't being absorbed. I haven't had my iron tested except for my initial pregnancy blood tests but I started taking it as soon as I felt like my morning sickness would allow and I definitely feel a difference in my energy level on the mornings after I take it (with dinner) and those when I forget. It's expensive but I would rather spend money on an iron supplement that works and that my body can handle than spend less money on something that doesn't work. It tastes a bit a weird, like you soaked raisins in water overnight and then drank the water. Not bad, just weird.

I've saved my favorite supplement for the Part II but I'm going to be a bit secretive and not tell you what it is - yet. Stay tuned!

*Doesn't that word sound so much nicer?

**But of course, I have to issue the disclaimer that I am not a doctor so don't just take my word on these things but ask whoever you are most comfortable getting medical advice from and don't sue me if it doesn't work out.