I was advised that if you are prepping your body for pregnancy, you should take prenatal vitamins three months before conceiving.
As mentioned in my post, “Ways I tried to get pregnant,” I took Usana supplements religiously. They have prenatal essentials, which are not available in the Philippines. I have to order it from a distributor friend from the US.
My doctor prescribed folic acid, iron, vitamin C, prenatal, and calcium, but I didn’t bother to change since I took Usana.
It is best to speak to your doctor and listen to your body when it comes to supplements.
For the first trimester, I continued taking Usana prenatal vitamins, Magnecal-D, Biomega, Proflavanol C, and Coquinone Q-10.
In my second trimester, I reduced my vitamins to prenatal vitamins, Proflavanol C, and Magnecal-D. When I ran out of supply, I took the prescribed supplements, and it worked out just fine.
Supplements are essential, especially if you do not have a chance to eat all the nutrients you need.
Maternity Milk
My doctor told me that it is optional to take milk during pregnancy. I am lactose intolerant. Since commercial milk is lactose-free, it was all right.
I first tried Anmum Materna, I chose the latte flavor, BUT chocolate is better. I drink the milk as my pre-breakfast and sometimes before going to bed.
After a few boxes of Anmum, my brother gave me Enfamama, but unfortunately, I was not fond of it at all. It does not mix well with hot, cold, and lukewarm water.
I even mixed it with a 3-in-1 coffee to accept the taste, but it didn’t work out.
So far, I replaced my milk with smoothies from Go Salad and sometimes a banana plus Usana’s Nutrimeal.
I also tried Vitasoy Double Chocolate, but please read the label as we do not want our sugar to spike up.
If you can eat the most nutritious food, you can prepare and take your vitamins.
As far as the vitamins and minerals are concerned, here are some of the vitamins that your supplements should have:
- 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid
- 400 IU of vitamin D
- 200 to 300 milligrams (mg) of calcium
- 70 mg of vitamin C
- 3 mg of thiamine
- 2 mg of riboflavin
- 20 mg of niacin
- 6 mcg of vitamin B12
- 10 mg of vitamin E
- 15 mg of zinc
- 17 mg of iron
- 150 micrograms of iodine
Source: Webmd.com
Malunggay (Moringa) Capsules
Finally, I started taking malunggay capsules to prepare myself for breastfeeding. They said that you could start taking it as early as three months before your expected due date.
Malunggay acts as a galactagogue, a natural substance known to increase milk production in mothers.
You can either include it in your daily dish or take supplements. I started taking the one from V-Pharma, which I bought from Beauty MNL.
For mommas out there, what supplements were you taking?
