As a pregnant woman, I was doing my best to get adequate nutrition. In fact, I started taking prenatal vitamins when my husband and I were trying to get pregnant with this second baby.
Unfortunately, the vitamins gave me intense stomach aches regardless of the time of day that I took them and whether I took them on a full or an empty stomach. I even tried cutting the pills and taking two half doses per day but the stomach aches persisted.
According to Health Canada (2008) “It is… important to start taking vitamin supplements with Folic Acid before you get pregnant to reduce the risk of neural tube defect” (paragraph 1). So what do you do when prenatal vitamins don’t agree with your stomach?
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What was I to do?
I ended up doing a little research and Health Canada indicated that 0.4 mg of folic acid was recommended per day. I found a 0.4 mg dosage of folic acid and started taking it as a solitary supplement. I also ensured I was eating foods that contained folic acid as well.
For instance, folic acid can be found in the following foods:
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Collard greens
- Kale
- Enriched breakfast cereals (most are enriched with folic acid)
- Enriched pastas
- Legumes (kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans)
- Orange juice / oranges
- Peanuts
- Spinach
What about calcium?
Another area that I struggle with is my consumption of recommended doses of calcium. Since my daughter is anaphylactic to dairy products, we have almost no dairy products in the house. I have rice milk in my cereal and drink a glass of soy milk per day but that’s about it for my calcium intake.
So, we started purchasing orange juice that was enriched with calcium, I began eating more eggs and I started to incorporate some dairy products back into my diet (mainly cheese and yogurt). Other than that, I ensure I eat well every day… as most women (pregnant or not) should be doing anyway.
Also, I’m a sucker for spreadsheets and documentation, so I tracked everything I’m eating on an Excel spreadsheet.
What did/do you do to ensure you’re getting adequate vitamins and minerals in your diet?
**Please note, I am not a doctor or a dietician. These are strategies that have worked for me but all dietary matters should be discussed with your OBGYN, dietician or midwife, as each individual is different.**
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I craved mushrooms with my second pregnancy – which is funny, because normally I *hate* mushrooms (the smell, the texture…blah!), but I went along with it, because I figured my body was trying to tell me something. It wasn’t until later that my OBGYN told me that mushrooms are very high in folate. So there you go, even though I was taking the supplements, my body wanted more!!
xxxCate
Thanks for your comment Cate! I think you’re right about cravings. At the beginning of this pregnancy I wanted ice cream and yogurt… something which we don’t have in our house. I “caved in” which is good, because I think my body was letting me know it needed more calcium.
Sometimes the cravings aren’t “weird” they’re just nature’s way of telling us what our body and developing baby needs.
I couldn’t take prenatal vitamins either, I took 2 chewable kid’s vitamins instead.