One of the most frequently asked questions that I get from women is what supplements to take while pregnant and what did I take? Even though this is my first time being pregnant I have several family members that have been pregnant multiple times: My mom has been pregnant 12 time, my sister 4 times and my sister-in-law 5 times. Through watching them and having my own, I have learned a lot about which supplements to take while pregnant.

For starters, I hope women know and understand that every women needs to and should supplement while pregnant. Women carry something so small and precious, they are caring for another human life been inside of them and they need extra nutrients.

Everyone in my family has chosen Shaklee supplements for all of our pregnancies for the past 16 years and swear by them.

Shaklee’s been around for almost 60 years and is the number one natural nutrition company in the USA. Shaklee takes pride in the fact that all of their products are guaranteed to ALWAYS WORK that they are ALWAYS SAFE and ALWAYS GREEN. Shaklee makes sure that it lives in harmony with nature using only the best and safest ingredients that can be found. You can read more about the Shaklee difference here.

I know that I am not a doctor although Shaklee has lots of doctors on staff and this is what they recommend for pregnancy.As soon as I told my Doctor that I was taking Shaklee’s supplements he immediately said; Shaklee, that is excellent!

(Because the nutritional needs during pregnancy and lactation are unique to this stage of a women’s life, we strongly urge all women who are pregnant or nursing to discuss the use of dietary supplements with their obstetrician)

However, along with our general recommendation to eat a healthy, well balanced diet to ensure pregnant and nursing women are meeting their nutritional needs, we also recommend a combination of Shaklee supplements that can be used as alternatives to a standard prenatal vitamin once discussed with the Obstetrician.

An excellent “Shaklee alternative” would be:

2 tablets of Vita-Lea with Iron

2 tablets of B complex for the basic prenatal nutrients, in particular folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects

For women who do not drink milk or eat the recommended number of servings of dairy foods the addition of:

2-4 tablets of OsteoMatrix can help meet needs for calcium,vitamin D and other bone health nutrients

To provide a safe and beneficial amount of omega three fatty acids (ie. DHA):

3 softgel capsules of OmegaGuard per day are recommended to support fetal brain development

It is not uncommon for some pregnant women to need additional:

1 tablet of Iron plus C can be added providing an additional 18 mg of Iron and 60 mg of Vitamin C

And lastly:

Shaklee 180 meal smoothie prepared as directed, and used as part of healthy breakfast or midday snack provides a mother and her growing fetus with an additional 270 calories, 24 grams of high quality protein and 6 grams of fiber.

Although Vitalizer is a comprehensive nutritional foundation for virtually all adults, there are some components that might not generally be considered essential in a standard prenatal nutrition program. In addition, certain nutrients such as folic acid were not included at levels intended to support a pregnant mother and her growing baby. The use of Vitalizer during pregnancy should be discussed with the Obstetrician, who may wish to suggest an addition 1-2 B Complex and Osteomatrix as stated above if approved for you.

Elisabeth’s Recommends:

I recommend everything that Shaklee recommends with a few additional lifestyle products.

Shaklee 180 Energy Tea for ever more energy. I didn’t take this in my first 2 trimesters, but I really needed extra energy in my 3rd. (Plus we are refinishing our house, which means we are constantly trying to keep up with the dust and dirt in the house! I asked my doctor and he said it was fine. No more than 1-2 teas a day.

Get Clean Non-Toxic Cleaners and Natural Laundry Proudcts because you should NOT be cleaning with toxic cleaners. If you haven’t switched to natural cleaners now, you should ASAP. If not for you, for your baby. This kit has everything you need to start cleaning your way to a healthier home.

Enfuselle Skin Care and Natural Hair Care because you should remove all toxins from your home including and especially your what goes on your skin. Did you know that anything you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body within 90 seconds…which is where your baby is? Sick. Not for me.

Natural Daily Care like toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, etc. because I believe you should take out all toxins.

Stay tuned for my posts about postpartum care and breastfeeding nutrition. Taking care of your baby is the most important thing you can do! Here is a picture of my little Magdalena Rose!

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