My Prenatal Supplement Routine

Increased nutrient needs during pregnancy make supplementation vital to promote good health for you and your baby. That’s why I’m excited to share my prenatal supplement routine.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by New Chapter, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog possible.

Pregnancy is hard. Focusing on your nutrition during pregnancy can be even harder. With so many moving pieces after finding out you’re pregnant (nausea, doctor’s appointments, telling those you love, figuring out your due date…), nutrition may not be the first thing on your mind. But it is one of the most crucial times to ensure your nutrition is in tip top shape!

Most mamas-to-be I’ve spoken to think about nutrition eventually. They often ask, “How do you know what you’re eating is good enough for your baby?” (Especially between crippling nausea first trimester, food aversions, cravings, foods on the “forbidden list,” and the usual, everyday barriers to optimal nutrition!)

The truth of the matter is that we don’t!

That’s why prenatal supplementation is so important.

As a food-first dietitian, I believe we should focus on eating the nutrients we need – plenty of vegetables and fruit, protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. This can be hard even when you’re not pregnant, which is why I believe in supplements as your “insurance policy.”

With increased nutrient needs during pregnancy, supplementation becomes even more important. It’s beyond your insurance policy. Now, it’s vital to promote good health for you and your baby.

Even as a dietitian, I had to freshen up on the major nutrients to be concerned about during pregnancy. Since you’re supporting a growing life (how amazing is that?!), your caloric needs increase along with many vitamins and minerals. It’s essential to think about nutrients like folate, iron, calcium, vitamin D, EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, and more.

But not all supplements are created equal. That’s why I’m excited to partner with New Chapter to share my prenatal supplement routine and everything you need to know about prenatal supplementation.

[Tweet “Calling all mamas-to-be… Are you SUPPLEMENTING properly? Here’s what to consider when choosing your supplements (sponsored) >>”]

Here’s my prenatal supplement routine:

1. New Chapter’s Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin

One of the most common questions I receive is “what prenatal vitamin are you taking?”

As you may know, I’ve been taking New Chapter’s Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin since before I got pregnant. Many health care providers recommend supplementing with folic acid when you’re trying to conceive, and for me, it was easier to take a prenatal vitamin (you can read more about why here).

Unlike many prenatal multivitamins lining drugstore shelves, New Chapter’s Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin is fermented with beneficial probiotics. This means it’s easier to absorb the essential nutrients you need. Plus, it’s easy to digest and can be taken any time of day. (New mamas-to-be know is important if morning sickness hits!) Not to mention, it contains ginger to help ease pregnancy-induced nausea.

New Chapter’s Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin contains critical nutrients for pregnancy, including:

• Methylfolate, the most active form of folate. Folate is necessary for early brain and spinal cord development*, which is why it is recommended you start taking it when trying to conceive.
• Fermented iron, to help you meet 100% of your increased iron needs during pregnancy. Fermented iron is better absorbed than traditional iron supplements.
• Vitamin D3 to prevent deficiency (which is very common even among non-pregnant individuals), help boost your immunity, and promote proper bone mineralization for your baby*.
• Fermented B vitamins for extra energy* (which most pregnant mamas know, you can take all the help you can get!)
• Herbal and cruciferous sprouts blends for a whole foods approach to supplementation

Plus, they’re gluten free and there’s no added sugar or sweeteners, like other prenatal vitamins on the market.

You can learn more about New Chapter’s Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin here.

2. New Chapter’s Wholemega For Moms

At my first OB appointment, my doctor suggested an omega-3 fatty acids supplement, specifically with DHA. As I mentioned in this post about omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy, DHA is essential for you and your developing baby.

I chose to add New Chapter’s Wholemega For Moms to my prenatal supplement routine because it was extra hard to eat enough fish during my first trimester. New Chapter’s omega-3 supplement “Wholemega For Moms” contains 100% sustainably-caught Wild Alaskan Salmon oil, unlike many other fish oil supplements on the market.

Omega-3 fatty acids, and specifically DHA omega-3s, help prevent pre-term labor, support brain and eye health for your developing baby*, reduce inflammation, and more, so I knew this was an important component of my prenatal supplement routine.

3. New Chapter’s Bone Strength Take Care

Since I don’t eat a lot of dairy (thank you, digestive woes), my OB also suggested that I add calcium to my prenatal supplement routine or focus on eating significantly more non-dairy sources of calcium (like canned salmon with the bones, dark leafy greens, dried figs, and more). But if you’ve ever had morning sickness, you know you can’t always control your diet in such a calculated way (cue all the toast and butter for me).

So, I opted to add calcium to my prenatal supplement routine. But when I did a bunch of research on calcium supplements, I didn’t like where the calcium was sourced (usually rocks, like chalk or limestone). New Chapter’s Bone Strength Take Care sources its calcium from 100% plant-based Red Marine Algae (that’s also rich in magnesium too). It also includes fermented vitamin D3 and whole-food K2 to help direct calcium to your bones where you really need it.*

I always suggest checking with your OB to see if this is something you should add to your routine too, since your calcium needs do increase during pregnancy.

Learn more about New Chapter’s Bone Strength Take Care here!

After a lot of research and exploration, a prenatal multivitamin, omega-3, and calcium make up my prenatal supplement routine, but I encourage you to have an open conversation with your OB about what you need outside of a prenatal multivitamin. Being an informed patient is the most important – especially when your little one depends on your good nutrition status!

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you!
XO

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.