My Pregnancy Health "Routine"

In case anyone is interested....as much as possible, I’m trying to get as many vitamins/minerals/nutrients in as natural a way as possible throughout the pregnancy so that my body can absorb and benefit the maximum amount. That little sucker is stealing all my energy and nutrients, so this makes sense. In regards to my supplements then, they are all whole food based and/or organic. Much of this stuff can be bought at a health food store or online, and it’s honestly not too pricey (and I’m super cheap).

In the mornings, I take:

•  1-2 tbsp Black Strap Molasses, which is 20-40% of daily iron needed (I try to take this first thing with a TON of water because the taste and smell is wretched. But man, does it help with giving me enough energy!)
• 2 fish oil supplements (which I will discontinue around 36 weeks)
•  2 SuperMom vitamins (these I take 30 min before or after having any calcium, because I don’t want the calcium to block iron absorption. Since this is whole food based, it smells horrible and they are the size of horsepills! Bleh)
• 1 Cayenne Pepper supplement (I have to take this with food, especially yogurt or milk because it burns my belly!! The supplement is literally a capsule of Cayenne. I have low-ish blood pressure, so Cayenne is a natural remedy…and it works!)
• 2 apricot seeds (these are chock full of B-17, a vitamin we rarely if ever get, and this vitamin is known to have cancer fighting properties. Both Chris and I take them daily. No, we don’t have cancer, but we’re big on prevention and what could be easier that two little almond sized seeds)

Throughout the day:

•   I usually have 1 more Cayenne Pepper pill, if I remember
•   1-2 cups of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (this stuff ROCKS. Read more here. It’s great for all women because It helps relieve period pain/heavy menstrual flow/helps nausea/strengthens reproductive system. During pregnancy it strengthens and tones the uterus, decreases changes of premature labor, increases milk supply, and enriches colostrum. Are you convinced ladies that you should be drinking this too? I HOPE SO! I bought a 6 pack of Yogi for $17 bucks on Amazon, so less than $3 per container, and at the store it runs $4-5. It. Is. Worth it!)
• Make sure I’m getting 80-100 grams of protein each day (I eat lots of beans, lots of cheese, lots of yogurt, sometimes meat, lots of whole grains)

 

At night

• Stop “cameling” down water (yes I invented that word) by 8 pm so I don’t have to pee 5 times a night
• I normally get hungry again around 8-9, so I’ll have a snack with calcium like milk and cereal or cheese and a piece of fruit 
•  Throughout this pregnancy, I have had trouble sleeping! So I take 2 organic calcium supplements around 8-9 pm to help promote restful sleep. Again. This stuff works like a charm!!!
• If I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll have a small cup of sleepytime tea, which I think tastes delicious. Again, Yogi is what I’ve been buying.

Yes, some of the stuff I take tastes pretty horrible (Blackstrap molasses and supermom pills), but I would much rather shovel down water afterwards or drink with milk (cayenne pepper) than taking a fake version of that same vitamin/nutrient. Doing this helps to prevent some unwanted side effects of pregnancy like constipation, and in general is better for you and baby.

All of these supplements are safe for women even when not pregnant. Even a lot of teenagers take SuperMom pills (basically a multivitamin) because they help with periods and low energy levels due to fluctuating hormones/poor diet!

Any questions? Just ask J