The most effective natural supplements for Pregnancy
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the most effective natural supplements for your pregnancy

Ninety-six percent of pregnant women are vitamin deficient

Your health and well-being during pregnancy are vital to your baby's health. Although some factors cannot be avoided, you ca greatly increase the chances of having a healthy and happy baby. Because birth defects happen early in pregnancy, you need to make sure you are doing everything you can from the very start.

An important part of your antenatal care is antenatal supplements. You may ask yourself if that is necessary and the answer is YES. Ninety-six percent of pregnant women in the UK are vitamin deficient and they don't realise that their nutrient intake becomes the building blocks for their baby's growth and development Diet alone cannot deliver essential vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, most multi-vitamins and antenatal supplements on the market are not made for the specific needs of pregnant women and contain insufficient amounts of essential nutrients.

Which natural ingredients are essential during pregnancy?

Folic acid, vitamin D3, vitamin C, vitamin B12, calcium, omega-3 fish oil (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid), grape seed extract (resveratrol).

What effects do these ingredients have?

For mother:

• Lowered risk of excessive bleeding during pregnancy and delivery.
• Lowered risk of postpartum depression.
• Lowered risk of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia.
• Lowered risk of bacterial vaginosis.
• Lowered risk of pelvic inflammatory disorder.
• Lowered risk of ectopic pregnancy.

For Baby:

• Protection against birth defects.
• Lowered risk of premature birth or low birth weight.
• Protection against mental and neurological defects.
• Protection against ADHD and other behavioural and social problems.
• Lowered risk of learning and memory problems.
• Higher IQ.
• Lowered risk of type 1 diabetes.
• Lowered risk of death.
• Lowered risk of heart defects and problems.
• Better eyesight.
• Stronger bones and teeth.
• Improved motor development.
• Lowered risk of brain tumours.

The information above is based on more than 1,000 articles published in scientific journals and which are available at MEDLINE, the world's largest medical database. Below you will find a few of them listed:

References

1. Barnes, M. & all. “Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnant women: a longitudinal study.” British Journal of Nutrition. September, 2009.
2. Bodnar, L.M. & all. “Maternal vitamin D deficiency is associated with bacterial vaginosis in the first trimester of pregnancy.” Journal of Nutritional Epidemiology. June, 2009.
3. Brekke, H.K. & all. “Daily vegetable intake during pregnancy negatively associated to islet autoimmunity in the offspring – the ABIS study.” Pediatric Diabetes. September 2009.
4. Casanueva E & all. “Vitamin C supplementation prevents premature delivery” Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Apr;81(4):859-63.
5. Christian, P. & all. “Antenatal and postnatal iron supplementation and childhood mortality in rural Nepal: a prospective follow-up in a randomized, controlled community trial.” American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009.
6. Department of Health. “Folic acid and the prevention of disease.” Report on health and social subjects no. 50. London: The Stationery Office. 2000.
7. Dunstan, J. & all. “Cognitive assessment of children at age 2 ½ years after maternal fish oil supplementation in pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial.” Archives of Disease in Childhood – Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2008. Gillian Swan. Findings from the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2004), 63, 505–512.
8. Goh YI & al. “Prenatal Multivitamin Supplementation and Rates of Pediatric Cancers: A Meta-Analysis”. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Feb 21.
9. Gorodischer, R. & all. “Exposure to folic acid antagonists during the first trimester of pregnancy and the risk of major malformations.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2009.
10. Greta Bunin. Prenatal vitamins may reduce risk of brain tumors in children. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. Vol 15, 1660-1667, September 2006.
11. Heiner, C. & all. “Effect of calcium supplementation on pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia.” Journal of Amerian Medical Association. April, 1996.
12. Holmes, V. & all “Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnant women: a longitudinal study.” British Journal of Nutrition. September, 2009.
13. Kevin D. Sinclair & al. "DNA methylation, insulin resistance, and blood pressure in offspring determined by maternal periconceptional B vitamin and methionine status,", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 4 December 2007, Volume 104, Number 49, Pages 19351-19356.
14. Koski, K. & all. “Association of low intake of milk and vitamin D during pregnancy with decreased birth weight.” Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 174, 1273-1277. 2006.
15. Krauss-Etschmann, S. & all. “Effects of fish oil and folate supplementation of pregnant women on maternal and fetal plasma concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid: a European randomized multicenter trial.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. May, 2007.
16. Lykkesfeldt, J. & all. “Vitamin C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory and reduces the number of hippocampal neurons in guinea pigs.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. July, 2009.
17. Oken & al. Associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration with attainment of developmental milestones in early childhood: a study from the Danish National Birth Cohort1,2,3 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 88, No. 3, 789-796, September 2008.
18. Otto, S.J. & all. “Increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms is associated with slower normalization after pregnancy of the functional docosahexaenoic acid status. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. 2003.
19. R. Schroth & al. "Influence of maternal vitamin D status on infant oral health". International Association for Dental Research. 4 July 2008, Abstract # 1646.
20. Schlotz, W. & all. “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems associated with low folate levels in pregnant women.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. October 2009.
21. Schroth, R. & all. “Influence of maternal vitamin D status on infant oral health.” International Association for Dental Research. Abstract # 1646. July 4, 2008.
22. Tiemeier, H. & all. “Maternal folic acid supplement used in early pregnancy and child behavioural problems: the Generation R study.” British Journal of Nutrition. September, 2009.
23. V.A. Holmes & all. “Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnant women: a longitudinal study” British Journal of Nutrition. September 2009.
24. Van Beynum, I. & all. “Protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplements on the risk of congential heart defects: a registry-based case-control study in the northern Netherlands.” European Heart Journal. 2009.
25. Zhang C & al. Vitamin C and the risk of preeclampsia--results from dietary questionnaire and plasma assay. Epidemiology. 2002 Jul;13(4):409-16.