My Quest for the Perfect Prenatal Vitamin

It may seem odd to my readers that I invested my time in a prenatal-vitamin quest. After all, a prenatal vitamin is just a bunch chemicals, devoid of any synergy that naturally exists in food, and seriously lacking in the research arena with a few exceptions (such as folic acid). Proper nutrition must go beyond prenatals, and supplements in general. Hence the name of this blog. However, every pregnant woman should take prenatal vitamins in addition to eating well. Also, based on my first pregnancy, I was pretty sure I would I would be terribly nauseated and exhausted and just in case I was not eating all that well or all that much, I wanted to have a "back-up." I also wanted to have a good prenatal vitamin to recommend to pregnant women. During my last pregnancy, I took Freeda's Prenatal One a day and a separate DHA but I noticed some shortfalls and I wanted to see if there was a better option.

My search started much like any search for an item...a Google search, a discussion with a few colleagues, various trips to stores in NYC...and an Excel spreadsheet for comparison. I became frustrated when I found that some prenatals were ridiculously high in vitamin A, a known teratogen, or beta carotene, a possible cancer risk in supplement form; some contained herbs that have not been proven safe for pregnant women and are known to cross the placenta; some contained prescription-required doses of folic acid but lacked other essential nutrients and anyway might cause wheeze in babies if taken in excess; some contained parabens and food colorings; some contained algae-based DHA but not fish oil; few contained choline or iodine; and on and on.

I finally found one that I thought was almost perfect. Jarrow Preg-natal + DHA seemed to be pretty good. It has lots of vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium in a 2:1 ratio, plenty of iodine and choline and zinc, and DHA from fish. To its detriment, it contains 200% of certain nutrients but none that exceeded upper limits, and some beta carotene, which I prefer not to take at all. But I was willing to turn a blind eye because everything else seemed so good. Plus, I found a website that sold a one-month supply for only $12. $12 a month for the perfect prenatal? That is too good a deal to pass up. I did think it was slightly suspicious that the serving size listed "One packet" as the dose. How many pills contain all these precious chemicals? But I clicked "confirm order" anyway.

I impatiently waited for the package to arrive. When the box arrived, I could not wait to open it up. I got out the scissors and cut away the tape. I opened up the box...and I gagged. The smell was awful. Worse than awful. And it was strong - I smelled them even before I opened the massive cylinder container.

After I opened it, I discovered that each daily packet contained six smelly pills and one fish supplement. That's right, seven pills! There was no way that I could deal with seven smelly pills each day during the first trimester when I was feeling poorly, but I thought I would give the vitamins the benefit of the doubt and try them out after my nausea subsided. In the meantime, I continued to rely on the Freeda Prenatal and separate DHA.

Yesterday, I took them out again. Maybe the smell would not be so bad now that I was not nauseated all the time. I took the pills down from the cabinet and opened up the box. The smell was overwhelming. But I was not going to let a little obstacle ruin my perfect prenatal. I was going to see this through. I even took one of the packets - all seven pills - with me to work since the recommendation is to take the packet spread throughout the day.

Well, the day is over and I could not bring myself to try even one smelly pill. Not one. I just couldn't do it. I found the perfect prenatal, but it smelled so much that I just couldn't take it.

I'll continue to take my Freeda Prenatal one-a-day vitamin, which meets most of my requirements but not all, a DHA supplement on the days I don't eat fish, and some vitamin D3 on "indoor" days or days when I don't eat a lot of D-fortified foods (my blood levels showed a low-normal range). Certainly, not a perfect arrangement, but it will have to do. And as for my choline, iodine, and calcium, I'm going to have to go beyond prenatals, after all.

Beyond the Table 3: Alongside Mom and Dad in the Kitchen

(Note: You may have noticed a decreased level of activity on this blog lately. This was mostly due to 1st trimester-related pregnancy sluggishness. However, my second trimester has been a big turning point and I hope to start blogging more often so keep visiting! )


The past three months have proven to be more difficult than anticipated, so I have been working on ways to get more done, including making healthier dinners. And while the following solution certainly doesn’t save time, it does combine two activities into one; keeping your toddler actively engaged and getting food on the table.

Research shows that kids are more likely to eat food that they helped prepare, so kitchen activities are a great foray into early childhood nutrition. Even if they only take one bite of the food they prepared, they are one step closer to liking it. It could take up to 15 times of trying a food to actually like it, and many kids won’t continue to just agreeably put food into their mouth they don’t like, so preparing food is one way to get them to take their 7^th or 8^th try.

Here are some ways we get our two-year old helping out in the kitchen:

* Placing fix-ins into sandwiches and watching them melt in the sandwich maker or toaster oven. The sandwiches won't be neat, but they will be yummy.

* Washing vegetables. This is especially great if you have a spray handle- it could easily entertain your child for 10-15 minutes while you prepare something that needs to cook longer than the vegetables anyway. It’s terrible for water conservation but it works! It took some time to convince him not to spray himself or anything else, but now I think he gets it.

(Snacking on a green bean as he washes)

* Pretending to cook. While we don't have a pretend kitchen (yet), we do have this old-school fisher price stove. Additionally, our son has not yet found the start button on our microwave so he is enjoying placing random things inside and pushing various buttons. While doing this, he gleefully exclaims "Making Daddy Mommy," which obviously means that he is making us food to eat. The joy with which he exclaims it must mean that he views making food for someone as an act of love or care.

*Stirring the batter to whatever you are making…it could even be plain flour that you keep in a covered bowl for this very purpose! (Shhh...)

* Pouring ingredients into a bowl.

A few things common-sense things that I have learned from my recent readings in Waldorf education philosophy:

* Kids like to feel able, so it might help to have a small table or high step-stool/chair so they can get right into the action.

* Kids love to imitate household activities, hence the many mini-sized vacuums and brooms on the market. So having them "help" in the kitchen is actually fun for them. For the same reason, it might be a good idea to have some extra measuring spoon, cups, or bowls around so you are not fighting over the same one.

*Lavishly praise them for helping you make breakfast/lunch/dinner. You can even continue to talk about it during and after mealtime or mention it to grandma and grandpa.

* If having your kids help you in the kitchen will only make you more stressed instead of less, or if you would simply rather cook alone, consider a pretend kitchen.

* Give your child some options. For example: "Should we use cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese?" "Should we cut the potatoes this way or that way?" The results make not be what you anticipated but they we will less fidgety if you keep them involved along the way.

I hope you find these tips helpful!

Debra

Debra@BeyondPrenatals.com

Beyond the Table is a new series on this blog that will showcase the many ways in which kids of all ages can hang out and help out in the kitchen. Going Beyond Prenatals is not just about eating healthy during pregnancy, but about going beyond pregnancy to think about pediatric nutrition as well. Creating positive kitchen interactions beyond the table encourages healthy eating and good memories. You benefit too, by always having an activity on hand! To read more, click here.