When I became pregnant with Della, this was pretty much my first thought, quickly followed by “… and NOW what??” Well, after a couple rounds of “OH MY GOD, I’M PREGNANT!!!!”, that is.
The first time around I’d heard and read so many “don’t do this”s and “don’t do that”s, that it was hard to keep everything straight in those first few weeks. But when I finally had that first appointment with my doctor, she assured me that most of the “rules” I’d heard were really nothing to worry about.
Want a sandwich with deli meat on it? Sure, go ahead. Want a hot dog? Yep, that’s fine. Just stay away from high-mercury fish, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs. You know, essentially don’t be stupid…
The one thing, however, she stressed that I DO was make sure to take a good prenatal vitamin. Preferably one that came with a DHA supplement, which is an omega-3 fatty acid found throughout the body that serves as a major structural and functional fat in the brain. ~70% of energy supply during fetal development is devoted to brain development during pregnancy, and DHA deficiencies in the mother can impact brain development in the fetus. So it’s pretty high up there on the list of do’s during pregnancy.
All right, that one was easy enough for me to handle. Take a good prenatal vitamin daily with its DHA supplement. Check.
Once D was born and I began nursing her, my doctor recommended I just continue taking the prenatal/DHA combo in order to provide her with the same nutritional supplements she had in utero. All right, done and done.
And actually, I have been taking a prenatal vitamin with DHA since then. I knew we’d probably start trying for Dv2.0 sooner rather than later, and since that sooner started not too terribly long after D stopped nursing, I just kept taking the vitamins. I had plenty left, and I figured I’d just keep my body used to them as we began the whole baby process again.
So this time around I already had a jump start on the prenatals. That one was securely on my list of pregnancy do’s. I had tried a couple different brands when I first started taking them to figure out which ones I really liked – some kind of upset my stomach, some tasted terrible, others were simply huge and I hated taking them.
I recently discovered a great brand though – BrainStrong Prenatal. I received a 30 day supply and am seriously considering continuing them as my go-to prenatals when this box is finished. They come with the DHA supplement, don’t taste like fish or make my stomach hurt, and are, quite literally, just what the doctored ordered.
Here are a couple other fun facts about BrainStrong Prenatal vitamins:
BrainStrong is a complete prenatal multivitamin with the highest level of folic acid and DHA available without prescription
- Up to 75% more DHA than other leading over-the-counter prenatal vitamins
Costs less than most copays
From a vegetarian source, not fish, so no fear of potential contaminants
I was compensated for this post, however all opinions expressed are my own.
Scoot, while I am no longer in utero, I certainly could use a stronger brain. Any tips for an older baby?
Seriously, I commend you for taking your prenatal responsibilities to Dv2.0 as seriously as you do. You’re a good young mother – now say “cheese” and press the button atop the tripod.
Love, Dad