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This area I am very passionate about. Being nutritionally at your best prior to conception and during pregnancy and lactation is extremely beneficial to the mother and the child. Not forgetting about dad as well. Putting dad on a good vitamin and mineral supplement also ensures his nutritional levels are optimum for conception and good health.

Preconception

Mums Clinician Pregavit Capsules or Elevit

Dads Menevit  or Clinicians Vitamin and Mineral Boost or Radiance Mens Multi

Pregnancy/Lactation

I recommend mums to take Clinicians Pregavit capsules 3 daily. Clinicians Pregavit has been formulated from research to give the expecting or lactating mother the required nutrients to maintain optimal health during pregnancy and lactation. I have been recommending this product since 1999 with great feedback as well as using it with my own pregnancies. Increasingly there is more evidence available about taking nutrients for the wellbeing of the newborn. For example

Prenatal Multivitamin Supplements and childhood cancer risk
Friday, 23 February, 2007

 

According to recent Canadian research, women who take vitamins before and during pregnancy appear to significantly cut the risk that their infants will develop three common childhood cancers.

The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the potential protective effect of prenatal multivitamins on several pediatric cancers. Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Toxline, Healthstar, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies published in all languages from 1960 to July 2005 on multivitamin supplementation and paediatric cancers.

Two blinded independent reviewers assessed the articles for inclusion and exclusion. Rates of cancers in women supplemented with multivitamins were compared with unsupplemented women using a random effects model. Sixty-one articles were identified in the initial search, of which, seven articles met the inclusion criteria.

There was an apparent protective effect for leukemia (odds ratio (OR)=0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.50-0.74), paediatric brain tumors (OR=0.73, 95% CI=0.60-0.88) and neuroblastoma (OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.42-0.68).

The researchers concluded that maternal ingestion of prenatal multivitamins is associated with a decreased risk for paediatric brain tumors, neuroblastoma, and leukemia. However, it is not known which constituent(s) among the multivitamins confers this protective effect.

Source : Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Author : UnityHealth

References :
Goh etal., Prenatal Multivitamin Supplementation and Rates of Pediatric Cancers: A Meta-Analysis. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics advance online publication 21 February 2007

Not all pregnancy vitamins on the market are equal. How do you know you are getting a good one? This always depends on the level of training and experience the sales person has had. Always ask questions to check the level of understanding and about the information that is being given to you. I have compared Clinician's Pregavit to others on the market and the level and variety of nutrients in Clinicians Pregavit is far superior to many others. The only exception is the level of folic acid is only 300 mcg. ( this is the maximum quantity a nutritional company can add) so I recommend for 3 months prior to conception and the first 3 months of pregnancy to take folic acid 800mcg once daily or if at risk of spina bifida 5 mg once daily.

I also recommend Nordic Naturals DHA during pregnancy and lactation. Once again enormous amounts of research are available regarding the benefits to mum and baby. For example

 

News - Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future brain power and social skills, research suggests.
A study of 9,000 mothers and children in Avon suggested those who consumed less of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.
These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye co-ordination, research in the Economist said.
The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women should consume only one or two portions of oily fish a week.
A team from the National Institutes of Health in the US analysed data from a long-term study done in Avon, UK.
Looking at the effects of Omega-3 intake on 9,000 mothers and their children, the team found mothers with the lowest intake of the essential fatty acid had children with a verbal IQ six points lower than the average.
While those with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and other sources of Omega-3 had children, at age three-and-a-half, with the best measures of fine-motor performance, researchers said.
Low intake of the crucial fatty acid also appeared to lead to more problems of social interactions - such as an inability to make friends.
Research leader Dr Joseph Hibbeln said "frightening data" showed 14% of 17-year-olds whose mother had eaten small quantities of Omega -3 during pregnancy demonstrated this sort of behaviour.
This compared with 8% of those born to the group with the highest intake, he said.
Dr Hibbeln said: "The findings of poor social development and poor motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and poorly-socialised behaviour as they grow up."
It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3 and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3. Professor Jean Golding of Bristol University set up the original research - the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children -15 years ago to look at the predisposition to disease.
She told the BBC: "The baby's brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids. It doesn't create its own fatty acids so it needs to be something that the mother will eat."
The new research also builds on earlier work in the US which suggests pregnant mothers will develop children with better language and communication skills if they regularly consume oily fish.
Nutritional expert Patrick Holford, director of the Brain Bio Centre, said Omega-3 was key to children's intelligence because the brain is formed of 60% fat - 30% of which is essential fats.
Successive studies have shown clear links between intelligence and consumption of this essential fatty acid, he added.
"It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3 and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."
The richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish which eat other fish, but research shows that the larger the fish the more pollutants, such as mercury, they contain. For this reason Mr Holford recommends women consume two portions of wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines weekly. Seeds such as flax, pumpkin and hemp are good sources of Omega-3 for vegetarians, but large quantities need to be consumed to gain the same effect.
This might translate to two tablespoons of seeds daily, Mr Holford said, but women can also use a high quality Omega-3 supplements.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4631006.stm

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, and is an essential building block of brain and nerve tissue. DHA cannot be synthesized by the body, and therefore must be obtained from diet high in deep-sea cold water fish.
DHA, which constitutes approximately 40% of the brain, supports brain development during the last trimester of pregnancy when the unborn child's demand for neurological growth increases greatly. If added to the mother's diet, it can help prevent the depletion of the mother's store of DHA, and support the developing baby's essential fatty acid needs.
 

I recommend Nordic Naturals omega supplements because of the purity, freshness and manufacturing process. For more information http://www.nordicnaturals.com

Diet

Supplements are important for mother and baby, but not before addressing the diet. A good healthy balanced nutritional diet free from as many additives, colours, flavours, preservatives, pesticides, sugar, caffeine and alcohol etc. For those with a family history for dairy or gluten intolerance minimizing or eliminating dairy and gluten in your diet helps to prevent intolerance in children, which may present as reflux, eczema, ear infections, tonsillitis, dry skin, mucous production, sinusitis, constipation, diarrhoea or wind. It sounds quite exhausting but for some idea where to start. See the following links low stress diet or Five steps to good health

For advice on what medication or supplements that can be taken for different conditions while pregnant or breastfeeding, please contact us or talk to your midwife or doctor.

Morning sickness

Firstly I put mums on Clinicians Pregavit. In addition to supplementation, the following dietary changes are recommended:

″ Eat small, frequent meals.
″ Eat dry crackers, toast or cereal before getting out of bed or when
feeling queasy or nauseous. However, some individuals may do better by eliminating carbohydrates altogether until the 12th week.
″ Drink water between meals but not during meals. Wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking fluids.
″ When vomiting occurs, take small sips of liquid.
″ Eat foods that are easy to digest such as toast, bagels, crackers, cereal, pasta, rice and potatoes.
″ Avoid greasy or spiced foods.
″ Avoid strong food smells.

If nausea is still a problem other products used are.

  • Blackmores Travel Calm Ginger (or add more ginger to the diet). Keep a ginger root in the freezer and grate into hot lemon drinks or into vegetable dishes.
  • NaturoPharm Nausmed
  • Sea Band
  • Undergo Accupuncture

Leg Cramps or waking in the night and not getting back to sleep.

This is usually due to a lack of Magnesium. See magnesium deficiency symptoms. I recommend Radiance Mineralpower a calcium and magnesium supplement.

Antibiotics while pregnant

If you have to take antibiotics I strongly recommend you take an acidophilus supplement, INNERHEALTH PLUS CAPSULES or PRIMADOPHILUS REUTERI. It is vitally important that the intestines are repopulated quickly with the correct mix of "good" bacteria. Yoghurt doesn't work effectively because the body digests it as food and the bacteria numbers are too low. By repopulating the gut you are helping your immune system, gut function and helping to prevent thrush or candida in the mother as well as the baby.

Acidophilus in the third trimester

Studies have shown that by taking acidophilus in the last trimester you help to reduce the incidence or severity of eczema, asthma, and allergies.

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