So it’s no secret anymore, I’m pregnant! And the number one question I am getting asked these days is: “What prenatal supplements are you taking?”.
I wasn’t so on top of this during my first trimester although that was mostly because there was about a month when I did not know I was pregnant! Once I did know, I did what I could what with how queasy I was feeling ALL DAY LONG. Now that I am entering my second trimester, I am much more able to get all that I need down during the day.
Why Do I Need to Supplement?
I eat a very nutrient dense diet, but as we all know, our food supply today is generally grown in less than rich soil and that means depleted minerals and other key nutrients we all need…and especially those of us while pregnant. So I am totally on the supplement train now because quite simply, supplements help fill the gaps in our nutrition. That is worth it to me as a 39 year old pregnant mama. I really do not want to strip my body of all that it has left…if I can supplement and support my body through this process, I know I will feel a lot better when this is all said and done and the baby is here.
My Top 7 Prenatal Supplements
1. Ningxia Red
I can’t say enough about the Ningxia Red drink and how it helped to support me during my first trimester and now beyond. It gave me an energy boost I dearly needed and it helped to support my digestion which we all know gets wonky during pregnancy. But most of all it was something I could grab when I became STARVING in 2 seconds flat. I could at least drink that and stave off the gagging until I could get a bigger snack! Get more details and order Ningxia Red here. I encourage anyone to try it for 30 days.
What is Ningxia Red?
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2. Prenatal Vitamin? This is not your regular multi…
I know baby needs a lot of extra nutrients and while I try to eat a wonderful mix of real nourishing foods every day…sometimes my cravings get the better of me and I end up eating french fries for dinner. Sound familiar? I know supplementing with a multi-vitamin is a MUST during this time (and really even when I am not pregnant I took this vitamin). The one I use is not your basic multi-vitamin by any stretch. I love what’s in Master Formula including:
- a blend of certified organic whole food extracts that provide vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B9 (more on B vitamins later but please note B vitamins are water soluble and I want to ensure I get EVERYTHING I need and I can pee out the rest!).
- a prebiotic and is a perfect companion for your probiotic supplement (remember this is something you should be taking all the time for healthy digestion!)
- a high-potency vegan vitamin D3 (Vitashine)
- vitamin K2! We all know how K2 is missing from our diets and is vitally important!
- vitamin A and vitamin E to round out the fat soluble vitamins which are both vital for baby development. Note, however, that the Vitamin A source in Master Formula is from beta carotene so this is not a great source. Supplement with cod liver oil and additional vitamin A from milk, butter, eggs, and three to eight ounces of liver per week.
- Turmeric root oil (totally awesome that it contains this as you can’t buy it separately from Young Living as an oil, Cardamom oil, Clove oil, Fennel oil, Ginger oil
You can check out all the details and get a full ingredient list for Master Formula here.
3. Vitamin C
As we all know vitamin C is supportive of the immune system, is an antioxidant, and helps to form a healthy placenta. But did you know that Vitamin C is important for the absorption of iron from food? Yep! We all know we need iron when pregnant!
But you can buy Vitamin C at any drugstore. Check. Wait…let’s examine that…Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. This means that you get rid of what you don’t need easily. So you want to make sure you have a Vitamin C supplement that you can actually absorb or you are just literally pouring your money down the toilet!
Super C vitamin C tablets from Young Living are not drugstore quality. Why? Because you amp up the absorption of the Vitamin C by combining it with our Young Living citrus oils and citrus bioflavonoids. Research suggests vitamin C and bioflavonoids have a complementary effect, making them both more effective when ingested together rather than separately. If you can take one Young Living Vitamin C vs. 5 of a lesser quality then you aren’t saving any money. It is actually quite an amazing value – there are 120 capsules of the Super C tablets in a bottle. Just taking 1 per day for maintenance? That is going to last you 3 months!
You can check out further details on Super C and order it here.
4. Minerals
Minerals are elements in the soil that cannot be created by living things. Because our soil isn’t as rich and varied in minerals as it once was due to modern farming practices, we all need to supplement them to get both the macro and trace minerals we need like: Potassium, Chloride, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Molybdenum, and Chromium.
Phew that was a mouthful for me…not an expert on these minerals by any stretch but they do some pretty important things that I am sure my baby needs as it develops!
I use a liquid supplement product called Mineral Essence which is a nice source for many of these minerals. I take this in the late afternoon or at night. I put the amount I need in a shot glass of either Ningxia Red or raw milk. It helps to make it easier to go down!
You can check out and order some Mineral Essence here.
5. MSM
Everyone needs sulfur to live. If you are depleted of the sulfur you need, then your ability to detox goes way down! Sulfur is our main weapon for supporting our body’s natural detoxification mechanism! If you think you are allergic to sulfur then I might point out that what you are likely allergic to is SULFA which is not the same thing. That is in sulfa antibiotics. Not the same thing we are talking about here.
I get my MSM from a product called Sulfurzyme. There are only TWO ingredients in SULFURZYME…1) MSM (elemental sulfur) and 2) Ningxia Wolfberry powder. That’s it! Why does it have wolfberry powder? MSM needs certain nutrients to be assimilated into our body and cells…and just so happens wolfberry contains them all! I don’t see any point in taking straight up MSM if my body isn’t going to assimilate it. That would be a waste of my money.
Let’s understand what sulfur does for us…Sulfur makes up our hair, skin, nails and is also key for rebuilding the myelin sheath around our nerves. The nerve sheath gets eaten off by toxins and heavy metals and we need sulfur for nerve communication! Sulfur also equalizes water pressure inside of our cells which supports joint health, our immune system, our digestive system and our cardiovascular system.
You can check out and order some Sulfurzyme here.
6. B Vitamins
I don’t know about how you felt while pregnant but I have been pretty tired and moody. Did you know B vitamins help you with your energy levels and your mood? My midwife told me I needed to amp up my B vitamin intake so that I did.
You are looking for a supplement that contains all the B’s: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12. Each B vitamin performs a unique and separate function in the body. Unfortunately, they must be replenished daily, as they are not stored in the body. So basically all that you need daily of your B’s…plus it is a natural source of folate which is vital for baby to avoid things like spina bifida, etc. Did you see I wrote folate and not synthetic folic acid? You want to make sure you are getting natural folate and not folic acid which is making many of us very sick. I use and love a product called Super B because it includes all of the above and also includes Nutmeg essential oil and bioavailable chelated minerals such as magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. My midwife also encouraged me to get manganese right now as a very important mineral during pregnancy and Super B has it! Win Win!
You can check out more details and order some Super B here.
7. Vitamins D & K2
We know how critical fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D and vitamin K2 are to baby’s development. So I add a bit more via some fantastic and easy to take D & K2 drops. I add a few drops to my Ningxia Red shot every morning. This was a fantastic option for me when I was super nauseous and did not want to stomach my cod liver oil. This is the brand I use.
Final note for those in their First Trimester…
So those are all the supplements I am taking currently. One last note though…during my first trimester, I found Peppermint Vitality oil to be invaluable. I would carry it around with me along with empty veggie capsules EVERYWHERE and would often take 2-3 drops every few hours. It truly was a G-d-send during this difficult time in my pregnancy. I remember during my first pregnancy being so incredibly sick all the time and I honestly look back and WISH that I knew then what I know now. It would have saved me from such discomfort! Peppermint Vitality oil truly supports healthy digestion in every sense of the word so I know it needed to make this blog post!
I get most of these products from Young Living. You can learn about becoming a Young Living wholesale member here. If you are joining to get all of these fantastic supplements, I suggest getting either the Premium Starter Kit with the essential oils and diffuser or the Ningxia Red kit to start. Details to getting started here.
LOVE this blog post, Lindsey! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
My pleasure Lauren! Glad you found it valuable!
This post is SO helpful!! I have people ask me about YL supplements for pregnancy all the time and I love that I can direct them to this now – thank you!!
Well then I know I have done good then as I take these except I switched to a prenatal that Dr Jim bob recommend when Master Formula was OOS one month and I love it so I have stuck with it so far. I take everything on your list except vitamin K but I have kept up my fish oil! I’m so happy I have learned enough to think like you! ❤️❤️❤️
Oh fantastic! Love this! And you! <3
Hey Lindsey! I have followed you for a while and LOVE your blogs of amazing information!! I am also prego and due in January!! WhooT, Whooot!! I was wondering if you have secondary recommendations for Master Formula and Mineral Essence since they are sadly OOS. 🙁 I’m a YL rep too and always use YL first but love to have back-up resources as well! Thanks!!
Thank you for this great info! I was curious what you think about the Stevia in Ningxia Red? I heard that stevia in large doses can cause endocrine, reproductive problems… What are your thoughts?
I don’t know about that but I do know that stevia is a plant and it is all about how it is processed that makes the difference.