Organic Mom: Organic Prenatal Nutrition, With or Without Supplements

Ask an Organic Mom, The Daily Green

I just ... began my search for the healthier prenatalchoice. I've read up a lot on the perfect prenatal by new chapter organics. Do you have any opinions on this? I noticed it contains lavender, which I'veread can cause some female hormones to appear in male babies? Any other opinionson products for me?

Thanks, Staci

A perfect prenatal is a tall order! Overall -- organicor not -- you want to make sure you're getting the maximum daily recommendeddose of folic acid (important for helping prevent neural tube defects and spinabifida). Some natural (that's in quotes because the claim natural isunregulated) brands also contain additional herbs and nutrients consideredbeneficial for pregnancy. These claims aren't exactly regulated either, so it'sa good idea to go over the ingredient list of any vitamin you're taking withyour OB/GYN or midwife.

Here's a list from The Complete OrganicPregnancy of the vitamins and minerals your pre-natal should contain and theappropriate levels for an expecting mother:

Vitamins spilling out of a bottle
Vitamins spilling out of a bottle

  • 4,000 and 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A

  • 800 and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of folic acid

  • 400 IU ofvitamin D

  • 200 to 300 mg of calcium

  • 70 mg of vitamin C

  • 1.5 mg of thiamine

  • 1.6 mg of riboflavin

  • 2.6 mg of pyridoxine

  • 17 mg of niacinamide

  • 2.2 mcg of vitamin B-12

  • 10 mg of vitamin E

  • 15 mg of zinc

  • 30 mg of iron

Unfortunately I found (and many, many other moms havefound) most of them made me nauseated when I took them, which was tough at atime when I was already nauseated. I wound up trying many different kinds, andalso only took them right before bed so I was either less nauseated or I sleptthrough it.

The main difference between an organic and a conventional vitaminis that they're vegetarian and include no filler, artificial color, flavor, orunnatural preservatives. In the case of the New Chapter ones you mention, thenutrients are derived from organically grown whole foods. I remember tryingSolgar (natural, not organic, and made with vegetable ingredients and withoutadditives) and finding another organic brand when pregnant, but my daughter isnow almost 2 and a half and I can't seem to find it in a quick online search.Maybe in the years that have gone by the company that made it went out ofbusiness? That said, a good health food store is likely to sell others. It'sworth talking with the stockist at your local place if you're in the market totry more than one.

Vitamins shouldn't, however, take the place of awell-rounded whole foods diet, especially when pregnant. In addition to folic,pregnant moms need ample amounts of calcium and iron. I know there are timesover the course of a pregnancy where milk or meat or spinach or all sorts ofthings may taste repugnant, but it is really a mom-to-be's job to eat all ofthe goodness she can. A growing baby is taking those vitamins directly fromyou. So hit the farmers market now in its full summer bounty and shovel in asmuch variety and deliciousness as you can stomach! And don't forget to continueto eat this way and to take vitamins when breastfeeding.

Good foodsources of folic include liver, beans, and leafy green veggies. For iron, fillyour plate with a delicious combination of grass-fed beef, eggs (yolksespecially), sardines, lentils, dark greens, and even molasses and pumpkin(make pumpkin bread!). Calcium, we all know, comes in milk/cheese/yogurt, butit also shows up in many of the dark green leafies you're piling in to get thefolic and iron, plus nuts and seeds.

With regard to lavender, I'massuming you're referring to a study from the New England Journal of Medicinethat suggests the repeated topical use of products containing lavender oiland/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, a rare conditionresulting in enlarged breast tissue in boys prior to puberty. The research wasdone at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Thiswas about products containing these oils. Everything I've been able to find toread about this indicates to me that more research is needed (in fact, thestudy I just mentioned also said more research is needed). Here's a WashingtonPost write-up. Conventionalcosmetics also tend to contain other hormone-disrupting chemicals, and non-organically grown lavender could contain traces of pesticides and the like.Essential oil is highly concentrated, which the lavender in this prenatal isn'tlikely to be. I haven't contacted them to ask -- if you're very concerned, Isuggest you do, and also discuss this with your care provider.

Just toprovide both sides, here's a report refuting that lavender (and tea tree oil)can be linked to breast growth in young boys.

The prenatal issue is an interesting one as no one has said anythingabout ingesting lavender, all of these reports are about wiping the oil onskin. As so many baby creams and massage oils do contain lavender (it's said tobe soothing), I look forward to further clarification and studies.


posted by Alexandra


Related links from the Daily Green:

The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic
30 Days to a Greener Diet
5 Eco-Friendly Wines For Under $25
The Zen Cleaner: How to Green-Clean Anything
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