Nutritional Supplements
Mamas on Bedrest: Pregnancy Safe Ways to Prevent Infections
May 15th, 2013Hello Mamas!!
In this video blog, I share information on pregnancy safe ways to prevent infections. Pregnancy overloads a woman’s system and consequently she is not as readily able to ward off infections or to fight them when she does become ill.
As discussed in previous blogs, it is essential that pregnant women have adequate Vitamin D levels, to supplement with fish oil rich in the Omega 3 Fatty Acids docosaheaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), to drink lots of water, get lots of rest and to eat a nutrient dense diet. In this video blog I offer a few other suggestions to help mamas on bed rest keep their bodies healthy and strong. On an additional note, I forgot to include probiotics that are helpful against yeast infections. They are found in most yogurts and can also be taken as supplements.
How are you staying healthy while on Bedrest? Share your tips in the comments section below this video. If you have more questions, feel free to e-mail me at info@mamasonbedrest.com.
Mamas on Bedrest: Breastmilk Enhancement for Preemie Nutrition
April 26th, 2013Hi Mamas,
I know that I am alway putting my foot down about things on this website being “All about Mamas!!” But recently I received an e-mail from a mama of a preemie and as we talked, she told me about a product that had been used when her son was in the NICU. Prolacta Human Breastmilk Enhancer provides much needed nutrients and calories to premature infants. Prolacta is the only human breastmilk enhancer available and it is derived from donor breastmilk that is tested and purified and made available to NICU’s around the country. My daughter needed donor milk when she was first born and in the NICU, so this is a topic near and dear to my heart.
I had the grand opportunity to interview Ms. Terry Johnson, APN, NNP-BC, MN, CLEC. Terry has over 30 years of experience in a variety of clinical settings including the NICU, Special Care Nursery, Normal Newborn Nursery and Developmental Follow-Up Services. She is also a Certified Lactation Educator and Counselor. Today Terry shares insight into neonatal and preemie nutrition, the role of Prolacta and how parents can advocate for their babies and how Prolacta BioScience can help. She also offered another resource for parents, The Helping Hands MilkBank.
Mamas on Bedrest: Talk To Your Doctor About Your Vitamin D Level!
April 1st, 2013
Good Monday Morning, Mamas!
While Today is April Fool’s Day, the news below is certainly no joke. Yet another study has reported that low levels of Vitamin D in pregnant women is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Fariba Aghajafari, MD, CCFP, and colleagues from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, published their findings after performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data online March 26 in in the British Medical Journal. Reviewing data from studies published on MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane database of registered clinical trials, the researchers reviewed 31 studies and found the following results:
- Low levels of 25-OHD Vitamin D (the best indicator of Vitamin D status in Humans) is associated with increased risk of Gestational Diabetes
- Low levels of 25-OHD Vitamin D is associated with increased risk of pre-eclampsia
- Low levels of 25-OHD Vitamin D is associated with small for gestational age infants.
And these findings are only from this one study! We here at Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond have reported in several of our blog posts the effects of low levels of Vitamin D and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here is what we have found in the literature to date:
- Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with Post Partum Depression.
- Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with Gestational Diabetes
- Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with Pre-Eclampsia
- Low levels of Vitamin D are associated Low Birth Weight and Asthma in the Baby
We have also found that while current medical recommendations are only 200-400 IU of Vitamin D for daily supplementation, Studies we have seen recommend far more for optimum function (upwards of 2000-4000IU daily).
So what should you do with all of this information? Talk To Your Doctor!! While you may initially experience a bit of push back from your OB, if you bring in these citations, they will take you seriously. Leading medical experts are recognizing the importance of Vitamin D supplementation and noting that the vast majority of individuals in the United States are deficient. Interestingly enough, darker skinned people are at increased risk of Vitamin D Deficiency because Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin from the sun and darker skin protects against penetration from the sun’s rays, so less Vitamin D is absorbed by darker skinned individuals.
Personally, I think that there is a growing body of evidence to support Vitamin D supplementation. The question becomes, at what dose? You will have to discuss this with your doctor. My guess is that optimum dosage may have to be done individually and for that, you may need to have blood levels of Vitamin D assessed in order to figure out how much (if any) supplementation you need.
I warn you now that not all OB’s have jumped on the Vitamin D bandwagon. Many are content to simply prescribe a prenatal vitamin and leave it at that as they, “Don’t believe the hype”. But I suggest to you that if you are at increased risk for any of he aforementioned conditions for which low vitamin D levels increase the risk, then at the very least a discussion with your physician is in order. It may not be the ultimate cure for what ails you, but if it can help you decrease your risk of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes, a simple pill or 2 a days seems easy enough for your OB to prescribe and for you to take, and there is little to no risk of toxicity or overdose.
Talk with your doctor about your Vitamin D levels and see if you need supplementation. It’s easy, and it may well vastly improve your health, the health of your baby and your ability to have a healthy, full term infant.
