My nutrient requirements have changed significantly in the last 1.5 years – from before pregnancy to pregnancy and after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Save this post as a guide for those key nutrients, along with supplementation recommendations. I’m working with Megafood to showcase how their supplements have supported this journey
Before Pregnancy:
Before I got pregnant, I had struggled with low iron so along with meal planning around iron-rich foods (pumpkin seeds, beans, lentils, edamame) I routinely took a supplement. Before getting pregnant I starting taking Megafood Baby & Me 2 as it provides 18 mg of iron for two tablets. It’s also important to take a prenatal prior to conception, to ensure adequacy of important nutrients such as choline, iron and folate. I also took 2000 IU of Vitamin D daily from Megafood, to ensure those needs were getting met.
During Pregnancy:
During pregnancy, not only did my iron needs increase but so did my calorie requirements, protein requirements, folate, omega 3 and choline. To meet my increased calorie requirements, I looked at more significant snack options as I could only eat so much at a time due to feeling full easily. I also made sure these snacks were protein-rich and fibre rich (edamame was my BFF). I also had chia seeds or breakfast each day for the omega 3 and fibre boost.
To meet my folate requirements, I upped my leafy green and bean intake but I also relied on the active form of folate in the Megafood Baby & Me 2. It’s important that folate is present in its active form for best absorption (aka not folic acid). Look for a prenatal that contains folate in a highly bioavailable form (5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) so your body has to do less work converting it into a usable form. In Megafood Baby & Me 2, folate is found in the 5-MTHF form.
After Pregnancy & Breastfeeding:
Your calorie and protein requirements actually are higher during breastfeeding compared to pregnancy – wild! It makes sense though, as you are quite literally making milk for your child from the nutrients in your own body. I switched to supplementing with Megafood Baby & Me 2 Postnatal Multi, as I didn’t need as much iron vs during pregnancy but needed more of some nutrients such as choline. I also appreciated that this supplement also contains moringa which can help milk production.