My Favorite Pregnancy Products
for nutrients & minerals:
Some time ago I mentioned on Instagram that I’m not taking a prenatal vitamin, which stirred up a bit of controversy. Rest assured that is probably the least controversial thing I’m doing! I’ve chosen to forgo the typical “all in one” synthetic prenatal for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I do not consume synthetic vitamins in my everyday life, so it would not make sense for me to start now. Pregnancy is the very last time I would want to give my body a massive dose of synthetic vitamins that it cannot assimilate. Secondly, it bothers me greatly that prenatal vitamins are often portrayed as a “cure-all” or a bandaid for eating Chick-fil-a for every meal while pregnant. “As long as I’m swallowing this pill, baby is getting what they need…” when in reality, nutrition matters a great deal. As women and mothers, we have the privilege of taking responsibility for our health and baby’s health in this way.
Conventional vitamins are very high in heavy metals, additives, toxins, and are not formulated from real food ingredients. Because of this, the nutrients from them are subpar, if bioavailable at all. It’s true that our food supply is depleted of nutrients and minerals, so I do believe supplementation in some seasons of life to be beneficial. I am more comfortable supplementing with whole-food based supplements in addition to a purposeful, intentional diet. These are the “supplements” I have been using based upon my own research and the approval of my midwife.
Perfect Supplements Multi-Organ Blend
I added this into my supplement routine when I found myself eating ice chips off the top of the ice cube trays, haha! Not only an excellent source of iron but other nutrients as well. I take 4 instead of 6. Use the code KAETLYN10 for 10% off your Perfect Supplements order!
A great source of B12, Iodine, Zinc, and Copper. This is probably one of my favorite supplements for fertility and reproductive health. Use the code KAETLYN10 for 10% off your Marine Health Foods order!
Fermented Cod Liver Oil with Concentrated Butter Oil
I took this in my first and second trimester only and will pick it back up again postpartum. Please read the Weston A. Price Foundation’s warning regarding taking this during pregnancy.
Perfect Supplements Magnesium Citrate
While I do incorporate glycinate occasionally, I decided to prioritize magnesium citrate specifically from Perfect Supplements because it is the most bioavailable non-synethic form of magnesium on the market. I have both the powder to mix into drinks as well as the capsules for when I’ve forgotten to take it and have already brushed my teeth for the night. Use the code KAETLYN10 for 10% off your Perfect Supplements order!
When I started getting those delightful third trimester charlie horses at night I knew I needed to add more potassium to my routine. A bit of cream of tartar in my drinks throughout the day has taken care of that and I haven’t had any since! (Coconut water is also an excellent source of potassium, but I personally don’t like the flavor.)
Another easy way to get a full spectrum of minerals into your diet. They really don’t taste the best so I don’t use these drops as regularly as I do magnesium, cream of tartar, and lots of salt… but I like to have them for when I know I haven’t been prioritizing those other forms of minerals. I seem to be able to get away with adding a few to plain water but mainly I hide a larger amount in juice when need be.
This is my absolute favorite salt that I add not only to my cooking but also to my daily drinks and I even pop little pinches in my mouth to crunch on throughout the day! The connection between salt intake and blood expansion, blood pressure, preeclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage is FASCINATING. I highly recommend looking into it! A low-sodium diet is incompatible with pregnancy (and breastfeeding as well). Table salt intake needs to decrease while mineral-rich sea salts need to increase. Increase in mineral salts can even reverse late term issues many women face such as cramping, swelling, and high blood pressure. I stock both the coarse salt for my grinder and the fine salt for sprinkling.
Another great brand option for mineral salt. I do find it to be a bit grainy so I avoid cooking with it and use it rather to add to drinks.
NORA Tea
NORA stands for Nettle, Oat Straw, Red Raspberry Leaf, and Alfalfa. These herbs brewed into a tea are known as the quintessential “women’s health” tea. When used in pregnancy, red raspberry leaf is revered for its muscle toning that has been linked to strengthening the uterus for labor while the nettle, oat straw, and alfalfa are rich in minerals and nutrients. I haven’t been super religious with drinking this during my pregnancy like some are, but I have gone through phases of it here and there. I really enjoyed it for most of my second trimester but once I started getting consistent Braxton Hicks, I found that the RRL increased them and really made me miserable. My uterus definitely does not need help with practicing contractions and now that baby’s lower it just sends me to the bathroom every 5 minutes. So I’ve been drinking NOA tea these days.
There is some controversy surrounding this tea because these herbs are diuretics which can cause issues with blood pressure and blood volume expansion in pregnancy. This concern usually comes from promoters of the Brewer Diet, and not from herbalists. I find myself in the middle of the spectrum and happily drink it when I feel I could use the extra nutrients from the herbs. I purchase organic dried herbs in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs.
for my skin:
With pregnancy comes dry and stretching skin that needs some extra love! Here is what I’ve been using on mine.
Grassfed tallow
The oil in our skin and tallow share many of the same lipids, making tallow the superior fat for deeply moisturizing and nourishing our skin. I’ve been using tallow as a whole-body moisturizer as well as a targeted “belly balm”. We are currently formulating the most delicious whipped tallow butter that will be available in the shop later this year!
So. Much. Calendula. Salve! While not safe to take internally while pregnant, topical calendula use has been linked to the prevention and reduction of stretch marks. The anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-viral properties of calendula make it extremely soothing on itching, tight belly skin as well. I’ve been using our Calendula Homestead Salve generously since my first trimester and so far my skin is still looking great.
Perfect Supplements Gelatin & Perfect Supplements Collagen
While this is not something that is applied topically, I’ve been making sure to incorporate high quality collagen into my diet to promote healthy skin from the inside out. I love making homemade gummies with Perfect Supplements Gelatin and adding their Hydrolyzed Collagen to smoothies. Use the code KAETLYN10 for 10% off your Perfect Supplements order!
for wearing:
In an effort to save money and not expand my wardrobe too much, I have not bought many maternity clothes this pregnancy. I mistakenly thought my already established dress collection would work with my belly and that regular leggings would just stretch. I do think this is one of my more nagging regrets because once I started growing, I spent quite a few months very uncomfortable. I think some good maternity basics are definitely worth investing in and I will do more of that next time around. These are a few pieces I have purchased so far.
PACT Maternity Bike Shorts
I like to have these for wearing under skirts and dresses when I go out. It just makes me feel like I have a bit of extra coverage just in case I have a Marilyn moment! Click here to use my PACT referral link for 15% off your first purchase!
PACT Organic Cotton Bras
I ditched conventional bras many many years ago and am aware more than ever of the importance of natural fibers being what touches the most sensitive parts of the body. Synthetic bras should be avoided especially when breastfeeding or soon-to-be breastfeeding. I continue to find that PACT has the best prices, designs, and colors! Click here to use my PACT referral link for 15% off your first purchase!
PACT Organic Cotton Underwear
Just as important as bras, natural fiber underwear are so important for women especially during child-bearing years. There’s a lot of organic cotton underwear brands out there now (woohoo!) but I find myself purchasing exclusively from PACT these days. Click here to use my PACT referral link for 15% off your first purchase!
The only style of dress I have felt decent in since growing quite large. I added all 3 to my closet!
Not technically a maternity piece but has been sooo comfy to wear and looks cute with a belly :)
For Reading
I purchased a lot of pregnancy and birth related books when I found out I was pregnant, but naturally have not been able to read them all. I’ve skimmed quite a few, read more intensely others, and am simply okay with having to work my way through the rest as my journey of motherhood & childbearing goes on. These are the ones that I really loved so far.
Conceiving Healthy Babies by Dawn Combs
Dawn’s story of infertility to conceiving is really inspiring and the rest of the book is an excellent herbal and nutrition resource. Google will tell you (very fearfully!) that all herbs are off limits during the childbearing years but that is simply not the case. As with any herbal resource, there was some new age rhetoric (listening to the plants, energy work and homeopathy recommendations) but that was able to be overlooked. As a Christian I obviously cannot agree with Dawn’s sentiment of purposely preventing pregnancy unless you have pristine health. Of course preconception health of mom and dad matters greatly, but we can still let God be Lord over our wombs even if we don’t have a perfectly detoxed liver or can’t always afford grass fed meat in the budget. I’ve loved having this book on my shelf to help me determine safe and unsafe herbs for this season of life!
Naturally Healthy Pregnancy by Shonda Parker
This was by far one of the best pregnancy books I’ve read. It is written from a covenantal Christian perspective with rightful approaches to nutrition, health, breastfeeding, birth control, and child rearing. I will say however this book was written in the 90’s and the natural health/birth circles have progressed since then in a few areas, so there are some recommendations in this book I can’t stand behind, like canola oil being a healthy addition to my diet, or receiving a fundal massage after giving birth. Even still, this is probably the book I loved the most so far.
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley
This is such a fascinating book that left me in awe over God’s biological design for the mother and baby dyad. This book goes over a method of breastfeeding and natural mothering that we rarely see anymore here in the west.
What about you? Do you have any products you find absolutely essential for pregnancy? I’d love to know in the comments. Let me know if you have any questions! Talk again real soon.
🤍Kaetlyn
No part of this post is medical advice. Always speak to your healthcare provider before adding new products to your routine.
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