Baby B and I had our 24-week appointment yesterday and saw someone other than our OB/GYN because he was on vacation. The NP we saw suggested I start taking Vitamin D supplements along with the prenatal, calcium/D, and fish oil I'm already taking.
She said that it's recommended that pregnant women get at least 2000 mg of vitamin D a day. My prenatal has 400 and my calcium/D has 500. Living in ND, we don't get much sunshine, and sitting outside when it's below zero may not be a good idea!
After getting home and doing some research about it, I found a couple of different resources that said that pregnant women should take up to 4000 mg of vitamin D daily!
Resource 1 Resource 2
So... I'm confused. My doctor hasn't said a word to me about vitamin D. The research looks promising but is so new. I'm measuring right on and don't have any other complications to speak of.
What to do? Any suggestions, mommas? What supplements do/did you take while pregnant?
Recommend
Comments (12)
our nautalpath recommends 6000mg of Vit D a day. A great accurate source of information on Vit D is http://www.mercola.com. The FDA's "recommended dosage" is far below what we actually need, even my family doc says 6000mg.
I just take my prenatals but I live in Texas and it sunny and fairly nice weather here most of the time.
I'm currently taking Vitamin D with a dose of 5,000 mg. I did some research and found that it was safe for me to take up to this amount. I live in NE and it's currently below freezing and because I'm still early in my pregnancy, I often stay in to avoid getting sick.
Get your Vitamin D level tested! That's seriously the best way to know. They've just really started realizing our levels should be up by 50 or 60, when previously 30 was seen as the normal number. Anyway, knowing your exact level will let you know what kind of supplementation you need. Vitamin D is super important! I've been on prescription D supplements for a long time now, because I just can't get the amount I need.
I agree with radicalsounds. If you get your level tested... then you know where you stand and will know if your body needs an extra boost! I take a Vit D3 supplement that has 2000 IU on top of my multivitamins that has another 400 IU. My levels have been perfect since!
Of course I'm not pregnant yet, but we're working on it! Hopefully my levels will stay that way throughout the pregnancy.
My current location does not get sunlight in the winter (gets light for a few hours, but you never actually see the sun), I will probably start taking a vitamin D supplement when I get back from vacation in Maine (where I get more than enough sun).
Worst case scenario, it will have a neutral effect on you. I would take about 2000 a day since you do still get some light and because you should be getting a little bit from a healthy diet as well.
I think the level of vitamin D found in your prenatal vitamin is enough. If your doctor has not said you need more, you do not need more.
I'm not pregnant, but my doctor suggested I take 2,000 IUs of Vitamin D. And this was back in June. And being pregnant, I would think upping the level of Vitamin D would be key in the health of the baby. I read through Naturalnews.com or Mercola.com that low levels of Vitamin D while pregnant could lead to some problems after birth. And low levels of D in any normal person could cause or influence health problems. But I would suggest natural health sites like the ones mentioned and see if its what you want.
Before, During, and After Pregnancy: a minimum of 2,000 IU and preferably 6,400 IU - see the summary table and detailed research at http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=816
@Erika_Steele@xanga - While I agree that her doctor would know her particular situation (and therefore be more informed to assess her prenatal vitamin D needs) better than a random xangan, I think it's still worth bringing up. Depending on the type of insurance/care people have, it's sometimes the case that a person's doctor either doesn't know them very well, is a new-ish doctor to them, etc. so maybe it's just something that they never thought of. I'm all for trusting our doctors, but they're people and not perfect, and I think patients should always be participants in their own health care instead of passive receivers.
I took vitamin B-6 when pregnant. I took it everyday with my prenatal as well as magnesium.
I'm not pregnant but take an extra 1000 on top of the multivitamin. It really helps me mentally. Getting the simple blood test is the best way to get peace of mind about this. Just because you live in a sunny area and drink milk and do all the right things doesn't mean you are getting enough. It wasn't enough for me.