Medications and Supplements — Just How Important Are These During Pregnancy?

• Once you find out you are pregnant or you decide you are planning to have a child, you should immediately stop any medications that you had previously been taking, as any abnormal chemicals or drugs ingested could cause the child to develop more slowly, be born with disabilities, or could even result in intrauterine fetal death (death in the uterus).
• Dietary supplements are, in reality, not necessary for pregnant mothers and their babies if the mothers take good care of their health and pay close attention to their diets, eating meals consisting of all 5 food groups, and ensuring to get all the vitamins and minerals beneficial for pregnancy as recommended by their doctor.

Any vitamins, medications or dietary supplements taken by pregnant women should only be done so under the supervision and recommendation of a doctor. Firstly, we must understand that medications and dietary supplements have different definitions and differing qualities.

• Medication refers to items intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, relief, cure or prevention of disease or illness. Vitamins are also classified as a medication.
• Dietary supplements are products eaten to supplement one’s diet and main meals. These can be in liquid, tablet, powder and capsule form.  
   

Once you find out you are pregnant or you decide you are planning to have a child, you should immediately stop taking any medications that you had previously been taking, and bring these to a doctor for consultation. This includes any medications to treat acne, stomach pain, antipyretics, expectorants, blood pressure or diuretics. This is because during the first 3 months of pregnancy when your unborn baby’s body parts and organs — including arms, legs, and heart — are beginning to develop, each type of drug or medication you take may affect the growth and development of the baby. Some chemicals or drugs could cause the child to be born with disabilities. After the 9th week (after the 3 month mark), medications at times can also cause babies to be smaller than normal, develop more slowly, have a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), or even result in intrauterine fetal death (death in the uterus).

Even drugs that are not considered to be dangerous or cause any disorders and are in fact taken for the baby’s health, such as folic acid, vitamins, supplements, antianemic drugs, or even steroids to help strengthen the lungs of premature infants, should not be bought and taken unless recommended by a doctor. Such medications should only be used under the guidance and supervision of a physician.

Today, there are many different kinds of supplements available in a variety of forms, including tablets and powder that can be mixed with water or milk. Of course, pregnant mothers need to be extra careful about the use of these products, as everything that the mother eats will pass through to and have an effect on the baby growing in her womb.

Even for pregnant mothers who are concerned about gaining too much weight, reducing their food intake and replacing it with vitamin supplements alone is not a recommended option. If you feel you are not getting enough nutrients from the foods you are eating, and you would like to add in some supplements to increase your nutrition levels, you should first have a health checkup and consult a doctor to determine whether or not this is actually necessary. The reason for this is that if the body is already receiving adequate nutrients, these extras will instead be excreted as waste, causing your kidneys to have to work harder. Plus, you’ll simply end up wasting money on something that is unnecessary. Additionally, for a lot of supplements, there is not yet any medical evidence confirming that they are safe, and you do not know if there are any ingredients not listed on the product that may harm the mother or the baby.

In my opinion, dietary supplements – whether those claiming to be natural extracts or to contain ingredients that will help nourish the skin, supplement needed minerals in the body, or prevent any disease whatsoever – are in reality not needed for either mother or baby. What is needed is simply for mothers to pay close attention to maintaining good health and a proper diet by eating meals consisting of food from all 5 food groups. This includes protein from eggs and milk as well as pregnancy vitamins as recommended by a doctor, such as folic acid, multivitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin C (for pregnant mothers who don’t like fruits and vegetables). Drinking 1 liter of milk per day can also help to prevent cramps, and once you reach the 4th and 5th months of pregnancy, eating foods high in iron will help develop the baby’s blood cells and prepare your own body for any blood loss during birth.

Now that you know the principles of taking medications and supplements during pregnancy, you will be well prepared to take good care of both yourself and the little one growing inside of you with confidence.