Your Prenatal May Not Be Enough

I swear, if one more person tells me that being exhausted and forgetful is “just part of the deal” when you’re building a human, navigating the postpartum phase, or just trying to manage a demanding life, I’m going to lose it. I remember times when I was drinking my healthy smoothie, knowing I was taking a prenatal, and still feeling like I was running on four hours of sleep and chewing on tinfoil, while watching my hair fall out in chunks. The frustrating part wasn’t the effort; it was realizing that, even with my best effort, a nutritional safety net with giant holes undermined it.

If you’ve been following me, you know I wholeheartedly believe in your greatness! Often, the real challenge isn’t you, but rather the system we’re working with, particularly when it comes to nutrition during vital life stages.

You’re already making impressive strides—whether it’s managing your health, planning for a family, or tackling the complexities of postpartum life. Taking your prenatal vitamin is a fantastic step! However, if you’re still facing relentless everyday fatigue, brain fog, hair changes, or unexpected mood swings, don’t worry—it’s not a reflection of your efforts. 

Instead of trying to “fix” yourself, let’s focus on nourishing your body with the nutrients it needs. It’s essential to recognize that even the most dedicated women can feel drained, as the guidelines we often follow don’t support optimal health. They barely hold us together. 

1. The Real Problem: Nutritional Depletion is the Norm

As busy women, we often brush off symptoms like persistent everyday fatigue, hair loss, or a general lack of energy as just part of our hectic lives. However, these signs can suggest that our nutritional reserves are critically low, which is something we shouldn’t overlook.

Many of us rely on a prenatal or multivitamin as our safety net. Still, surprising research from national health data (NHANES) and clinical practice suggests that up to 95% of women may still experience nutritional deficiencies, even with supplementation. We might still be falling short on key nutrients—like choline, vitamins D, A, B6, and zinc—that are vital for our well-being.

These nutrients are essential; they play crucial roles, including:

– Supporting balanced hormone production.

– Promoting stable moods and a sense of calm.

– Facilitating normal physiological function during the Motherspan™—from preconception to postpartum.

– Enhancing our immune function.

When our bodies lack these essential nutrients, it becomes increasingly difficult to function at our best. By recognizing the importance of our nutritional needs, we can take proactive steps toward better health and vitality. Let’s embrace the journey to optimal wellness together!

2. The Root Cause: Why RDAs Are Broken

Why is there such a noteworthy gap in prenatal supplement formulations? Supplement formulas rely on outdated research and principles that don’t meet the needs of women in the perinatal phase to thrive. Most supplements base their formulas on the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), which were established to provide the minimum nutrient levels required to prevent deficiencies such as scurvy or rickets. Unfortunately, these guidelines don’t account for what’s truly needed for optimal health, sustained energy, and comprehensive nutrient replenishment.

Adding to this challenge, the studies that established these RDAs often excluded pregnant and breastfeeding women, relying instead on outdated research primarily focused on men. It’s time for a shift toward science-backed standards that truly reflect and support your unique nutritional needs during this vital time. You deserve the best!

3. The Solution: Needed Prenatal Multi

I am very selective about the brands I recommend, and that’s why I genuinely endorse Needed. Their products are designed for optimal nutrient repletion and growth, rather than just meeting basic requirements.

Needed’s offerings are specifically formulated to address the increased nutritional demands during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum. Their philosophy is straightforward: they aim to exceed the bare minimums.

The Needed Prenatal Multi provides:

• 8x more nutrition than leading prenatals.*
• 5x more nutrition than the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Anti-depletion dosing, which is backed by 630 research studies and endorsed by over 15,000 practitioners.
• Clinically informed levels of key nutrients that many other brands often overlook or provide in insufficient amounts.

Leading prenatal doses are even below the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowances for most nutrients.

Let’s explore some remarkable ways these vitamins can help prevent depletion and support healthy pregnancies:

• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 12x more Choline than leading prenatals. This nutrient is essential for brain health and neural tube development.
• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 2x more Vitamin A than leading prenatals.
• This nutrient is crucial for supporting a healthy gestation period and the development of healthy tissues
• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 31x more Vitamin B12 than leading prenatals. This nutrient is essential for energy, brain health, and mood.
• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 4x more Vitamin D than leading prenatals. Vitamin D is essential for encouraging healthy full-term births, supporting fetal development, and ensuring strong bones for both mother and child.
• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 20x more Vitamin B6 than leading prenatals. This vital nutrient plays a key role in enhancing nervous system function and nurturing a positive mood for mothers.
• Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials includes 3x more Zinc than leading prenatals.
• Zinc is essential for a robust immune system and DNA synthesis, making it a powerhouse for pregnancy health.
• Leading prenatals do not contain Selenium. Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials provides 3x the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowance.
• Selenium is fantastic for supporting thyroid function and shielding cells from oxidative stress. Leading prenatals do not contain Chromium. Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials provides 4x the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowance.

These enhancements truly make a difference for mothers and their little ones!

The Smart Formulation We Need

When patients ask me what prenatal vitamin to take, I recommend Needed Prenatal Multi. This vitamin is beneficial because it provides methylated folate instead of folic acid, uses active nutrient forms for better absorption, and includes clinically studied dosages of nutrients such as vitamin D3, choline, and zinc that support neural tube development, maternal health, and fetal brain growth throughout pregnancy.

What’s particularly important about Needed Prenatal Multi is its customizable formulation. They intentionally leave out specific components:

– Iron: Iron needs can vary significantly from person to person. Not everyone needs a high dose of iron, and too much can cause digestive issues. Iron supplementation is best tailored based on your lab results.

– Omega-3s: By keeping Omega-3s separate, Needed minimizes oxidation and allows you to take a higher, more optimal dose for you and your baby.

This thoughtful, science-based approach to formulation, rather than just a simple checklist of ingredients, is why I trust their product.

Stop wasting time and money on subpar supplements that leave you feeling depleted. Choose a more effective option and fuel your body optimally.

You can learn more and shop the Needed Prenatal Multi here.

This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to my patients and use personally. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. This product is not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.