PREGNANCY

Top 3 Prenatal Supplements

Even with a healthy diet, it can be difficult to get enough of the essential nutrients for pregnancy, especially with our modern food supply. For this reason, we recommend taking these specific supplements while pregnant or nursing. 1. Folate (Vitamin B9) Folate is an essential B-vitamin most well-known for its role in preventing neural tube defects in infants. It is also very inexpensive and easy for every pregnant woman to take. Please make sure you supplement with folate (the natural form) as opposed to the commonly recommended folic acid (the synthetic form). For women who are planning to have children, they must take 400 mcg folate daily. Some great food sources are broccoli and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. 2. Probiotics In a previous Realm Update we talked about the importance of these "good bacteria" and how beneficial they can be for you. For pregnant mothers, they are critical to supplement as they provide babies with their needed beneficial gut bacteria during a normal birth process and from nursing in the months afterward. Quality probiotics, with at least 6 strains, help to ensure that the baby will get a good supply of good bacteria, which can reduce risk of diseases and ear infections in the first few years of life. Probiotics also help the mother avoid constipation and illness during pregnancy. If swallowing pills are an issue you can always try making homemade kefir. 3. Vitamin D3 Vitamin D is a fat-soluble essential vitamin that's made by your body in response to sunlight exposure. Optimizing your vitamin D during pregnancy is one of the most important things you can do for the health of you and your baby. It's important for not only the baby's bone and hormone development but also helps support the mother's immune system during pregnancy and can reduce the risk of many pregnancy related complications including gestational diabetes. Research confirms there's a lifelong impact of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy ranging from childhood allergies to asthma, autism, colds and flu, dental cavities, diabetes, and even strokes and heart disease that can occur later in life. Further, each year, more than half a million preemies are born, and it's one of the major causes of infant mortality. In 2015, preterm birth affected about 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States. Research shows that vitamin D could likely prevent half of all these premature births. It can also cut the mother's risk of preeclampsia and prenatal infections by approximately 50 percent. To naturally get the recommended amount of vitamin D you must get at least 30 minutes of direct afternoon sunlight without applying any sunblock. If this is not possible, then you need to supplement 4,000 IUs daily during pregnancy and 6,400 IUs of vitamin D3, when nursing, on a daily basis.

Effects Of Structural Correction On Infantile Colic

Infantile colic refers to a generally healthy baby who shows consistent, strong crying for no evident reason for up to a few hours every day. Colic affects around 20 percent of all newborn children with symptoms usually occurring within the first month of birth. With no known cause, parents are left exhausted trying to comfort the infant. They will hold and rock the child, feed them, and even change their diaper, but these have little to no effect on this condition. Mainstream medicine suggests changing the mother's diet and introducing a specific probiotic strain. This can be beneficial, but does it fix the actual cause of the condition? Research studies on the effects of Structural Corrective Chiropractic Care for infants with colic have demonstrated great results. The most significant study of this condition showed improvement in over 90 percent of the infants who received this form of chiropractic care. In this study, 316 infants with colic received structure examinations and were corrected when needed. Improvements were noted within just a two-week period in 94 percent of the infants corrected. On average, these improvements took only three Structural Corrections. To see if Structural Corrective Chiropractic Care is right for you and your child, please give the office a call at 813-886-8824 and our friendly staff with be more than happy to schedule you a complimentary consultation. Remember at Realm Chiropractic a consultation is a conversation, never a commitment.

Why Pregnant Women Should Not Drink Coffee

Caffeine is everywhere. It's in what we drink, in what we eat, in pills used to relieve pain, and even in candy. There's just one place it probably shouldn't be: in the diet of an expectant mother.   In a recent Norwegian study, which included data on 60,000 women, coffee and other caffeinated beverages increased the chances of delivering a low birth weight baby and even extended their gestation period. The cause is unknown, but researchers believe it to be the way the baby is unable to properly metabolize the caffeine when it crosses the placenta, which can affect some of the factors associated with growth. Another study showed that higher caffeine consumption was again found to be associated with an increased risk for reduced birth weight. Researchers discovered that for every 100 mg of caffeine consumed by the mother per day there was about a one ounce reduction in the baby's weight at birth. It also increased the length of the pregnancy by eight hours when the source of the caffeine was coffee.  With your average cup of coffee containing anywhere between 95-200 mg of caffeine, it may be best to be on the side of caution and restrict this for any expectant mother.