Pregnancy Supplements, Tinctures & Herbs

First & foremost, I’m not a doctor & I’m not trying to be. I’m not even trying to be an expert in the pregnancy space, I’m just sharing my journey & what’s been working for me. Do your own research, take what you like & leave what you don’t.

This is just my experience. Going out & being your own guru is really important in my opinion.

So this is really random, but I came across an article from Meghan King Edmonds & it really resonated with me, so after reading it I decided to try her pregnancy tinctures & herbs. I spoke with my Ayurvedic specialist & they were all very much approved.

Meghan King Edmonds was on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills & she has a really great blog. Big fan of it, actually. It seems like she really did her research, so after I did my own, I decided to give these a try.

Today I want to share what I read on Meghan’s blog & talk about each thing. Like I said, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ( !! ) before using any of these products.

The Skinny Confidential Witch Doctor Potions & Tinctures:

♡ Calm tea

Iron ( which you totally need in pregnancy ) can sometimes make you constipated, so to combat that I put magnesium in my smoothie or tea. It really helps things GO, if you know what I mean. I’ve talked about my magnesium powder before:

“Calm Tea features a proprietary formula that provides a highly absorbable, water-soluble magnesium in ionic form. It gradually reduces accumulated calcium, giving fast relief to many symptoms of magnesium depletion. CALM mixes easily with water for a convenient dose of magnesium.”

I’m obsessed with this powder. It’s like Xanax but all natural. Really relaxes you. BIG time. I swear I’m so high-strung & this stuff really zens me out. Highly recommend. I add this to mint tea ( just a scoop ) or to warm water or in my psycho smoothie.

Granted, my Ritual Prenatal has magnesium & I take it everyday, but I like to have a little extra in my smoothie too. If you’re interested in my Prenatal vitamin scope it out here.

Anyway, magnesium is important during pregnancy because it helps control muscle contractions & ensures healthy blood pressure. It’s even known to help you be a bit resistant to stress & more even-keeled.

Meghan said that this helped calm her contractions which I NEED right now. Postpartum contractions are no fucking joke you guys. I mean, just when you think it’s over.

♡ Inulin

One thing that has not changed in my pregnancy is inulin. I still put it in my coffee every single morning ( but I should mention I really did keep it to 200 mg of caffeine a day ).

If you aren’t familiar with fiber-filled coffee, let’s recap:

My friend Ingrid de la Mare- Kenny introduced me to this magical little powder that is made from artichoke or chicory root ( Simply Gangster Chic is my fave ). It’s totally tasteless & if you’re already a coffee drinker, then there is really no easier way to add extra fiber to your diet. Even better, Ingrid says the inulin fiber is indigestible & will not upset digestive rest. SO !! if you intermittent fast, adding this to your coffee won’t mess with your fast. Ingrid really gets into it in this post, so check it out if you want to dive deep.

Anyway, fiber is the new IT girl. If you’re interested in learning more about fiber you absolutely have to listen to the podcast with Tanya Zuckerbrot of The F Factor Diet. It’s just amazing in every way. She’s knows her shit, let me tell ya.

♡ Ritual Prenatal Vitamin

If you’re an avid TSC Him & Her Podcast listener, you know that I’ve been taking the Ritual Essentials For Women multivitamin for a year & a half. You can find this chic-ass bottle right next to my copper tongue scraper so I remember to take it every day. Basically having 12 key nutrients you need in 2 pills a day is so ideal, especially when traveling. For travel I like to keep mine in a cute pink pill case. EASY.

Anyway, this pregnancy came as a surprise to me & Michael so I wasn’t on the prenatal when I found out I was pregnant. But the second, & I mean THE SECOND, I found out, I hopped on board with the Ritual Prenatal. I just went for it because I know that the nutrients in this vitamin were VERY well-researched.

Now, if you’re pregnant & going to tell me that you’ll get nauseous from this, don’t worry. Ritual’s Prenatal has a no-nausea capsule design, no added colors or synthetic fillers, it is also gluten & allergen-free. This won’t make you want to upchuck your buttery sourdough toast if you know what I mean. You can use code SKINNY at checkout for 10% off your first 3 months.

Ritual Prenatal Nutrients:

 ♡ Folate
Methylated 4th generation Folate from Pisticci, Italy (1700 mcg DFE- 1000 mcg)
Supports red blood cell formation & brain health.*

♡ Omega-3
Vegan DHA from microalgae from Saskatoon, Canada (350 mg)
Supports brain & heart health.*

♡ Vitamin B12
Methylated B12 from Bridgeport, Connecticut (8 mcg)
This is especially my favorite because it contributes to energy-yielding metabolism & normal cell division.*

♡ Choline
Nature-identical Choline from Verona, Missouri (55 mg)
Helps support brain health.*

♡ Iodine
USP-grade potassium iodide from Ogden, Utah (150 mcg)
Thyroid support, please & thank you.*

♡ Biotin
USP-grade, active Biotin from Bridgeport, Connecticut (300 mcg)
Fuck yes, load me up on this shit. It contributes to normal gene expression.

♡ Vitamin D3
Vegan-certified D3 from lichen from Nottingham UK (50 mcg – 2000 IU)

♡ Iron
Gentle, ferrous bisglycinate chelate from Ogden, Utah (18 mg)
Especially important when you’re pregnant. Supports energy-yielding metabolism & is blood-building.

♡ Boron
Food-form Boron from Momence, Illinois (1mg)

♡ Vitamin E
From mixed tocopherols from Buenos Aires, Argentina (6.7 mg – 10 IU )
For antioxidant support.*

♡ Vitamin K2
Pure, non-soy form of K2MK7 from Oslo Norway (90 mcg)

♡ Magnesium
Chelated form of Magnesium from Ogden, Utah (30 mg)
This one is important guys. Helps support cell division & bone health, among other things.

♡ Floradix & Yellow Dock

These are both liquid iron supplements. Iron is super important for women, especially in pregnancy. The Floradix also has B vitamins in it which is a plus & doesn’t make you constipated, & it’s free of additives & preservatives.

It’s fully made from plants & has things like grape, carrot, spinach, pear & other things for ultimate absorption & digestibility. This is another thing I like to add to my psycho smoothie.

The yellow dock I take by putting a dropper in some water or tea ( like Meghan, lol ), but you can also buy capsules.

Yellow dock is a good way to up iron intake & utilization in pregnancy. “Many women are iron- & blood-deficient during pregnancy. This can make you tired and deliver less oxygen to you & your baby’s cells & tissues.” { via }

♡ Oat Straw

This is something that calms the nervous system & supports the adrenals. And when you’re about to become a first time mom, those things very much need some help.

According to this source, oat straw is the world’s highest source of magnesium, which, as I said above, we need to help control muscle contractions, ensure healthy blood pressure & stress levels.

Meghan also says that additional magnesium can calm the uterus. I mean, it’s been through a lot at this point, guys.

♡ Beef Liver

I took 4 beef liver capsules per day during pregnancy because it’s a super nutrient-dense little pill.

Not only are beef liver capsules good for healthy skin, hair & nails, but they also have collagen. If you’re a long-time TSC reader, you know we’re all about the collagen, pregnant or not. As I said, these capsules are a nutrient-dense superfood high in vitamin A, B12, Folate, Riboflavin, Zinc, Copper & Choline. They also promote digestive health & help with your energy levels.

You should know that these beef liver pills in particular are sourced from pasture-raised, grass-fed New Zealand beef.

♡ Omegas

Thorne Omega Plus pills came highly recommended & I know DHA is amazing for the baby so I wanted to add a little extra in my 3rd trimester. It’s not necessary because my prenatal has everything I need, but I just wanted a boost.

Omegas support the development of the brain, nerves, joints, & skin for mom & baby. This is a good thing to take whether you’re pregnant or not.

♡ SEED Probiotics

We’ve talked about probiotics on the blog a lot before. Right now I’m loving SEED probiotics. They’re a symbiotic formula so the outer capsule casing is a prebiotic & the inside of the capsule is a probiotic. Cool, right ?!

Not only do these probiotics actually make it to your gut ( most don’t ) but they come in this super chic glass cannister AND you get a matching little travel vial too. It’s so easy to pop in your purse so you never forget to take your probiotics. You can use promo code SKINNY15 for 15% off your subscription.

Probiotics help the health of your microbiome & gut, which then can help with allergies, skin issues, gastrointestinal issues, overall mental health, & immunity. Sign me up.

Anyway, those are a few of the little witch doctor pregnancy potions I’ve been taking. If you’re interested in Meghan’s exact routine & tips for supplementing in pregnancy, go scope her post!

We will definitely continue the conversation on herbs & tinctures – I love this shit & I know a lot of you do too. If you guys have some of your own recommendations to share, please let me know below.

Before we go, can we talk about the gold candle wick trimmer in the photos? Love a detail. This is so efficient & not only something to trim your candle wicks with, but it also looks so chic in your house. I have a gold one sitting in front of my candles & I absolutely love it. Right now ( & since always ) I’m loving Capri Blue candles.

Hope you’re all having a productive week.

x, lauryn

+ scope out why I decided to eat my placenta.

++ check out some of my holistic beauty favorites.

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