When you’re pregnant, your body does a LOT to develop a healthy baby. If you think about the process of an embryo turning into a baby in 9 months, we’re looking at growth from one cell to at least a trillion cells - that’s a million, million cells!
While much of this growth takes place without any intervention from you, there are many ways you can optimize your health to give your baby the best chance at developing all the vital organs and structures needed to thrive after birth.
These choices can include nutrition, dietary supplements, hydration, movement, and more. Let’s look at some choices to make while pregnant, including the best probiotic for expecting mothers.
Nutrition During Pregnancy
Do you think of pregnancy eating as “eating for two”? Many expecting mothers find that they are very hungry during part - or all - of their pregnancies. On the other hand, some find that they barely have the appetite to eat their usual amount of food. Especially for those who suffer from morning sickness, heartburn, nausea, or food aversions, eating well during pregnancy can be a challenge.
Most healthcare professionals recommend that you focus on eating clean, whole foods as much as possible. Generally expecting mothers do not need to up their caloric intake until the second and third trimesters, when their babies start to put on a substantial amount of weight.
Important foods during pregnancy include high protein, high fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Recommendations also include minimizing adding sugars and high sodium foods. Beyond eating well, there are some important choices you can make while you’re expecting, including learning about the best probiotic to take while pregnant.
Importance of Probiotics
Before we talk about the best probiotic for expecting moms, let’s look at why probiotics are important for anyone.
It starts with the understanding that your body has a huge community of bacteria in it, most of which resides in your digestive tract. These include both ‘good’ bacteria and ‘bad’ bacteria. While everyone has a mix of each, you can play a strong role in how much of your body’s bacteria is the good variety. Probiotics are your chance to introduce exactly the bacteria you want into your body.
When healthy bacteria starts to take over more and more of your digestive tract, this leaves less room for unhealthy bacteria. Additionally, these good bacteria are able to support your health by allowing for the optimization of important body functions like those performed by your digestive and immune systems.
Probiotics and Pregnancy: Mom’s Health
One of the two very important considerations during pregnancy is your own health. Probiotics can help you optimize health, giving you a greater chance of feeling your best.
For example, pregnancy is notorious for causing constipation and slowing digestion. One of the primary reasons people come to Natren looking for probiotics is their ability to help optimize and keep digestion regular.
Did you know that the immune system can weaken during pregnancy? This is another reason that probiotics may be a good choice for you.
You may not think about good bacteria being related to your immune system, but the truth is that your digestive system is actually the hub of your immunity. That’s why finding the best probiotic to take while pregnant means finding one that can improve the functioning of your digestive system, which may have a positive effect on immunity.
Probiotics and Pregnancy: Baby’s Health
In addition to wanting to optimize your own health, of course your baby’s health is at the top of your mind. While your baby is growing in your womb, he or she is getting all the nutrients from you, through the placenta.
The great news is that your baby can also benefit from the healthy bacteria in your own body. When you take the best probiotic for expecting mothers, you’re also benefiting your baby. From the minute your baby is born, and loses access to the placenta, they are on their own for everything from breathing to eating to digesting. Giving them the best head start can help them on the difficult journey to functioning independently and with optimal health.
How Your Baby Gets Healthy Bacteria
You know that throughout pregnancy, the placenta and umbilical cord provide nutrients to your baby. But did you also know that even during the process of birth, your body can give your baby healthy boosts?
First of all, this can happen during a vaginal birth which allows your baby to be exposed to good bacteria from your body as he or she passes through the birth canal.
Second of all, breastmilk is a great way to allow your baby to keep getting healthy bacteria from your body. This lets them finally form their own colonies of good bacteria when they’re out in the world, away from the safety of your womb.
Best Probiotic to Take While Pregnant
You may not be surprised to hear that our #1 recommendation for the best probiotic for expecting mothers, is also our #1 recommendation for the best probiotic for newborns.
This probiotic is called Life Start, and it is specifically designed for pregnant mothers, infants, and small children. Every serving of Life Start gives you and your baby at least 1 billion cfus of Bifidobacterium infantis, NLS super strain.
This is our pick for the best probiotic for pregnant moms because it can support your gastrointestinal system and a healthy digestive environment. The ability to have a healthy digestive system can impact almost every part of a baby’s growth, which is vital considering they are working extremely hard to develop a well-functioning heart, lungs, brain, kidney, liver, stomach, and many other organs.
Not only can you take Life Start while you’re pregnant and breastfeeding, but you can give your baby Life Start once they are born. Life Start does not only supply a pregnant mother with an important way to help optimize her health, but it also comes from a company that is renowned for its commitment to quality and safety.
Natren probiotics are created by a team with decades of scientific knowledge and experience, so you know you are getting the best researched and developed products. Natren’s team also prioritizes excellence in every aspect of what they do, from choosing the probiotic strains for you and your family, to shipping products in a way that allows their potency to be 100% guaranteed. You can learn more at natren.com
