In order to get all of the vitamins and nutrients that I need, I try to eat a diet full of whole plant-based foods. However, after dealing with some mental health issues postpartum that had nutrient deficiencies as a possible cause I started to be interested in supplements. I think it is important to be tested for the basics in your annual health screenings. I get annual bloodwork, mostly covered by insurance, and I will specifically ask to have my Vitamin D, B12, and Iron included. Being low in Vitamin D and B12 can cause anxiety and depression, so I just like to make sure that those levels are where they need to be since this is something I have struggled with in the past. I also struggled with some anemia after both of my girls were born, and that made me feel so tired, so I like to make sure that my iron level is in a healthy range as well.

I wish the expensive lab-kit tests that are on the private market now were covered by insurance and better regulated so that you knew the quality of the results you were getting. I think it is really important to know what is happening inside of your body, and I don’t believe you should have to be rich to get these tests done. I hope we get to a point soon where these tests are more affordable and better regulated so that we can all take advantage of them. Until then, I just try to be in tune with my body and how I’m feeling and keep communication open with my doctor when I have any concerns. I am obviously not a doctor, but I wanted to share some of the supplements I take or have taken and give some information on why/what they do.

Currently, I don’t take much. I take a Women’s Multi-vitamin every day just to cover my bases (although I do always think of Sheldon Cooper saying in Big Bang Theory that I’m just paying for expensive urine) but I figure my body will absorb what it needs and get rid of what it doesn’t. I also take a probiotic. The kind I take is also supposed to improve mood so as a mom of two little ones I am all about that! I also take CoQ10 because I take Lipitor for high cholesterol, and taking this supplement can reduce the side effects. Our bodies naturally make this substance, but Lipitor can prevent it from being produced, which can cause muscle aches. Taking this supplement can improve heart health and lower cholesterol levels when taken together with a statin, so this one is kind of a no-brainer for me.

When I am sick, I am a HUGE believer in taking herbal supplements. My absolute #1 go-to is echinacea. I even have liquid echinacea drops that I put in my children’s water bottles during cold & flu season. When I start to not feel well, I take echinacea and Vitamin C in the morning and evening with a meal (and of course drink tons of water). I give my kids gummy vitamins every morning and the echinacea when I know there are bugs going around at school. When they start feeling sick, I keep up with the echinacea drops and my kids also love these vitamin C lollipops. I absolutely notice a quicker recovery in all of us when we incorporate these supplements. As sort of an accidental experiment that proved it to me, I backed off of using echinacea during COVID because there was research indicating that echinacea could cause too strong of an immune response and make COVID worse, so we didn’t use it for a while just in case that was what our bodies were fighting off. I definitely noticed we were sicker for longer during this time (without testing positive for COVID, we were just being extra cautious). These supplements definitely help my family recover from illnesses quickly.

CBD is another supplement that has really helped me over the past year. I was having a lot of anxiety and was considering going on medication for it, but decided to give this a try first. I was shocked at how much it helped me. I would take it before bed and it would help me get to sleep without so many worrying thoughts, and even the next day I would still feel calm from the nightly dose. Occasionally, I would take it during the day if I was really anxious, but usually, just the night-time dose was enough to help me throughout the entire day. I like the CBDistillery brand Full spectrum tincture and/or gummies.

Although it’s not technically a “supplement” I do also take hormonal birth control (I take Yasmin) and it has honestly changed my life. I took birth control for years before trying to get pregnant, and once I was off of it after having my girls I thought that my hormones were just off because I was postpartum, or nursing, or pregnant again, and that cycle continued for 4 years. After I finished nursing my second child, my doctor recommended birth control because I thought I may be suffering from PMDD. My hormones were such a roller coaster, I felt like I was only having a few DAYS per month that I didn’t feel out of control. I was resistant to taking a birth control pill because I try to be as natural as possible, but once I started taking it, I could almost immediately feel the positive impact it had on my mood. I was so up and down with my emotions prior to taking it and was finally feeling much more leveled out. I even stopped taking the CBD regularly once on this because my anxiety has been so much better.

I think that’s what led me to want to write this blog post. I can be a difficult patient at times because I like to do my own research and make my own informed decisions. I think it is SO important to be your own advocate for your health and participate in making informed decisions. But I also think it’s important to find a doctor you really trust and take their advice. As much as I like to do research, I also realize that I don’t have a medical degree. The decisions I’ve made at my doctor’s suggestion have pretty much always been in my best interest. Another example of this was my resistance to taking a statin. My doctor was really great and had me try diet and exercise for a few months and then re-tested my levels to see the outcome. Unfortunately, my genetic condition combined with birth control (which also increases your cholesterol levels) made it difficult to manage my cholesterol without any medication. Now I am taking the statin and have no side effects and it feels so good to know that I am taking care of my heart health. I feel so much healthier taking these suggestions from my doctor.

As moms, it’s so important for us to stay on top of our health. I hope this can be a gentle reminder to make yourself a priority. Be sure to schedule your annual doctor appointment and all of your screening appointments…PAP tests, mammograms… none of these things are fun, but we wouldn’t miss an appointment for our kids because we love them and want to give them the best care, and we need to be doing the same for ourselves. I say this as a pep talk to myself, too. I have a preventative cardiology appointment in the freezing cold dead of winter this week that I’m not looking forward to. But I will be there! Get these things on your calendar and hold yourself accountable. It may sound dramatic, but it could save your life <3