5 Tips and Tricks for New Moms

Is starting or growing your family in your future plans? In this article, we’ll explore our top products to promote fertility, support a healthy pregnancy, and keep yourself and your newest family member healthy post-partum! Important note: Make sure to always consult a health care professional before adding new supplements to your wellness routine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Fertility Supplements: What to take while trying to conceive The journey begins! While trying to conceive, there are many factors to consider not just to promote fertility, but also to pave the way for a healthy pregnancy. These are some of our suggestions to optimize this step of the process. What fertility supplements should I take? Maca Hormones are a key part of the equation when it comes to fertility. Maca is traditionally known as a hormone-balancing superfood. In supplement form, it has shown promise as a way to support fertility and sexual health. Ashwagandha Stress can have an enormous impact on our body’s systems – learning how to manage it is crucial! Ashwagandha has been shown to help lower levels of cortisol, our stress hormone, with proven positive impacts in cases of male infertility. Coenzyme Q10 Taking antioxidants, such as Coenzyme Q10 (also known as CoQ10), helps reduce the damages of oxidative stress in the body. This coenzyme, which plays an important role in energy production, was also effective in improving sperm density and motility, as well as egg quality in clinical trials. Prenatal Supplements: What to take while waiting for Baby Ask any parent: pregnancy majorly changes your body’s needs! It may be challenging to get all the nutrition you need during pregnancy, even if your diet is normally flawless. Add morning sickness, cravings and food aversions to the mix, and you can see why so many expecting parents rely on prenatal supplements to ensure their own health, as well as their baby's health. Remember to always discuss prenatal supplements with your health care provider to help you narrow down which ones best suit your unique needs. What Prenatal Supplements should I take? Serenity™ magnesium bisglycinate Magnesium is an essential and multi-tasking mineral required all over your body, and it’s especially useful for muscle relaxation. Most people don’t get enough magnesium from their diet - to keep your magnesium levels healthy during pregnancy, supplementing is a great idea. It may be beneficial to continue supplementing all the way to the end of breastfeeding (and beyond, if you’re prone to cramps and muscle tension). Absolute Iron™ Iron is the lifeblood of… well, making blood. It also helps with the flow of oxygen to your entire body - and your baby’s. So you can see why it’s extra important right now! Absolute Iron™ helps you get the iron you need in a form that is easy for your body to absorb and won’t cause digestive upset. Chelated Zinc While zinc is a common mineral in most animal-based diets, the World Health Organization estimates that over 80% of pregnant people worldwide have inadequate zinc intake. Zinc is an extremely important mineral for immune function, growth, and development, and studies suggest that supplementing with zinc during pregnancy helps reduce the incidence of preterm births. Postnatal Supplements: You’ve welcomed your little one! Now what? The journey isn't over! As you transition into this new and exciting phase and get to know your little one, make sure to get the rest you need and maintain a balanced diet. At this stage, postnatal supplements can provide some support for your recovery (helping your tired body replenish and addressing common issues like hair loss) and can be especially beneficial if you are breastfeeding. Our best Postnatal Supplements Enhanced Collagen™ Upping your collagen intake postpartum may help with your recovery: many new parents have gotten back to us letting us know collagen has done wonders for limiting stretch marks and hair loss! This product is super versatile and easy to use - new parent approved! Ma’s Milk™ Breastfeeding is a natural way to provide nutrients and antibodies to support the healthy growth of your baby - plus it’s a wonderful opportunity to bond with your newest family member! Ma’s Milk™ helps breastfeeding with a herbal formula featuring ingredients traditionally used to boost milk production for centuries. Baby Probiotic Drops with Vitamin D™ In the first years of life, the foundations are being laid for your little one’s health! These baby drops are a super easy way to cover the basics - all it takes is 5 drops a day. Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D supports healthy growth and development. Probiotics and prebiotics work together to populate your baby’s gut with the good, friendly bacteria that help keep the digestive and immune systems in tiptop shape. Plus, our probiotic strains have been proven to decrease crying and fussing time in colicky breastfed babies - you can thank us later! 😉 With products that suit every step of your family planning, we are cheering you on so you can be your healthiest self throughout this fantastic journey!

Your baby needs bacteria. I know, that sounds icky and goes against our instinct that bacteria = bad. But those little guys may be just what your little guy (or girl) needs to get set up for a healthy, happy digestive system and a strong immune system years down the road. And they might just save you hours of frustration and missed sleep. Let’s talk baby probiotics, baby! What do baby probiotics do? As adults, we have trillions of friendly bacteria living in our gut that help us keep a healthy digestive system. That’s called your gut microbiome! Just like fingerprints, this collection of bacteria is unique to each and every person. Some of the body functions they help out with include: Digesting certain foods your stomach and small intestine aren’t able to; Producing vitamins (such as B and K); Helping keep bad bacteria under control. (More on that later!) It doesn’t start out that way, though. When babies are in the womb, their tummies are a blank slate. Once they are out and about, they begin to gather a little army of gut helpers, the bacteria they come across as they interact with the world around them. Probiotics help introduce “good” bacteria during the first 3 years of life, paving the way to a healthy, balanced gut microbiome later in life! Do baby probiotics support immunity? The immune system is our first line of defence against outside bugs, and though we don’t often think of it that way, the gut is part of this defence squad. A healthy gut is especially important in babies and small children, whose immunity is still in development! Supplementing with baby probiotics might even help dial down on the use of antibiotics: research has shown that probiotics can help reduce the incidence and duration of respiratory, digestive and ear infections in children. Can I use baby probiotics for colic? The exact cause of baby colic is a matter of debate within the medical community, but probiotics could be a light at the end of the tunnel for frustrated parents! Studies have linked certain probiotic strains to shorter crying times in breastfed babies with colicky symptoms, as well as fewer colic-related phone calls and visits to the doctor. How do baby probiotics work? The gut is like a tiny ecosystem. As bacteria start to settle in, they compete with each other for food and space. Basically, adding good bacteria to your baby’s gut with probiotics ensures that the resources available in the gut are being used by the good guys before the bad guys can even get there! Organika's new Baby Probiotic Drops with Vitamin D feature a clinically-proven blend of probiotic strains and the sunshine vitamin for a balanced gut microbiome, healthy bones and teeth, and less tears! Wanting to keep your own gut in check as well? Try Probiotic + Prebiotic powder. References: Gut microbiota info (Gut Microbiota for Health) https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/about-gut-microbiota-info/ Probiotics and immune health (Yan, F. & Polk, D.B. in Current opinion in gastroenterology ) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006993/ Probiotics could reduce the need for antibiotics during childhood (Cristina Saez in Gut Microbiota for Health) https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/probiotics-could-reduce-the-need-for-antibiotics-during-childhood/ Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection Strain 55730) versus simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic: a prospective randomized study (Savino et al. in Pediatrics, 2007) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17200238 Preventive effects of oral probiotic on infantile colic: a prospective, randomised, blinded, controlled trial using Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (Savino et al. in Beneficial Microbes, 2015) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25488262

Are you a recent or soon-to-be mom and interested in supplementing with collagen? Your body goes through many changes as you enter motherhood. Learn about how your body can benefit from collagen while breastfeeding and over the course of pregnancy, and make an informed choice! First of all, what's collagen? Collagen is a protein made up primarily of the amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline (1). It is the most abundant protein in the human body, as it is a major building block of all connective and fibrous tissue, eg: hair, skin, bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and the fibrous structure of organs (2). Research shows collagen supplementation is beneficial for a variety of conditions. This includes: Joint pain Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Brittle nails Cellulite Skin health It is possibly also useful in preventing or treating conditions such as sun-damaged skin, exercise-induced injury, hypertension, type II diabetes, and osteoporosis. New research is also exploring collagen’s possible utility in repairing the stomach and intestinal walls in cases of digestive inflammation or “leaky gut”. How does the body use collagen while breastfeeding or pregnant? Nutrition requirements change during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to the needs of the fetus and newborn infants. In particular, the demand for amino acids and protein significantly increases (3). Inadequate protein intake during this period can have negative impacts on the short and long-term health of mother and child. Because studies on pregnant or breastfeeding individuals are generally not permitted, there has been no direct investigation into the use of collagen while breastfeeding and during pregnancy. However, collagen is a naturally occurring substance found in animal products, made up of amino acids, which our bodies are very familiar with utilizing. Generally, collagen supplements at reasonable doses are considered to be safe and without side effects (4,5). If you have an allergy to fish or seafood, avoid marine-sourced collagen. Instead, choose products sourced from bovine, poultry or eggshell sources (6). Shop Collagen Here's the bottom line: While we can’t say for certain how the body utilizes collagen while breastfeeding and during pregnancy, collagen is a great source of amino acids and protein. It is also very easily absorbed, even in those with challenged digestive systems. Combined with its utility in improving and maintaining health in a number of areas, this makes regular collagen supplementation a great source for additional amino acids and protein during pregnancy and breastfeeding. References Silvipriya, K., Kumar, K., Bhat, A., Kumar, B., John, A., & Lakshmanan, P. (2015). Collagen: Animal sources and biomedical application. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science,5(3), 123-127. Sibilla, S., Godfrey, M., Brewer, S., Budh-Raja, A., & Genovese, L. (2015). An overview of the beneficial effects of hydrolyzed collagen as a nutraceutical on skin properties: Scientific background and clinical studies. The Open Nutraceuticals Journal,8(1), 29-42. Elango, R., and Ball, R.O. (2016). Protein and amino acid requirements during pregnancy. Advances in Nutrition, 7(4), 839S-844S. Choi, F. D., Sung, C. T., Juhasz, M. L., & Mesinkovsk, N. A. (2019). Oral collagen supplementation: A systematic review of dermatological applications. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology,18(1), 9-16. Liu, X., Machado, G., Eyles, J., Ravi, V., & Hunter, D. (2018). Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine,52, 1-10. Ruff, K. J., Winkler, A., Jackson, R. W., Devore, D. P., & Ritz, B. W. (2009). Eggshell membrane in the treatment of pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis of the knee: A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Clinical Rheumatology,28(8), 907-914.