Seeing those two red lines brings all kinds of emotions, questions, and decisions to make. Who to tell first, if you want a doctor or a midwife, home or hospital birth – there’s so much to think about!

When you first start telling people you’re pregnant, you start hearing a series of similar-sounding questions; whether you hope it’s a girl or boy, what colour you’re painting the nursery, if you’ve thought of any names, and more. Most parents would agree that there is only one wish or desire that ultimately matters to them: a healthy pregnancy and birth experience that leads to a strong and healthy baby. Sure, we might have lots of preferences – but at the end of the day, the baby’s health is what matters most.

We’re lucky to live in a time when we know how important certain vitamins are during pregnancy, why they’re important, and some of the outcomes if we’re highly deficient in these nutrients.

Some of the main vitamins that you need extra during pregnancy:

• folic acid
• iron
• calcium
• vitamin D
• choline
• omega-3 fatty acids
• B vitamins
• magnesium
• vitamin C

We need these vitamins all the time, but we need more when we’re pregnant. A healthy diet is the best way to get some of these vitamins, but most of us – unless we’re nutritionists or have an infinite amount of time to cook our own food – are going to fall short of a lot of these vitamins and nutrients.

It would take a lot of planning and nutritional knowledge to make sure your meals contain sufficient amounts of each in the right combinations, which is why it’s highly recommended to take a prenatal vitamin.

Prenatal vitamins are designed to give you the vitamins in the amounts that your pregnant body needs. This shouldn’t replace a healthy diet, but it ensures that you won’t be lacking in everything. If you’re short on a vitamin, they will compensate. Depending on the brand, they also may contain some nutrients and minerals that are hard to get from just food.

Having the right amounts of vitamins in your body supports the physical growth of your baby, but it also allows your body to get what it needs. It helps with our mental health too – falling short of vitamins can lead to fatigue, moodiness and other mental health challenges. We truly are what we eat! Keeping the fatigue and stress at bay isn’t just good for you – it’s good for your baby too.

Most prenatal vitamins contain vitamins C and B vitamins. Be sure to choose one that also contains folic acid, iron, and fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA helps with the development of your little one’s brain and eyes, especially during the third trimester.

You need folic acid and iron more than usual during pregnancy, here’s why:

Iron helps you supply enough blood that your body needs to grow the fetus and placenta. You’ll need more than the amount of iron you usually take, to account for yourself and your growing little one.

Folic acid is proven to prevent neural tube defects, such as spinal bifida. Ideally, you started taking a vitamin with folic acid months before getting pregnant, but don’t stress if you didn’t. If you’ve been eating bread, cereals or even drinking plant-based milk, then you are likely already getting some doses of folic acid. Best to talk to your doctor if you’re concerned. However, now that you know you’re pregnant – look for folic acid on the ingredient list of any prenatal vitamin you’re thinking of buying.

The four main things that will determine what life after a newborn will be like

Some may say the pregnancy is the easy part, and they wouldn’t be lying! Now that your baby’s here, you have to continue to look after your nutritional needs, especially if you’re breastfeeding. Even if you’re formula feeding, you still want to make sure your body’s getting those vitamins and nutrients. You need that energy for night wakings, lost sleep, and energy to play with your baby during the day. For this reason, most doctors and midwives would recommend continuing to take your prenatal vitamins even after your baby is born.

Bringing home a new baby brings a lot of joy, mixed emotions, and also a new whack of other problems. You’re dealing with night wakings, diapers, crying, and overall getting to know your baby and its needs.

It is a happy time, but it can also be a very hard and stressful one. You could ask ten different parents and get ten different answers as to what their experience was like; some easier than others. Your own experience will come down to a few things: your personality, your support system, and your baby’s personality and needs.

These four things will have a major impact on how you find the fourth trimester, and beyond.

When the crying doesn’t stop…

One of the most common complaints among parents with a new baby is incessant crying; especially when it goes into the late hours of the night. The baby isn’t sleeping, the parents aren’t sleeping, and everybody’s miserable.

What is colic exactly? It’s the ongoing pattern of crying. Babies with colic are usually seemingly healthy. Specifically, doctors would define colic as crying for more than three hours in a 24-hour period, for more than three days a week.

Colic is a complicated thing. Sometimes the cause behind it is determined, but there are times when nobody can figure out why the baby is so upset. Assuming you’ve fed the baby and have gotten them to sleep. As a parent, it’s distressing watching your baby be so unsettled. You know something’s bothering them, but can’t find a way to stop it!

We know that gas affects babies becausetheir digestive systems are immature. They swallow air during feedings, and from crying (so the ongoing crying only makes the problem worse, unfortunately.) Sometimes the gas could also be a sensitivity to a food that their mom’s eating if they’re breastfed, or to the formula.

Regardless of the cause, there are ways to ease their pain and reduce the stress in the household.

Your baby’s sleep is important (and so is yours!)

Natural, homeopathic remedies are recommended to ease your baby’s colic-inducing gas pains. Be careful when using any type of medicine and always check with a healthcare professional before giving anything to a baby younger than six months.

If you’re looking for nutrient-boosting prenatal vitamins or a safe, natural way to treat your baby’s colic, Secrets of Tea has some amazing products that you should consider.

Secrets of Tea’s Prenatal Vitamin + DHA:

All the daily nutrients you need for pregnancy and beyond, in one capsule! Secrets of Tea’s Prenatal vitamin + DHA consists of vitamins required by your body to prepare for pregnancy, during the pregnancy and afterwards to care for yourself and your baby. They provide the vital nutrients required for the growth of a healthy baby, and to nourish the baby after birth (if breastfeeding.)

Secret of Tea’s Prenatal Vitamin + DHA:

• Guarantees all nutrients needed for mom & baby
• Contains DHA, folic acid and iron
• Also contains calcium, thiamine, cholecalciferol, niacin, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc
• Recommended by doctors to use before, during and after pregnancy
• Prepares your body for a healthy pregnancy
• Supports healthy nervous and immune systems, maintains energy levels, enhances healthy bones and much more
• Enhances the health of mother and baby before, after & during pregnancy

Each container includes 60 small soft gels (enough for a 2-month supply!)

Here’s what makes these vitamins stand out:

• Omega-3 fatty acids (usually found naturally in fish) help promote the development of a baby’s brain
• Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects which are defects that cause serious abnormalities in the fetal brain and spinal cord.
• Iron supports the development of the fetus and placenta. Not only does it help prevent anemia but it also helps your body make enough blood to supply sufficient oxygen to the fetus

DIRECTIONS: Take one capsule daily, preferably with a meal.

And, once your baby is here –  try Secrets of Tea’s other highly-rated product to help with colic!

Babies Magic Tea ( safe for babies as young as 1 day old!)

Babies’ Magic Tea is a simple solution for babies and newborns who suffer from gas, which leads to colic, and the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Babies’ Magic Tea is an all-natural solution for babies and newborns with typical digestive problems. From colic, gas, constipation, acid reflux, indigestion, and other tummy troubles, it naturally soothes and comforts your child’s belly issues.

All Babies’ Magic Tea ingredients are 100% natural and certified USDA Organic, also scientifically proven to help with a baby’s brain development. Babies’ Magic Tea is the only baby colic remedy in the market that is completely natural and does not have any harmful ingredients.

Baby’s Magic Tea is:

• Safe for babies as young as 1 day old
• Certified USDA organic
• Vegan
• Free of caffeine, gluten, sugar, alcohol, artificial colors or flavors, dairy, soy, chemicals, petroleum, BPA/PVC/Phthalate
• Made in the USA

Ingredients:Organic & Sanitized Florence Fennel, Organic & Sanitized Iranian Cumin and Organic & Sanitized Roman Matricaria Chamomile

Directions: Add one tea bag to 8 ounces of boiling water. Boil for two minutes and remove the tea bag. Depending on age and feeding volume, give 2-8 ounces of tea each feeding. Start with 3 to 4 servings a day and when the baby feels better, keep serving the tea twice a day to prevent any future tummy issues. Tea can be given directly or added to the baby’s formula or expressed milk. Optionally, nursing mothers can drink the tea to pass its benefits through their breast milk!

Dosage:

• Between 1 day to 3 months old: The serving size is 1 to 3 oz of tea.
• Between 3 to 6 months old: The serving size is 3 to 6 oz of tea.

Secrets of Tea’s Babies Magic Tea and Prenatal vitamins are what help make your pregnancy, and time with your baby more fun, manageable and healthy. By providing your body with the boost of nutrients it needs, and soothing the gas pains that your baby will understandably have, Secrets of Tea is a brand you should consider for both your and your baby’s needs.

Secrets of Tea’s products have been featured in People, Woman’s Day, fitpregnancy and SanDiego Family, and have glowing reviews!

Conclusion

Boost your body full of the nutrients it needs to grow a strong and healthy baby, and take care of YOU in the process. A healthy parent is more equipped to care for a young baby when the time comes, and a well-rested parent has more energy for their baby during the day. Using these health-boosting products is a win-win for everyone in the family.

Grab your Secrets of Tea products today!