combining prenatal vitamins with vitamin c & Zinc - winter boost

[emmafield82]

Hi, every winter I get really sick with colds, coughs etc. Im not being a wimp, I get REALLY bad, lose my voice, get asthma attacks etc...
For the last 3 years I've always been preg/breastfeeding/preg and I'm currently 28 weeks. I'm taking pregnacare and clearly the prenatals alone don't do enough to help my immunity as this is what I've been taking pretty much the last 3 years and still got sick.

Does anyone know if you can take vitamin c and zinc (redoxon) or some other boost along with prenatals?

I feel like if I ask my doc they will just tell me prenatals are enough and nothing more can be done. They're not the type of docs to want to sit and discuss preventing inevitable winter ill health...

I have a nutrionalist friend who sells herbal supplements and vitamins etc but I feel that if i ask her she will try to get me to buy off her (last year ended up buying vitamin d off her and clearly again, did nothing).

I can't afford to buy lots of expensive potent supplements but heard Vitamin C and Zinc can really help with prevention and getting better.

Anyone else a sickly type and got experience of what works whilst being preg?

I would look at Vit D rather than C and Zinc. Ask your GP for a blood test to check your Vit D levels.

I used to be in the same boat over winter and feel so much better when taking Vit D. I do take American levels of supplement from Oct to Apr rather than follow NHS guidance. 2000-4000 international units rather than the 400 recommended here. There was a fab BMJ podcast on the research into Vit D that you might find interesting and may still be available on iTunes.

Vitamin C doesn't prevent the common cold, that's an urban myth. Take extra vitamins if you like, but a balanced diet, plenty of exercise, and staying away from ill people is the best way of preventing a cold!

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C_and_the_common_cold