Extremely worried about these supplements

[Sunshine202341]

Currently 8 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding my young toddler. I was taking a postnatal and figured I would be ok to finish the tub before swapping to a prenatal as it still had folic acid. It’s got a ‘herbal blend’ to support breastfeeding however I only now googled a few of these things and they don’t look to be safe in pregnancy. I am feeling extremely worried now - any reassurance? It’s the naturalo postnatal vitamins. Now swapping to the prenatal.

Which vitamins/ingredients are you unsure about being safe?

Are you worried about the vitamin A?

I think it’s vitamin A you’re not supposed to have in pregnancy, not sure about the rest sorry.

It’s the breastfeeding herb blend I am not sure about. Fenugreek in particular has been linked to birth defects. And the others when I google are all not pregnancy safe. So annoyed at myself that I didn’t switch to the prenatal right away 😫😫😫

The vitamin A is beta carotene so I think that is fine.

Does it say anywhere on it that it’s not safe to use when pregnant?

It just says ‘if pregnant, nursing or taking medication consult with doctor before use’. It’s a postnatal breastfeeding supplement (Naturelo brand) so I assumed would be safe for pregnancy if safe for breastfeeding.

My understanding is that it takes a few weeks for the egg to implant and start actually taking up anything from your diet. I had to be reassured about this by a specialist because I took a prescription medication that causes birth defects before I realised I was pregnant. My pregnancy was fine. I think you are often in the clear if it is very early. Best of luck and thinking of you.

I think it’s best to follow the pack advice in future, if it advises you need to speak to a GP then it’s not automatically safe to take in pregnancy, otherwise it would say that. However you are really early on so I can’t imagine it’s dangerous enough to have caused any harm, I bet plenty of people take it accidentally just because they’re only just working out they are pregnant at 8 weeks so fingers crossed the GP/midwife will put your mind at rest tomorrow.

Thank you. That is reassuring. Any idea how long this is the case for? I am about 7.5 weeks.

I am hoping that the actual amount in these supplements is very low. Have messages the company for info.

Sorry, I can't work out the dates now with any exactness. But I honestly think if it was a major problem there would be much clearer warnings on it. I suspect the issue with Fenugreek relates to it stimulating breastmilk. And breastfeeding whole pregnant is associated with prompting contractions early. So I'd be surprised if you were at any more risk than someone still breastfeeding baby no.1 while baby no.2 cooks in the oven. Which does add some risk but only very marginally.

Yes I really hope so. The Naturelo supplement brand is quite well recommended so I am praying that a supplement they sell for breastfeeding wouldnt contain high enough levels of fenugreek to cause major issues. But the info on google about that particular herb is terrifying.

Needles to say I swapped to the prenatal tonight. So annoyed at myself.

Some of the info online says fenugreek is linked to birth defects at high doses 😱 the brand is Naturelo which is a pretty well recommended brand in a lot of the pregnancy books. Wish I had switched to the prenatal a few weeks ago, kicking myself. Just assumed if it was safe for breastfeeding then it would be safe for pregnancy. I am hoping the dose in this must be low as I can’t imagine for a breastfeeding supplement they would allow it to be high 😭😭

I’m sorry I don’t have any advice on what you’ve been taking but my midwife told me to just take folic acid whilst pregnant and breastfeeding. May be worth giving pharmacist a call or midwife xx

What did the midwife/GP say OP?