ellevit AND omega 3? 5 mths pg

[supablondie]

hello and thanks for reading

i have been and still am taking ellevit, since my dr recommended it to me ages before TTC and now I am 5 months pg. Ellevit does not contain any omega 3, but i have heard that blackmores does contain a very small amount.

Question; Should I take an additional tablet of OMEGA3 as well as taking ELLEVIT?

What benefits will omega3 give me? Has anyone seen or heard any benefits of taking the extra supplement?

Also, I don't have much fish, but like the occasional tinned salmon with a pasta bake say once a week to one a fortnight.

Any help is much appreciated.

[LadyRaven]

Per capsual my blackmores says it has 500mg omega 3 its good for babies brain development i think. You take two tablets a day

[LadyRaven]

Just read on the back of it it says:

"Provides tuna oil to promote healthy brain and visual development" and says "The tuna oil in Blackmores Preg & BF Gold is tested for mercury, pesticide residues and heavy metals to ensure you can take it with confidence".

Hope that helps thats all I can really say. I got Blackmores because it was 1. on sale 2. the one my nana bought me and 3. I can't find ellevit anywhere lol

[supablondie]

oh thanks celtic moon.

it would also be interesting to find someone who is taking both tablets and why they made that decision.

[Lisa78]

I am now 16 weeks pregnant and have been taking Elevit prior to conception and all through my pregnancy to date, I am now also taking Omega 3 supplements as I know that Elevit doesn't contain this. I asked my Ob and he says this is fine.

I have read that Omega 3 is good for baby, especially in the third trimester, plus I don't eat enough fish! Apparently it is the DHA (rather than the EPA) that is good for baby so I chose a supplement that had more of this in it.....

Hope this helps!

[supablondie]

Lisa - great to hear from you. So you weren't recommended by your ob to take it, you asked him if U could and he said its ok. Have you heard any research done on Omega3 and if it does help a lot. What brand are you buying and how much was it?

[Lisa78]

No my Ob didn't recommend me to take it, but the reading I did on the topic indicated that it was beneficial and I wanted to check it was ok. I am taking blackmores Promega Daily I think it cost about $30 for the bottle....

[Liz]

hmm.. interesting.

Just found this:

The major source of omega-3 in the diet is fish, which can often be limited in the diet especially during pregnancy due to concerns about mercury content. To ensure an adequate intake of all types of omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA, EPA and alpha-linolenic acid, pregnant women should be encouraged to consume a variety of omega-3 rich foods. Such foods include fish, leafy green vegetables, some nuts and vegetables and omega-3 enrichedeggs. The recommended Adequate Intake (AI) for long chain omega-3 during pregnancy is115mg per day. A serve of regular eggs contains 40mg of long chain omega-3, which represents 35% of the daily AI.

It was actually on an Egg Nutrition site (it's an org.au so an official site, not just some brand of eggs rattling off benefits of eggs hehe) and it has quite a good Postion Statement for Professionals on eggs in pregnancy, mentioning all the essentials needed in pregnancy, folate, iron, omega3 etc etc. And eggs actually contain a lot of these! Very interesting!

[MamaPan]

Hmm that is interesting re the eggs as I have been craving them a LOT!!

[Liz]

Yeah - they recommended it for lactating mums too. I had scrambled eggs a couple of nights ago, and it helped me over a morning sickness hurdle. Maybe there really is something to eggs in pregnancy! hehe.

[ej_1974]

elevit was recommended to me by both my GP and OB. However not being one just to take opinion as gospel, I did a bit of research on the elevit website and these are the things I like about it:
-its the only pg supp clinically proven to prevent birth defects
- one tablet daily
- high levels of folic acid, iron and calcium
- many other essential vits & mins
- gives me peace of mind

I have taken it during both pgs and have felt great, which I attribute to this. I dont' take omega 3 but eat fish whenever I remember and eat quite a bit of tuna.

[JoJo]

I used to take Elevit until I started researching about the benefits of Omega 3 and Elevit not having it in it. After chats with the chemist about what to take I swapped to Blackmores which does contain it. But it doesn't make much difference cause with Blackmores you have to take 2 tablets daily so really you could take one Elevit tablet and 1 Omega 3 tablet which would have the same effect and some number of tablets each day! :-) Apparently its the most important in 3rd trimester to take Omega 3 tablets so they say.

[~Belinda~]

Hi Girls

I have been taking Elevit for about 5 months now, before I got pregnant and during my pregnancy. I feel at ease taking Elevit as it has a high level of folic acid in it. A few of my friends have used it in their pregnancies and swear by it.

I will be looking into taking Omega 3 soon though. Somebody as work has recommended EFANATAL. There is a website I found if you wanted to read up on it, I've heard it's excellent for Omega 3 etc
Love Bindy xx

[Inanna]

Supablondie I personally believe that omega 3 is important during pregnancy. It is not just beneficial during the last trimester - the first trimester when all of that brain development is occuring it is very important.

We (most of us I of course am generalising) as a nation do not eat enough seafood. We should be eating way more than we are. We also limit our egg intake due to bad press re: cholesterol. So, I would certainly take a supplement. Pregnant women are particularly at risk of being low in omega 3 and iodine as we often limit our fish intake due to the fear of mercury toxicity. Iodine is found in seafood and is quite difficult to obtain from other sources (watercress is one way but it's not in the league as seafood).

You could safely take either Elevit or Blackmores. I know that one poster mentioned that Elevit is the only supplement proven to prevent birth defects. I would gently dispute that. Folate is known to reduce birth defects - nothing will prevent them entirely. Elevit has 800mcgs of folate and if you take the daily Blackmores dose you will get 500mcgs. 500mcgs is the daily recommended doseage for pregnant women. It is the folate in Elevit (and Blackmores that helps reduce neural tube defects not the other bits and bobs. - however it has to be noted that folate taken without the inclusion of b12 and b6 makes it much more difficult for a human to absorb folate).

So, in summary - take either or but if you opt for Elevit increase your fish intake so you get the increase in iodine necessary in pregnancy and also take an omega 3 supplement too (in my opinion!)

I take Blackmores (because I am anti the ramming down our throats from multinational drug companies like the one that markets Elevit!) because it's got all I need. However, I still do supplement with omega 3's on top of my Blackmores. I also take 5mgs of folate, b12, b6 due to my history of fetal deaths...

I hope this helps. Wishing you a healthy happy pregnancy.

[Delicate_Dove]

Hello,

I didnt read through all the posts so forgive me If I repeat something.

I am taking both, I was not advised to but was told it was ok until I was in 3rd trimester.
I never asked why not to take it in 3rd trimester but will be re-addressing this later on as everything I have read online points to it being ok.

I was taking both because I was using the omega as a "brain tonic" or anti depressive suggested by my DR after my previous miscarraige. it does seem to lift my moods.

[KatieRabbit]

To start with supablondie, I haven't heard of Elevit! However, I do take the Blackmores pregnancy and breastfeeding supplement as well as Melrose Organic Flaxseed Capsules. It says on these ($15 for 100) to take up to 10 a day (!) and I checked with naturopath who said they were excellent for the whole of a pregnancy but have a couple a day, as well as 2 Blackmores. I take the flaxseed instead of fish oil because it is unrefined, it is cold pressed, organic (certified) and contains no mercury at all!
With your tinned salmon, the Woolworths brand (I think) is from Tasmanian salmon whereas the Thai salmon and tuna (ALL of the brands) are farmed in dubious conditions sharing pens with human faeces, chemicals, antibiotics and marine pollutants!
Also, check that your supplements also have the essential 6 and 9 omegas.
Hope this is helpful to you!

[LizzysMum]

I asked my midwife if I should be taking any supplements and she said if I ate well and didn't pig on junk, andhad plenty of grains, fruit, veges etc then no supplements were really needed. I did take just folate prior to and up to 3 months.

[Sammi Jane]

Hi,

Thought I'd add my 2c worth.

I'm taking both Elevit and Blackmores Omega 3. I have been taking both since before falling pregnant. I take the Fish Oil supplement because I saw on TV that it supposedly decreases the chance of your baby having alergies and I really don't want my child to be allergic to anything! It probably isn't even true, but it makes me feel better that I'm doing it. I have heard very good things about fish oil so I think it will be doing some good. I checked with my Ob and he said it was fine. Also, check your tins of tuna - I think you'll find they're very low in omega 3 - when I checked mine I found that they were.

Hope this helps. Wishing you a happy, healthy pregnancy!!