Prenatal Health
Ensure Your Baby's Mental Health - Before Birth
The family and personal history of the mental and developmental disorders of each partner can already affect their baby’s brain development at birth.
Dr. Freedman and his team discovered a gene responsible for the family transmission of risk for various mental and developmental conditions, including attention deficit disorder, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The gene makes a protein that is a major player in early brain development. Children may have early problems with attention and social interactions if they received from one of their parents a variant in this gene associated with mental illness. These early problems can be the first signs of more serious issues later in life. Every expectant mother takes folic acid to ensure that her baby's spinal cord forms correctly. Choline gets that gene that to work correctly to promote brain development before birth. Higher levels of choline are achieved by encouraging mothers to take choline supplements, along with their prenatal vitamins, during pregnancy. By doing so, the baby will be born with a brain that is better protected against future mental health conditions. Choline has other benefits as well.
A mother's infection during pregnancy doubles the child’s risk for a mental condition.
Maternal infections do not reach her baby directly. A mother’s immediate immune response, that awful feeling in the late afternoon that tells her to get home to bed because she is “coming down with something,” is her first defense against invading viruses and bacteria, including COVID. Unfortunately, this immune response also attacks the placenta, temporarily decreasing its ability to supply nutrients and oxygen to the baby. The baby’s brain development is affected, and the risk for developing mental disorders in later life is increased. The protein activated by choline decreases the effect of the mother’s immune response on the placenta and baby. Women who have higher choline levels during pregnancy have more mentally healthy children despite an unexpected encounter with infection.
Many mothers use marijuana in early pregnancy for morning sickness (although there is no evidence that it is effective). However, the THC in marijuana reaches the fetus and adversely affects its brain development. The growth protein that THC blocks and the growth protein that choline stimulates are on the same developing nerve cells. Mothers with higher levels of choline can better protect their babies. Results are evident in the child’s later ability to pay attention and interact with other children.
Preterm birth is a major problem in many American Black communities.
Many Black women have high chronic stress from their encounters with racism, discrimination, and in some cases, early childhood trauma. The high stress induces high levels of cortisol, which causes the women to retain their choline in their own livers, which prevents it from helping develop the baby and the placenta. Preterm delivery is one result. The risk is reduced through choline supplements. Highly stressed women of all ethnicities, like the partners of deployed servicemen, experience similar problems with low choline and preterm birth.
If fetal growth slows down, adding choline can help.
As pregnancy progresses, the baby’s growth should accelerate to reach its final birth weight. If that progress slows, choline and folic acid can help stimulate it and prevent babies, especially girls who are more vulnerable, from being underweight at birth.
Choosing Your Prenatal Vitamins and Nutrients
If you just found out you are pregnant, congratulations! Even this early in your pregnancy, your baby is already at work building its brain. So it's never too early to begin taking prenatal vitamins and nutrients.
Your medical practitioner, whether your obstetrician, family medicine doctor, or midwife, will likely provide or prescribe a prenatal vitamin. If you haven't seen your practitioner as yet, there are many good options available at your local retail drug store or online to get you started now. Most products are quite similar despite their claims otherwise.
All prenatal vitamins contain either folic acid or methylfolate (MTHF). Either works, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend folic acid. We recommend 800 micrograms, which most products contain. There will be other vitamins contained in all prenatals, but folic acid or methylfolate is the critical one for women in the U.S. and other developed countries.
·Some prenatal vitamins contain choline, but no product currently marketed has the optimal amount. You will want to take an additional supplement. Even with a good diet, you will not be able to eat enough amounts of choline-rich foods every day to reach optimal levels.
Typical vitamin and choline choices include:
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PRENATAL VITAMIN: One-A-Day, Prenatal with Folic Acid, DHA & Iron: Take 1 per day. Do not take more than 1 daily.
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ADD CHOLINE:
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Endurance Choline* SR-300mg: Take 1 with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
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OR Nature Made Choline 800 mg per 3 capsules: Take 1 with each meal, plus 1 more, 4 total
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OR Nutrasal PhosChol 900mg: Take 4 with Breakfast, 4 with Dinner
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The above are examples of the many options of available brands. We are not affiliated with any particular brand of prenatal vitamin or choline. However, research has shown that children of women on supplements were more likely to be born full term. During childhood, they were better able to focus their attention and to make friends. The scientific papers in my reference list provide further details.
*Endurance Choline is the only choline supplement approved for Medicaid reimbursement, if purchased from a pharmacy in the states of Colorado and Florida.