One minute nobody could pronounce it. The next it's all over your feed, your gynae's pamphlet, and that one friend's group chat. So what's the deal with choline and why does your baby want so much of it?
So what does it actually do?
Think building blocks — literally. Every brain cell your baby grows needs choline to build its outer wall. It also helps close the neural tube (baby's brain and spinal cord) in the earliest weeks, powers the placenta so the good stuff reaches baby, and helps make acetylcholine, the brain chemical behind memory and learning, for both of you. It even helps switch genes on and off in healthy ways (a process called methylation — fancy word, big deal).
No choline, no brain build. Your baby is using yours like a thirsty plant in a Joburg summer.
Why it matters at every single stage
- Trying to conceive: baby's neural tube starts forming in the first few weeks, often before a positive test. The choline you've got on board now is already on the job.
- Pregnancy: it builds baby's brain and spinal cord, powers the placenta, and fuels the fastest brain growth of their life and your levels naturally dip in the second trimester, right when it's needed most.
- The fourth trimester: that brutal postpartum brain fog? Some of your own choline is being lovingly donated to baby. You're not losing your mind, you're literally feeding it to someone else.
- Breastfeeding: choline passes straight into your milk while baby's brain triples in year one, which is why the recommendation actually goes up to 550mg a day. Other than Nourish & Nurture think beef, eggs, chicken etc.
The bit that made everyone pay attention
Cornell researchers followed a group of babies whose mums had extra choline in pregnancy. As infants, they processed information faster. At age seven, those same kids were still ahead, holding their focus while the others' slipped. Seven years later, the difference had stuck. Even the American Medical Association now says choline belongs in all prenatal vitamins, yet most still skip it, or add a token sprinkle.
And here's where we sneak in 👀
We didn't invent the choline conversation, we just refuse to skip it.
Every serving of Nourish & Nurture delivers 200mg of choline: a real, meaningful amount toward a target most moms have never even been told exists. Pair it with a choline-rich plate with eggs, salmon, dairy, beef and you're well on your way. Not a token sprinkle. Not a marketing asterisk. Actual choline, for the actual brain being built right now. 💛
Always chat to your healthcare provider or registered dietitian before starting any new supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Sources: U.S. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes (1998); American Medical Association resolution on prenatal choline (2017); Cornell University choline feeding trials — Caudill et al. (2018) and Bahnfleth et al. (2022).