An influencer and financial expert has sparked a wave of controversy after making a seemingly innocent comment about her pregnancy journey.
Victoria Devine, an Australian money columnist and podcast co-host, welcomed her first child Harvey in March.
The mother-of-one is known for sharing her finance and business tips on her She's on the Money podcast, but recently opened up about her pregnancy with her son and the cost of having a baby.
Speaking on the May 22 episode of her podcast, Devine made a divisive comment about taking prenatal vitamins before conceiving to ensure women have a 'good quality baby'.
'My doctor recommended that I started prenatals at least 12 months before trying [to conceive],' she said.
'If possible, because obviously then all the vitamins and minerals and stuff that are coming into your body can settle into your body and you can get your levels up. Because pregnancy does take a lot out of you.
'But it's things like iron and folate - folate's really important for pregnant women. And it's full of stuff that just makes sure that the baby you're making is a really good quality baby.'
While prenatal vitamins can be essential when trying to conceive, as it is important to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to grow a healthy baby, Devine's 'good quality baby' comment then sparked a debate on the post of the since-deleted video.
![Victoria Devine (pictured), an Australian money columnist and podcast co-host, welcomed her first child Harvey in March and has since sparked a wave of controversy after innocently opening up about her pregnancy journey](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/02/23/86852185-13594145-image-a-1_1719959278649.jpg)
Victoria Devine (pictured), an Australian money columnist and podcast co-host, welcomed her first child Harvey in March and has since sparked a wave of controversy after innocently opening up about her pregnancy journey
According to watchdog account @influencer.updates.au, one user stated that despite taking prenatal vitamins, her newborn had spina bifida.
Another user made the sarcastic comment saying 'it's a shame' the vitamins don't make her 'a good quality mum', while another stated 'it's not nice to see babies with genetic defects as not being "good quality babies".'
Even if you have a varied diet, there are certain nutrients it is impossible to get in adequate quantities from food, which is where prenatal supplements are important.
Devine has since apologised for the comments, taking to her Instagram to write: 'I wanted to share my deepest apologies for a post which was shared last week, I made a comment in jest without thinking about the ways in which it could be interpreted.
'As someone who has struggled with pregnancy loss myself, I am all too aware of how precious life is, and how out of our control the experience of pregnancy can be.
![Speaking on the She's On The Money podcast, Devine made a divisive comment about taking prenatal vitamins before conceiving to ensure women have a 'good quality baby'.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/02/23/86852183-13594145-image-a-2_1719959285136.jpg)
Speaking on the She's On The Money podcast, Devine made a divisive comment about taking prenatal vitamins before conceiving to ensure women have a 'good quality baby'.
'To clarify, I was reflecting on my own experiences and my desire to grasp on to absolutely anything that I could that might help improve my possibilities of falling pregnant.'
'I'm so sorry for my poor choice of words, and as always I'm grateful for the kindness and accountability you share with me,' she concluded her statement.
Victoria Devine is the host of the wildly popular She's On The Money podcast from Melbourne, and she works as a wealth management adviser dedicated to making financial jargon understandable and relatable.
She welcomed her son Harvey in March this year with husband Steve, whom she married in 2022.