Prenatal Vitamins

Hey ladies! What brand of prenatals are you taking?

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

Ali, save yourself the money, take your regular multi plus a extra folic that is exactly what my ob told me. Those things are pricey $56 a pop. Compare them to any muti vitamin and you will see they have the same thing in it. All prenatals have extra is the extra folic.

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I take Duet. They are good for me because they are made for sensitive stomachs. I had NO problem with them ! I actually love taking them -- from day one -- no upset stomach -- I felt great .

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I take Precept.

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I take prenatals from GNC. My doctor said they were fine and they are not that expensive.

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Mine make me queasy so I take thenm at night before I go to bed. I think they are called precare.

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Mine are called PrimaCare. I take 2 a day- they specifically have one for AM and one for PM. I used to take the over the counter but my Dr. suggested these. I did end up getting preggo 2 months after I started them- so I think that I'll stay with them- maybe they'll bring me good luck again.
My Doctor also gave me a prescription for DH to take PreCare. He says it can helps the spermies...but DH doesn't really like to take them- only when play the guilt card!

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

What is a prenatal supplement?
A prenatal supplement is a vitamin and mineral supplement you can take daily to make sure you're getting the right amount of certain important nutrients during pregnancy. Unfortunately, since the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate what goes into supplements, there are no set standards for what should be in them. That means it's up to you and your practitioner to make sure you choose one that's safe and appropriate for you.

In general, you'll want to look for one that contains more of certain nutrients (such as folic acid and iron) that you may not be able to get enough of from your diet. Just as important is to find one that includes no more than the recommended amounts of other nutrients (particularly vitamin A) that can be harmful to your baby if you take too much. (This is one of the reasons that most prenatal supplements contain vitamin A at least partly in the form of beta-carotene, a nutrient that you get from fruits and vegetables that converts to vitamin A in the body. Unlike vitamin A from animal products, which can cause birth defects when taken in high doses just before conception or during pregnancy, beta-carotene is not considered to be toxic in high doses.)

Your practitioner may recommend that you start taking a prenatal supplement at your first prenatal checkup. If she does, she may give you a prescription for a particular one or just suggest that you buy a particular over-the-counter brand at the drugstore. If you do take a prenatal supplement, make sure you're not taking any other vitamin or mineral supplement along with it unless your practitioner recommends it.

Do I really need to take one?
If you're a healthy woman who eats a balanced diet and has no specific risk factors, not all experts agree that you need to take a prenatal supplement. (Talk with your practitioner about what's right for you.) But everyone does agree that you need to take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid a day (in addition to the folic acid you get from food) at least a month before you start trying to get pregnant and during your first trimester. (In fact, since half of all pregnancies are unplanned, the U.S. Public Health Service recommends that ALL women of childbearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid a day.) That's because research has shown that doing this can reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your baby by up to 70 percent. If you do take a prenatal supplement, it's likely to contain between 600 and 1,000 mcg of folic acid. If you don't take one, make sure you still take a separate folic acid supplement. (If you've previously had a baby with neural tube defects, you'll need to take 4,000 mcg, or 4 milligrams, of this vitamin each day starting at least a month before conception; see your practitioner about getting a prescription for pills that provide this larger dose.)

A prenatal supplement can also help you get enough iron, since most women don't get enough in their diet to meet their body's increased needs during pregnancy. The amount recommended when you're pregnant is 27 mg of iron per day, 50 percent more than you need when you're not. (Most prenatal supplements contain between 27 and 60 mg.) That's because your body makes a lot more blood when you're pregnant to support your growing baby, and as a result, the iron stores in your blood can get spread pretty thin. To avoid getting iron-deficiency anemia during pregnancy, most women need to take a supplement. For some women, the amount in their prenatal supplement is enough, but others may need to take even more during pregnancy. (Your caregiver will let you know if you need to boost your iron intake after reviewing your prenatal blood work.)

If you're not anemic before you get pregnant, you can wait until you're pregnant or even until you're through your first trimester to take extra iron, since high doses of the mineral can make nausea and constipation worse. (Supplements that contain no more than the recommended amount of 27 mg probably won't cause you any problems, though.) If you are already anemic before pregnancy, it's a good idea to start taking an iron supplement now. Women with iron-deficiency anemia are usually advised to take between 60 and 120 mg of iron each day in addition to a prenatal supplement.

Finally, women with certain health issues, dietary restrictions, or pregnancy complications need to take a prenatal supplement — and not just for the folic acid and iron. This includes vegetarians and vegans, women who are lactose-intolerant or have certain other food intolerances, smokers and women who abuse other substances, women who are having twins or higher multiples, and women with certain blood disorders and certain chronic diseases. If any of these situations apply to you, talk to your caregiver about what kind of supplement is best for you.

Why wouldn't I want to take one?
There's no disadvantage to taking a prenatal supplement even before you're pregnant, as long as you check the label carefully or choose one recommended by your caregiver. But some women find the big pills hard to swallow on a regular basis. If this is a problem for you, your practitioner may be able to prescribe a smaller pill or one with a slick coating that makes it easier to get down. (Pills that don't contain calcium tend to be smaller, and you can get your calcium in other ways.) Chewable versions are also available, although they generally don't taste so great. Other women find the iron in prenatal supplements makes their nausea or constipation worse. If this is a problem for you, your practitioner may be able to prescribe a pill with a lower amount of iron, at least for the first trimester, when these symptoms tend to be worst.

What if I mistakenly take two prenatal supplements on the same day?
Don't worry. Taking twice the recommended amounts of these nutrients on just one day won't harm you or your baby, although doing it more often can be harmful, so it's important not to make a habit of doubling up on your prenatal supplements. If for some reason your caregiver has told you that you need more of a certain nutrient (iron or calcium, for example) than is in your prenatal vitamin, take the extra amount as a separate supplement. Multivitamins are designed to give you what you need on a daily basis, and getting an extra dose of everything in them is definitely not better. Vitamin A is not the only nutrient you can get too much of if you regularly take extra doses.

Is there anything that I won't get in a prenatal supplement?
Calcium is one of the nutrients that you won't find a full day's supply of in your prenatal supplement. Most prenatal supplements contain between 100 and 200 milligrams of calcium, but some don't contain any. (That's because calcium is a particularly bulky mineral, and the pills are already big enough!) The amount of calcium you need during pregnancy is about 1,000 mg per day — the same amount you need when you're not pregnant. But it's even more crucial that you get the recommended amount during pregnancy because you'll need to replace the calcium your growing baby is getting from your own bones and skimping on calcium now increases your risk for osteoporosis later in life. Luckily, there are many ways to get this mineral. If you can't stomach dairy products (a cup of milk and a container of yogurt each contain about 300 to 350 mg), you can get your calcium from separate supplements. (Some of the chewable ones taste pretty good!) Look for them near the vitamins in your drugstore

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

Besides taking vitamins, what other nutrients do I need before I get pregnant?


By Bridget Swinney, Nutritionist [See Biography]


Question: I plan to begin trying to conceive in four to five months. Besides taking prenatal vitamins, what other nutritional guidelines should I follow before getting pregnant?

Answer: Start paying more attention to what you eat every day. Your overall nutritional status and body weight can affect your hormones and your ability to get pregnant.The sample menu below (modified from a menu in my book, Eating Expectantly, Meadowbrook Press, 2001) includes vitamins and nutrients necessary to sustain a healthy pregnancy. Specifically, you should make an effort to include the following foods in your daily diet:
• Six or more servings of grains/starches, including three whole grains
• Three or more fruits
• Three or more vegetables (be sure to include at least one vitamin C-rich and one vitamin A-rich fruit or vegetable each day.)
• Four to six ounces of protein from a variety of sources (fish, meat, pork, eggs, nuts)
• Three or more servings of dairy or calcium-rich foods (milk, cheese, yogurt)
• Three teaspoons of added vegetable fat from canola oil or olive oil or products made with these. (Try to avoid trans fat, the "bad" fat found in many fried and fast foods.)

Here's an example of how to incorporate the tips above into a daily menu:

Breakfast
• Raisin bran cereal with fresh blueberries and milk
• Wheat toast with jam
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt

Snack
• Apple

Lunch
• Spinach salad with dried raspberries and Swiss cheese
• Grilled chicken sandwich or veggie burger with mushrooms, lettuce and tomato
• Vegetable drink or tomato juice

Before-dinner "mocktail" hour
• Mimosa Mocktail: 1 part fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 part club soda over ice
• Serve with: pistachios and cashews, red pepper slices, carrot slices and Ranch dip

Dinner
• Poached salmon with crab and marinara sauce over pasta
• Steamed asparagus with lemon
• Tomato and avocado slices with olive oil/lemon vinaigrette
• Whole wheat french bread
• Fresh mango over vanilla frozen yogurt
• Milk

Before bed
• Steamed milk with hazelnut flavoring

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

Thank you so much ladies One of my concerns is that most vitamins give me and upset stomach.. I think that is due to the amount of iron it contains. Also some tend to be very expensive so I wasnt sure if there was really a difference in brands.
Thank you all for the great advice and Shamma thanks for the info! It is extremely helpful!

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

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Posted by AliKing

Thank you so much ladies One of my concerns is that most vitamins give me and upset stomach.. I think that is due to the amount of iron it contains. Also some tend to be very expensive so I wasnt sure if there was really a difference in brands.
Thank you all for the great advice and Shamma thanks for the info! It is extremely helpful!

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Re: Prenatal Vitamins

I bought the CVS brand prenatals for 8.99. They have the same EXACT things in it that vitamins placed on the shelf next to them have at 25.99 a pop.

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

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Posted by M&M2004

I bought the CVS brand prenatals for 8.99. They have the same EXACT things in it that vitamins placed on the shelf next to them have at 25.99 a pop.

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Re: Prenatal Vitamins

I have been taking Target's version of prenatal vitamins. I make sure I take it with breakfast and it doen't make me sick.

Re: Prenatal Vitamins

Thank you so much for the important information ladies
I went out and got the CVS brand... Now I have to see how my stomach reacts to it.

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Are you lactose intolerant? Maybe if you took it with milk the milk would coat your stomach and it wouldn't get so upset. Just a thought?

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Thank you! That is an excellent idea! I am not lactose intolerant, so I am going to try that

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Pre-Care Conceive

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I also take the PreCare penantals but I have to take them with food or else I puke it immediately back up.

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You know whats funny about this thread....Everytime I see it, it reminds me to take my vitamin!