Your fave/most tolerable prenatal

Glitter

Im having trouble finding a prenatal Im happy with. I get sick from the pills so the Dr suggested Flintstones but now the taste of them make me gag. I have to force them. I really need to find a chew that is more tolerable for me. Any suggestions?

taylormarie923

I use the gummies.  I remember having a lot of issues with the iron in most prenatals (Flinstones included!) last time around so I started chewing these ones and haven't had any issues. Currently using the Up & Up brand. 

chaser61

I like vitafusion prenatal gummies. I have found the best price on Amazon. Other prenatal vitamins hurt my stomach.

Kathryn0903

I've been taking vitafusion prenatal gummies as well. They're not great, but I can handle them. I'm with you on gagging over stuff sometimes. With these vitamins, I only chew half at a time to minimize any potential gagging.

lmyrmo

Spring Valley gummy prenatals. They don't have iron which is what I prefer.  Not everyone needs a prenatal vitamin. Folic acid can be bought separately and doesn't cause upset stomach or have any bad taste. Most people's diets are plenty adequate without a million supplements. If a gummy or chewable works but doesn't have folic acid, just add a folic acid to the mix.

kissthesky32

I tried the big pill ones and they made me nauseous, so switched to gummies. Now the sickly sweetness of the gummies are even worse, so I went back to the big pills. I just take them at night before bed and sleep through the nauseous. 

JWatt5

I've been taking Jamieson's Prenatal Complete with DHA - The Prenatal Complete was a hard pill but I changed to one with DHA once I was pregnant and it's a capsule. I just take it after dinner/before bed so make sure my stomach can handle it. I'll be sick if I take them in the am.

sgrant432

I have to take my prenatals at night.  If i take them in the morning, they make me nauseous too.  And if I take them on an empty stomach, guaranteed I will get sick.  But I use regular store brand prenatals or the samples I get from my Dr. office.  I will use those up before I have to buy more.  Those should get me about halfway through my pregnancy.

adoo

My doctor gave me a prescription for OB complete, it looks and smells like a peanut M&M.  I don't mind it at all and I haven't had any issues with it yet! 

blueskies17

I've been taking Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal for several months and it has never made me sick, even when I take it on an empty stomach. It's food based so it doesn't irritate the stomach. However, the annoying part is that you have to take it three times a day. I got used to it though!  

delizab

I've been taking the Smartypants PNV since the start, no problems with them at all, I actually like the taste too. 

Glitter

walgreens has buy 1 get 1 free or buy 1 get 1 50%off one a lot, I think ill try a couple of these out and see which I like. I usually take two flinstone chewables a day. The other day i barely forced one down and swear felt like I was letting baby down. I know lol its silly but after having multiple mc, i feel like i must be the perfect pregnant lady.

SarahBethBR

I like the Olly gummies because they're citrus flavored and a bit sour, which helps with my nausea.

imwithbaby

I use Honest Company's Multi Complete Prenatal Once Daily. 

It uses a bioavailable form of folic acid (L-Methylfolate)---this is important because folic acid isn't absorbed by a lot of women. So your vitamin might have plenty of folic acid, but it doesn't matter if you're not absorbing it. Look for vitamins with folate or L-Methylfolate instead of folic acid.

It says it has a sweet vanilla coating, which I don't love, but it never makes me nauseous because it also has ginger and B6 in it.

Lauradi1010

CVS woman's prenatal gummies.

JWatt5

@amandaredinger - I wanted to use Honest's but I can't hack the US exchange anymore - and it's one of the few things the stores in Canada does not stock.

Mango517

I used Honest company for the first two weeks with no problems. I liked that it contained folate instead of folic acid, as well as a host of other good for you things. Then out of the blue it made get really sick one night, so I stopped and only took a folate supplement. 

Ordered the Smartypants gummy prenatals and they should be here today. For gummies they seem to be pretty solid nutrition wise and they also have the active version of folate. 

Mango517

Heads up!! I just saw that the Smartypants gummy prenatals are the Amazon deal of the day at 50% off. I'm ordering two more bottles. 

@delizab since you take them, thought you'd want to know!

PinkPrincessPiper

When I'm real queasy, I just chew a Flinestone. If I eat a meal I think will stay down, I take a fish oil (DHA) pill & PNV with Iron. I have to eat first, or I will puke from the iron & DHA. 

LeA2017!

I am taking Nature Made prenatals.

Glitter

Im hoping i tolerate the gummies better. I cant wait to try them. 

mamaof2hopefully

KristiSigma said:

I like vitafusion prenatal gummies. I have found the best price on Amazon. Other prenatal vitamins hurt my stomach.

All of this! 
EDIT - And I take them at night. So not nauseous feeling

mamaof2hopefully

SarahBethBR said:

I like the Olly gummies because they're citrus flavored and a bit sour, which helps with my nausea.

just FYI the vita fusion prenatal gummies have almost identical values and are half the price. In case you wanted to try them. I looked at Olly and went with vitafusion because of the price :-) and they have 10 less calories ;-)

Glitter

it seems the vitafusion are popular here and with a couple ladies from work. Going to get those for sure. 

DeansGirl14

I have to rant about prenatal vitamins.
TL/DR: I think they're a rip off. 

As a poster said above, many people get the necessary vitamins from the usual diet, which my doctor also said. He had me stop taking the vitamins when I saw him at 8.5 weeks because a) folic is only truly necessary in the first 6 weeks and b) they aggravate the nausea. He said we'll go back on vitamins later for calcium and iron. 

Now, when I first went to my gyne and said we were going to TTC, she gave me a free sample of prescription vitamins, Prenate, which I tried and liked. I went to the store (Trader Joe's) and compared over-the-counter prenatal vitamins with women's multi-vitamins, and discovered there was plenty of folic in the multi for several dollars cheaper. So I got the multi. Then, after getting pregnant, I got a prescription filled for the Prenate. Even though I had a coupon, it was $40! I expressed surprise and the pharmacist said, "Well, regular price is $120." A hundred and twenty for vitamins!!!! [My insurance doesn't cover brand name drugs. Generic only.] So I politely declined the prescription and got some over-the-counter gummies (Vitafusion? Naturemade? Forgot which) which I liked... until the OB said to stop.

The hell?

babyoakes

GNC Ultra Mega Green Prenatals...but they taste and smell gross so I always follow the pills with a tootsie rolls. Maybe the tootsie roll part is why I like them 

PinkPrincessPiper

I finally picked up some prenatals (I had just been taking a Flinestone one everyday), and I got Nature's Bounty. They have 800mcg of Folic Acid & 200mg of DHA included in the same pill. I have to take it with a meal, but I just take it right after breakfast. 

FWIW, gummies vitamins don't contain iron. 

budzynb

I take New Chapter perfect prenatal. They're super pricy but I know I have MTHFR so I am required to take the vitamins with foliate instead of folic acid, which happen to be pricier. They don't have DHA so I plan to take 2 fish oil a day as well once the nausea subsides. The prenatal requires you take 3 a day but even taking all 3 at bed gave me a killer stomach ache within 5 minutes. So now I take 2, which is still better than none, before bed and have no issues. Plan to go back to all 3 throughout the day in a few weeks. Is this trimester over yet?!

andressab

Question: if you take gummies prenatal, do you take one or two?

OTmom3

I take the Target brand prenatal and I always take it before bed to hopefully avoid side effects

Kathryn0903

@andressab I take 2

DDRGirlie

I love Rainbow Light prenatal.  It's food based.  You only take it once a day.  It doesn't upset my stomach and I haven't had any nausea at all.  I get them on auto delivery from amazon.

larsonbussman

My OB approved me to continue taking my Thrive so I didn't have to hassle with finding the best one for me. 

NamelessAria

@budzynb lurker from June here who also has MTHFR. The New Chapter prenatal is one I've seen people talk about taking and I looked into it and was incredibly disappointed with it. It has the wrong form of B12 (cynobalamin instead of the methylcobalamin that MTHFR needs) and it says it has "Folate (in the form of folic acid)" which basically means they're usually folate/folic acid interchangeably even though for people with MTHFR those things are NOT interchangeable. Since they're using the wrong form of B12 I'd assume they mean they use folic acid instead of actual L-methylfolate.

For a MTHFR friendly prenatal I'd highly recommend Optimal Prenatal from Seeking Health. It's probably the highest quality prenatal I've found for MTHFR. It also comes in a protein powder if you're not interested in taking 8 pills a day (because WHY 8?!). If you want a gummy the Smarty Pants gummies are decent you'll just need to supplement iron separately. My favorite iron supplement to use with gummy vitamins is the Gentle Iron with Cofactors because it has vitamin C and other cofactors for better absorption which means less nausea for me. Bonus: it also has riboflavin and biotin both of which the Smarty Pants prenatal gummy is severely lacking. The other option I've found that I'm not as happy with as the ones mentioned above but gets the job done for MTHFR is the Thorne Prenatal. It's 3 a day which isn't bad when it comes to folate prenatal vitamins. I may have gotten a bad batch but mine have a strong almost bacterial smell to them. When I take them out of the bottle to swallow them they leave my hand smelling awful till I go wash my hand. And because of the smell they make me a bit nauseous. Other than the smell, which my husband said is in my mind and they smell "like vitamins" to him, they're a pretty good option.

IvorySoapGirl

I used Rainbow Light during my first pregnancy but now I take Nature Made. Keep in mind that vitamin content is not regulated or tested by the FDA. Nature Made is the only brand of prenatal vitamins that I could find that is tested by U.S. Pharmacopeia, an independent organization that tests vitamins and supplements. 

dmbfan46835

I took expecta prenatals with DS. Then while BFing I switched to the vita fusion gummies. I stayed on those after I weaned in August. Gummies just taste good and are like a mini treat!! I miss them!  And then when I got my BFP in December I switched over to the honest company prenatals. I add a fish oil pill for the dha. And I also take an extra 4000 IU of vitamin C and D plus a B12 supplement in addition. My chriropractor is a big time advocate of C and D in winter to keep you healthy and I do think it's helped.  Not even a sniffle this fall or winter! 

Prenatals with lunch and everything else with dinner to avoid tummy upset works for me. 

middy411

@dmbfan46835 that's great advice! Ever since I got pregnant with my 1st my immune system has been horrible. Every time I hear someone sniffle I just wait until I catch their cold. I used to never get sick! Like ever! Think I may need to add vitamins C & D to my routine.

DDRGirlie

Theres a website that rates vitamins, including prenatal. It tells you if what the label says it contains, percentages and whatnot, is accurate.  google it. I'll try to find it and edit my post with the link.

budzynb

NamelessAria I'm really upset right now! I researched for so long and thought these were a clear winner because all I was missing was the DHA. Every review I read said they have Folate but now I see this from Nov: "Actually, they updated their formula so they no longer contain folate. It's folic acid now" GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Thanks for the suggestion. I was told folate is most important during the first tri and I could start on a cheaper brand once I run out of these but now I don't know what to do. Really wish I wouldn't have cancelled my NTS though because then we would know that everything Is ok with baby even though I effed up. I'm just hoping it's ok because really like 50% of people have MTHFR but nobody really knows they do...

jpomo

I'm with @blueskies17 and take Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal. I was taking another very early on and they made me so sick but the Vita Code ones are so easy on my stomach.