Best Prenatal Vitamins?

asun123

Does anyone have any recommendations for prenatal vitamins?
I am anemic when I'm not pregnant and have to take iron and B12 supplements. So when I am pregnant, I'm SUPER anemic and it's a constant battle to keep my red blood cell levels up. So I need a prenatal with iron for sure and I'm not sure if there is any with B12?

oneblessedmess

I take Garden of Life's Vitamin Code Raw prenatals. I've been happy with them. They're food based and they do contain iron and vitamin B12 BUT you have to take three pills per day. I personally prefer that over taking the one-a-day vitamins but I know it can be hard for some women to do especially when pregnant!

Miz_Liz

I love these - gentle on the stomach, food based.  Taking them before bed helps IMO:  https://www.target.com/p/rainbow-light-just-once-prenatal-one-advanced-multivitamin-50-tablets/-/A-14371441?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Health+Beauty+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Health+Beauty_Top%20Performers&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9001830&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8tOZjY_41gIVTwOGCh3uKwWlEAQYASABEgIm8_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

funkybabe5100

Hi,
You should liaise with your doctor on medication.
Lots of leafy greens normally do the trick when your iron drops.

Good Luck to yuh.

halesnwhales

I highly recommend floradix liquid iron, it was the only thing that worked for me. It does also contain B vitamins as well.

LaceyBee522

@asun123 I struggle with low iron, as well. A few years ago, I had an "infusion" where they pumped the blood out of my body, infused it with iron, then slowly dripped it back in. Awful process, do not recommend, but it did help.

I've been taking Prenate Enhance for about the last year. It is technically for women who are already pregnant, but has the most iron I could find. It is prescription, so you'll have to ask your doc about it. 

In addition to that, I second @halesnwhales on the liquid iron. I find that my body absorbs it much better than any other form.

asun123

funkybabe5100 said:

Hi,
You should liaise with your doctor on medication.
Lots of leafy greens normally do the trick when your iron drops.

Good Luck to yuh.

i wish it was as easy as eatting leafy greens but being as anemic as I am, it actually doesn't help much.

asun123

Thank you! @halesnwhales and @LaceyBee522 I will definitely look into the liquid iron and that prescription!

doxiemoxie212

@asun123 you probably already know this, but make sure you're also getting everything you need to be able to absorb iron (vitamin c and magnesium I think? I'm not sure).

asun123

doxiemoxie212 said:

@asun123 you probably already know this, but make sure you're also getting everything you need to be able to absorb iron (vitamin c and magnesium I think? I'm not sure).

Yes!!! Lots of vitamin C

zamoraspin

I have been using Megafood Baby & Me (not the "2" version, the original ones) since March. They are kind of big and don't taste very good, but the upside is that they have folate instead of folic acid and also contain iron. Prior to taking them I had low iron, not enough to impair my lifestyle but enough that I couldn't donate blood. Since starting them my iron always comes back as good. They do not contain DHA so I take that separately. I have also heard good things about Smarty Pants prenatals, they have methyl folate but they don't have iron. They are chewable gummies, which might be easier to deal with if you have ms. 

Full disclosure, in addition to my prenatals I am also taking extra Vitamin: D, B6, B12 (I don't eat meat), and I am supposed to take Folguard but I am actually going to start taking an extra methyl folate supplement instead. I would invite anyone taking folic acid to consider a vitamin with folate or methyl folate, MTHFR mutations are very common, and although there seems to be some disagreement on folic acid, there is research that indicates folate/methyl folate is more readily used by the body. I found out through our testing with the RE that I have a MTHFR mutation and that I had a Vitamin D insufficiency.  

I'm gonna tag @icecubeinthedesert because she knows so much more than me about this stuff. 

icecubeinthedesert

@zamora_spin, I think you covered all the big points. If anyone wants to know more about MTHFR or folate, I can follow up with more info. Just let me know. I'm taking the Smarty Pants PNV for the methyl folate. I haven't added iron, but might do so soon.

TravelingCouple

I second Rainbow Light prenatal. Any whole food based prenatal with enough essentials, but I love how gentle rainbow light is on my stomach. I supplement with fish oil pills for DHA. I can't swallow pills well so I take the minis your can do 3x/day

kbrown2385

I’m taking actif organics. It has folate as well as dha in it and is food based. You also only have to take one daily so it’seasier for me to remember. 

doxiemoxie212

@zamora_spin do you also do a omega 369 supplement? I do a vegan dha and then a vegan omega 369, but I don't love my omega 369 brand. I liked one I was taking before but it has EPO so I switched...

amandaemilyb

@oneblessedmess That's what I take! Also take their Ocean's Mom DHA. 

izza2

I was taking the Smarty Pants gummies with methylfolate just for safe measure. 
I've since switched to Natures Bounty with Folate because I ran out of gummies and didn't want to go a couple of days without.

zamoraspin

@doxiemoxie212 I do not - my DHA is rainbow light and has fish oil and omega 3, but it’s not vegan. I should explain I’m lacto oval pescatarian (although I rarely eat fish). Now I’ll have to figure out if I’m getting enough omega 9... or does your body make that if you get enough 3 and 6? Supplements are exhausting.

doxiemoxie212

@zamora_spin I think 6 is the one you probably def get enough of. 3 is what dha and EPA are. I actually have no idea about 9. I can't stand fish oil taste (and I'm lacto ovo veg, no fish), so I take the algae ones. They have zero taste, thank the lawd. 

Supplements ARE exhausting. I'm so over them. 

zamoraspin

@doxiemoxie212 Mine do not have any taste, luckily!

ffw0617

@asun123I am anemic as well, do you eat meat? A lot of ppl say eat beans or green leafy vegetables while those foods do have iron they have nonheme ironour bodies are less efficient at absorbing nonheme iron. I use to be one of those people who threw 2 cups of spinach in my smoothie every morning with foods rich in vitamin C and I thought I was doing good. Found out it didn't help that much. Meat is your best best, being pregnant we have to limit the seafood, but beef, chicken, turkey. Of course take your vitamins but making sure I get at least 6 oz of iron rich meat per day has help my blood work tons. So much so that my doctor isn't even making a big deal about it (like she use to) even though I'm pregnant. 

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 @zamora_spin your Omega-3/DHA discussion prompted me to look into it more and it looks like the algae DHA supplement I have been taking is only 200mg. It looks like you're supposed to be getting 300mg bare min. I can ask my doctor about just taking two pills instead of the 1 it recommends. 

What ones are you taking? 

zamoraspin

@krashke - I'm taking Rainbow Light Prenatal DHA  (https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Light-Prenatal-Essentials-Softgels/dp/B000WUJ7B6). I get them through Amazon with Subscribe & Save so they are $20 per bottle for 60, and you take one a day, so about $10 a month. I was taking Nordic DHA Prenatals for a while, and I liked them, but they were two pills a day and were a little more expensive, about $14 per month and I don't think I could Subscribe & Save with them. (https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Naturals-Development-Pregnancy-Lactation/dp/B015RZ868K/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1508344596&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=prenatal+dha&th=1). 
eta: I'm not super price averse on this stuff generally but because I take so much stuff and also am using progesterone daily that is not covered by my insurance, plus I am making DH stay on his multi and CoQ10 for now, I think we are spending something like $180 per month just on supplements and progesterone. 

doxiemoxie212

@krashke I take.... I think Blue Bonnet now? I used to take.... Source Naturals? I think? But last time I ordered, Amazon was out or wasn't offering it prime or something. I think mine are only 200 per pill, but I feel better about it combining with the omega 3 6 9 for now. I'm planning to ask my OB about doses next week, though. 

yogamamabear

I really love these gummies i also see them listed on prenatals that help subside nausea as well. 

katie121209

I take the Olly prenatal gummies. I'm not sure how they stack up to others but I have never been able to take a multi with iron. No matter the time of day, cutting it in half, taking with food, etc, I get nauseous and usually vomit. After my c-section where I lost way too much blood my mom got me the liquid iron and it was a game-changed. Somehow mixing that with OJ appeared to do the trick and didn't bother my stomach. I'm going to have my OB check my iron as we progress and see if I need to add that back in. 

basemodel

I just spent $78 on prenatal vitamins. Trying not to cry.

asun123

yogamamabear said:

I really love these gummies i also see them listed on prenatals that help subside nausea as well. 

I took these with a previous pregnancy but since they have no iron in them, it wasn’t a good fit for me. I think all gummy prenatals have no iron which is what makes them easier on the stomach. Usually you still have to make sure you’re getting iron in you some other way if you choose gummy prenatals.