Product spotlight: Prenatal vitamins

LJMoon6

What prenatal vitamins are you taking?

quelinda99

I'm taking the One A Day prenatal. I haven't had any issues with it so far! Sometimes the only version available at the store is the advanced prenatal, that comes with a separate bottle of choline. So if I have that I take it too. There are some articles online about the benefits of choline but it doesn't seem to be present in some prenatals so I'm not sure. I hope I am getting enough. 

LJMoon6

I forgot to take mine last night. I'm kicking myself right now. I'm usually pretty good. I have an alarm set and have them set up in a pill box lol.
I take Garden of Life. Last time I also took a DHA pill from Nordic Naturals. But Garden of Life now has a +DHA version of their prenatal, so that's what I've been taking. I might switch back to the Nordic DHA pill and start taking the gummy Garden of Life prenatals since those were easier to get down when I had a gag reflex to large pills last time.

melanier26

I take the Rainbow Light prenatal + DHA duo. The vitamin is pretty big but I only have an issue with that every once in a blue moon. It has ingredients added to make it easier on your stomach. I take mine before bed and have no issues with it. 

binxybaby

I'm a big fan of Rainbow Light, but instead of the one big pill @melanier26 takes, I take the three mini pills. My gag reflex is insane, especially with morning sickness, so I guess it helps a little. Not much, because even writing this makes me want to gag.

thegeekymom

Vitafusion gummies. I've been taking them non-stop for the last couple years. I miss when they had the lemonade flavored ones though. 

inthewoods23

I'm taking the SmartyPants capsule prenatal. I was doing the gummies for a while but figured I should switch so I can get some iron. I'm also taking the Nordic Naturals prenatal DHA on top of that

zinnia19

I've been taking the prenatal from New Chapter. I work at a natural grocery store and am able to buy that brand in particular at a huge discount.  I do have to cut it in half cause its a huge pill! And I'm taking the Nordic Naturals Algae DHA. Also taking some extra B12 because I'm vegan. My prenatal doesn't include calcium though. Do you all take a calcium supplement or just try to get it thru food?

LJMoon6

@inthewoods23 The thing about iron is that some of the other vitamins in the prenatal can block the absorption of it. In my previous pregnancy I ended up having to take an extra iron pill because mine was too low. I would take it in the morning on an empty stomach and not eat or drink anything for an hour afterwards (not sure if that's what's recommended but it's just what I did).
@zinnia19 I didn't think about calcium. I didn't take anything extra last time. I am craving some milk every once in a while, which is highly unusual for me lol. I'm probably just going to keep trying to get it through food.

stardustskies

One a Day prenatal. I took it with my last pregnancy too. Not harsh on the stomach and no aftertaste or weird burps.

velvetblue88

I take Nature's Way Alive! Complete Prenatal + 200mg DHA. I also take an additional DHA supplement.

runnergirl2018

Shaklee women's multi is a prenatal - it's the main thing i take right now when nausea is high, but typically i add to it an omega, vitamin d, and calcium/magnesium supplement, as well as a probiotic

zwink1

I've taken both the Rainbow Light and Garden of Life prenatals in the past and liked them both. 

This time around I'm taking Theranatal by Theralogix, and if I take it around the wrong time it has a tendency to make me queasy, but I've generally got that figured out and it's got a ton of good stuff in it, so it's working.  

bearsandbeets7

I am taking the NatureMade prenatal, they were pretty limited in the brands they had when I picked them up. I was taking a gummy but felt like I wasn’t getting the same nutrients as if I took an actual pill. That’s probably just my brain thinking that though. 

tuxielove93

I can’t take a damn thing right now, but once I can again I take the MyKind Garden of Life prenatal. According to my midwife, because it’s a whole food source of iron, it’s supposed to be easier to digest and not cause upset stomach. This one worked for me and didn’t cause any stomach issues. 

caymanmel

I take one a day advanced prenatel vitamin.   Easy to go down and not hard on my stomach.   
I previously bought another brand of prenatel gummies but the taste was so bad I threw them away. 

msspoon12

I’m taking the essential prenatal gummies from Olly, I chew 2 every morning and love them so far.

tsh2021

@msspoon12 - I take the same ones. I also take a fish oil and an extra iron. I’m a vegetarian and feel like I likely don’t get enough even with the prenatal. (I know olly has gelatin and fish oil isn’t vegetarian, but hey, we all have to give a little during pregnancy). 

skilouise

I take Theralogix's TheraNatal Core during fertility treatments, then switch to the Complete version during pregnancy.  It's the brand my RE recommends, and it's independently tested to confirm that it actually contains what it claims to contain.  The Complete version is 3 pills, but has extra vitamin D and DHA.

tsh2021

@skilouise - why do you switch? 

tsh2021

Never mind. I just read your message more carefully. Mornings without coffee still get me 😬

binxybaby

Just an FYI -- if you do decide to add a calcium supplement in, make sure you take it at least 2 hours after your prenatal. Calcium affects absorption of iron and we need our iron as pregnant people! 

inthewoods23

@binxybaby agreed! The nurse mentioned this to me last week. I think it's also beneficial if you're taking a separate vitamin D supplement to take it at the same time as the calcium to help with absorption.

sunshineandlemons

Not sure if this is the case for all Meijer pharmacies (Midwest grocery chain) but they have free prenatal vitamins. Your doctor just has to write a prescription for them and send them off. The kind my pharm has is called prenatal plus multivitamin tablets + DHA minicaps. They’re in a blister pack and you take the vitamin and the DHA capsule each day.

binxybaby

@sunshineandlemons Do you know if you get to pick the prenatal? I know they stock Rainbow Light at my Meijer. I'm guessing not from what you said, but it would be great to save a little moolah. 

sunshineandlemons

@binxybaby I don’t think you can pick but I’ve also never asked, so maybe you can? These have never bothered me (they were the same ones I took with my second daughter) so I’ve not tried anything different.

stardustskies

@binxybaby I'm an MA and you can ask for a specific prenatal to be sent to your pharmacy and just have them write "DAW" when they send it in. Now whether insurance covers that specific type or not is up to them.