Prenatal Vitamins

MrsL2012

Hey girls!  My husband and I are planning to start ttc in October and all my friends are telling me that I should be taking prenatal vitamins already.  Do anyone of you know why that is?  Does it help to conceive easier or make your body healthier for a baby?  Should I consult my obgyn before starting to take it?  Which ones are good?  My friend said the one from Costco is good (NatureMade Prenatal Multi +DHA) which I picked up but am thinking that I probably need to talk to my doctor first?  

holly321

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

monimu13

You want to start taking PNV now for the folic acid.  Folic acid can help to decrease the incidence of spina bifida.  I take the Nature Valley from Wal-Mart, whatever you like is fine.  I've heard from some people that the DHA ones make them nauseous, but everyone is different.  Hope that helps!

SpartanGirl24

holly321:

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

This.

I like the target brand gummies... they are like eating candy every morning.

kristykay123

SpartanGirl24:

holly321:

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

This.

I like the target brand gummies... they are like eating candy every morning.

Hell to the yeah! They are like candy and don't give you the poops. Same goes for the Vitafusion that Walmart carries. 

rinascita

https://www.newchapter.com/multi-vitamins/perfect-prenatal

These are mine... they never, ever give me an upset stomach...  

MrsL2012

thanks everyone!  the gummy ones sound yummy!  lol  sounds like pnv have a tendency to give people an upset stomach?  is it because of the folic acid? do i need to consult my doctor first before starting to take pnvs?

AGlaze

kristykay123:

SpartanGirl24:

holly321:

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

This.

I like the target brand gummies... they are like eating candy every morning.

Hell to the yeah! They are like candy and don't give you the poops. Same goes for the Vitafusion that Walmart carries. 

I got Vitafusion at Target today  

raeyn

MrsL2012:

thanks everyone!  the gummy ones sound yummy!  lol  sounds like pnv have a tendency to give people an upset stomach?  is it because of the folic acid? do i need to consult my doctor first before starting to take pnvs?

You generally don't need to talk to your doctor before taking them. I don't think it's the folic acid that makes people feel nauseous, since all PNVs have that. The Vitafusion gummies are really popular on here. I used to take Centrum Specialist and they made me feel awful, but the Vitafusion ones are super yummy and never bother my stomach. I take an iron supplement as well, since the gummies don't have iron in them.

kibylou

MrsL2012:

thanks everyone!  the gummy ones sound yummy!  lol  sounds like pnv have a tendency to give people an upset stomach?  is it because of the folic acid? do i need to consult my doctor first before starting to take pnvs?

 

I don't think you really need to consult your doctor before taking them.  I asked my doctor at one of my check ups and he just said make sure it has folic acid and that you start taking it 3 months before TTC.  Not sure what other doctors would say.  I love the Vitafusion gummies too!

notkateanymore

kristykay123:

SpartanGirl24:

holly321:

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

This.

I like the target brand gummies... they are like eating candy every morning.

Hell to the yeah! They are like candy and don't give you the poops. Same goes for the Vitafusion that Walmart carries. 

I actually look forward to taking them and have to stop myself from eating extra...I know that's really weird. 

hfloistoocute

kristykay123:

SpartanGirl24:

holly321:

over the counter prenatals are fine, look for ones with high folic acid, 800 ish.

The hospital told me that it is best for a woman of childbearing age to take them. So I never stopped taking them from having DD.  Folic acid helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

This.

I like the target brand gummies... they are like eating candy every morning.

 

Hell to the yeah! They are like candy and don't give you the poops. Same goes for the Vitafusion that Walmart carries. 

Love the vitafusion! 

ariaforte8

I bought the vita fusion gummies for $13 on eBay. Not sure how much they are in store.

Gem11

I might buy the gummy kind when I run out of my pills. Mine don't upset my stomach but they are like swallowing a rock. They are huge, like horse pills. The other day it went down sideways, it hurt so bad and it totally freaked me out.

steph620

I got the Nature Made+DHA ones and they don't bother me. DHA is good for baby's brain development!

doodiebug18

As pp have mentioned any women of child bearing age, especially those wanting to conceive in the future should be on a prenatal with folic acid.  Taking a prenatal before officially TTC won't hurt you, and it's good to be taking a vitamin everyday taking a prenatal just helps you even more!  

brittandjp

I agree with the Vitafusion. They're really yummy and relatively cheap. They don't have iron though, so you may want to add an iron supplement. I honestly haven't done this yet, but I plan on picking some up soon.

holly321

Iron is what upsets your stomach.

 

I had to take high iron prescription pnv when KU with DD.  Oddly, they helped my ms though.  My pal, a pharmacist, explained to me why, I can't fully remember.  But the inactive ingredients in prescription ones can help ease m/s. 

There are ways to get past the pills making you sick.  Take with food, a glass of milk, right before bed. 

raeyn

holly321:

Iron is what upsets your stomach.

 

I had to take high iron prescription pnv when KU with DD.  Oddly, they helped my ms though.  My pal, a pharmacist, explained to me why, I can't fully remember.  But the inactive ingredients in prescription ones can help ease m/s. 

There are ways to get past the pills making you sick.  Take with food, a glass of milk, right before bed. 

Centrum Specialist has 27mg of iron, and they made me extremely nauseous and gave me bad heartburn no matter when I took them or what I ate. Now I take Vitafusion and Spring Valley iron supplements with 65mg of iron and I don't feel sick at all. So I guess it's not the iron that was bothering me.

 

ETA: Words 

holly321

Not say it is the case. but it could be the form of iron.

GermanGirl2007

I take gummy vites too.  My OB told me years ago that any woman of childbearing age should be taking them, so I have been taking them for a few years.  At my RE visit last week, he said that any multivitamin with folic acid is fine.

ah625

raeyn:

I take an iron supplement as well, since the gummies don't have iron in them.

Vitafusion's gummies lack calcium. 

They also contain a synthetic version of Vitamin A, which is best derived from plant based materials. The synthetic they use is called Retinyl Palmitate. As this is also packed into cosmetics, lotions and bodywashes (and milk!); it's easy to get more than the recommended daily dose before you take any supplements. Too much vitamin A can cause problems, and these contain TWICE the daily recommended amount for Retinyl Palmitate. 

martia21

my doctor put me on prenatals once i got off my birth control. She said its because they help prepare my body for what is to come and helps get my healthy. Actually if you have a meijer by you but they offer free prenatals all your doctor has to call is call in a prescriptions for prenatals (off their list of the free ones) and you can get them filled for free its great. I know everyone says how prenatals get them sick mine i have been taking for 4 months now and have not had a problem good luck!!

MLB630

Anybody heard of the BellyBar prenatal vitamins? I can't take big pills and these are chewable. Just wanted to see someone elses opinion on them before I buy them!