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1st Trimester
Heather661
member
"Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream." ~ From Juno
Anyone NOT taking a prenatal?
Heather661
member
I just wanted to see if there was anyone NOT taking a prenatal during pregnancy?
I haven't started mine (waiting to see dr on tues for a rx) but was just wondering if anyone is choosing not to take them.
"Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream." ~ From Juno
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Anyone NOT taking a prenatal?
I refuse to take a prescription prenatal. Often they have synthetic vitamins that can be harmful to some babies and mothers if overdosed. I didn't take ay prenatal until about week 9 or 10 because I was waiting for the one's I wanted (New Chapter:
https://www.newchapter.com/prenatal
) which are still out of stock at my Whole Foods Market so I bought these until they come in at the end of the month
https://www.gardenoflife.com/ProductsforLife/THEVITAMINCODEsupsup/MultivitaminFormulas/RAWPrenatal/tabid/1823/Default.aspx
They don't have DHA, but I take a cod liver oil that does have it.
Actually, many women don't take them and they have pretty good reasons. They cause incredible sickness and migraines for a lot of women. Obviously taking them is the best way to go but some women just can't do it.
I agree that its super important - and yes, I am waiting for a Rx because I had a lot (a lot) of issues with OTC prenatals with my DD. I had to change several times during the pregnancy, and the only thing that worked was finally a Rx from my Obgyn.
The question just stemmed from a convo I had with another woman who said she never took prenatal with her kids, just said she ate more greens, milk etc etc.
Was just wondering if there was anyone who had a for or against on prenatals.
"Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream." ~ From Juno
I found just taking my folic acid when I had really bad m/s wasn't that bad but I have never missed completely. I take my just before I go to sleep and that helps.
I just find that incredibly selfish. As a good mom, you should be thinking about the well-being of your CHILD, not yourself. I don't see m/s and migraines as a good enough reason to sacrifice your child for. You should be taking prenatals at least 6 months before you conceive. For those that don't, you are idiots.
If there's a specific brand that worked for you last time, call your doctor and ask that they call in a prescription. Tell them that you won't take prenatals prior to your appointment unless you get the ones that work for you.
I bet they will call them in.
Definitely taking them. I haven't had any troubles so I'm not one to judge those who have problems taking them.
I've never heard of someone electively not taking them because they are so so so helpful for the baby.
Also, calling people idiots is rude.. you have no idea of their circumstances. I started taking prenatals as soon as we started trying. Luckily we got pregnant on the second month of trying, so I am an idiot for not having them in my system for 6 months. My OB was actually very happy that they had been in my system. Simmer down.
Idiots - I am referring to the ones that are TTC and are choosing not to take vitamins. You are just asking for it.
I have nothing against those that had no clue they were pg and started taking prenatals after they found out.
The last time I checked, this was a free country and I am entitled to my own opinion. And yes, I do think there are a lot of idiots in this world.
Are you serious??
I wasn't actively TTC and as a result I was NOT taking prenatals. Obviously, when I found out that we were pregnant I started but still, don't judge ladies who hadn't started until they found out..
Not nice...
You are also entitled to your opinion. I am just extremely offended by people who take getting pg for granted and want to take a chance on the health and well-being of their child. Why would anyone want to risk that? This is coming from someone who has had a loss before and I would do anything and everything possible to ensure my baby was well taken care of. Why wouldn't you think someone is an idiot for not doing so?
I've already mentioned that I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST WOMEN THAT START STAKING PRENATALS AFTER THEY FOUND OUT THEY WERE PG. I'm talking about the ones that deliberately sacrifice their baby's health for their own comfort. SELFISH IDIOTS.
I didn't say they were fine, I'm saying at least they are being responsible and trying to do everything they can. Sheesh!
Well, it's a good thing you are not the last word on vitamins. Also, we wont ignore the fact that your comment was completely ignorant. Baby is first priority, correct. However, when the sickness and the migraines (or whatever medical condition stops you from taking them) causes stress on your body such as non stop vomitting, not eating, sleeping or being able to hydrate properly, you are putting your baby at risk (per OB!) In addition to all that, if you are so sick that you can't keep a vitamin down, then what? I'm suck at life bc I can't control my M/S. You are entitled to your opinion but that's all it is, an opinion. Get medical background before bashing people in different situations. Jumping to conclusions and making ignorant claims makes you an idiot, physically NOT being able to take a vitamin, does not.
That is excellent advice. If this is not your first pregnancy then your OB should have the pre-existing prescription from your last time and the explanation in the file of why you needed it.
Heather661 said "but was just wondering if anyone is choosing not to take them. The question just stemmed from a convo I had with another woman who said she never took prenatal with her kids, just said she ate more greens, milk etc etc."
It doesn't sound like this woman she spoke to has a medical condition does she now? I'm not claiming to be a medical expert and I understand there are always exceptions to everything. I'm just wondering why the hell are you attacking someone like me who is fiercely passionate about protecting her child and giving them the best start possible versus someone who is playing roulette with the health of their unborn baby because they think they know what is best for them? Getting the nutrients from eating more greens, milk etc, etc. Really? Get your priorities straight people!
I remember quite a few bumpies that had luck taking children's chewable multivitamins if they couldn't stomach a PNV. No sense taking something if you're going to throw it up before your body can absorb it.
My midwives are of the camp that not all PNV's are created or absorbed equally. I'd ask your doc/midwife what they recommend. Of course, their recommendations are usually more expensive. For my last pregnancy, I spent $40/month on vitamins. This time, thankfully it's only $25 and it includes DHA.
One last thing--I've now been to 2 midwife practices (we've moved since my last pregnancy). Both times, I was told that the baby was going to get all the nutrients they need from us regardless of what vitamins we take. I was told that the vitamins were actually to keep us healthy. That doesn't seem to be the consensus on this board, so I'm wondering if anyone has any clinical studies that state otherwise. I'm always interested in learning as much as I can. Thanks!
You are 100% right. If someone is just merely CHOOSING not to take their PNV just for the hell of it, that is really not smart. I am not attacking you what-so-ever. YOU said you didn't see M/S and migraines as a good enough reason to not take a PNV and I was just letting you know that according to an OB - it is a good enough reason. Also, let's face it, you began attacking with the 'idiot' comment. That is not my intent and I apologize if it came off that way. I do agree that PNV are the best way to go (in my opinion) but I'm also saying, I see why some women can't take them.
Not all prenatals are 100% equal. If one causes sickness, etc, take a different one, or at a different time of day, or with food, etc. I really can't think of a "good" reason to not take them.
My little man at 0-1-2
Obviously prenatal vitamins are a hot topic but only because I have done some research am I replying.
Everyone knows that you take folic acid to reduce the risk of spinal deformations. But further to that Prenatal vitamins help build a healthy and well-adjusted baby. Studies show that taking prenatal vitamins are beneficial to optimal brain, heart, kidney and other organ developments and functions. Regular intake of essential nutrients can also help prevent the occurrence of cognitive impairment, physical and mental delays as well as other medical conditions associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, malformation of the bones is often related to insufficient amounts of Vitamin D and/or calcium. In recent studies, attention and behavioral issues have been frequently linked to the lack of Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly DHA which research has proven helpful to a child?s cognitive development.
Just some info I found interesting in my research.
Firstly, you yourself are not sounding all that intelligent in this post, perhaps you are now aware of that by the scathing comments following this bit of drivel, however I doubt you are. You mention that a loss in your past makes you have these views. Well if that is allowed my four losses should make me truly unbearable, however they tend to make me a bit more understanding of others and not so judgmental.
My OB took me off of PNVs after I was in the hospital for dehydration during my pregnancy with DD. I was terrified and felt like a failure. I mean everything you hear about taking those vitamins made me feel like I was a horrible mother already since I couldn't keep them down. Then my OB informed me that sometimes, there is an overabundance of those vitamins in our system, and our body rejects the pills because they are essentially poisoning our bloodstream with too much of a good thing. She told me to take a break for a week, then take some Flinstones vitamins, which I did and threw those up too. She finally took me off of vitamins for a full month, and I started them up again at the start of my 2nd trimester. Ironically, the same thing happened again with this LO and a totally different type of PNV. Perhaps you should learn a bit of tact. You may feel the way you do over a loss, and I the way I do over mine, however don't think that a loss makes you an expert on good mothering or "idiocy", clearly.
I would quote that incredibly rude judgmental comment, but for some reasno my quote function isn't working.
ROSES or whatever --
Have you ever had a migraine? I'm not just talking about a bad headache: I'm talking about a REAL migraine (which isnt' a headache, BTW, it's a brain disorder), where you see spots, get dizzy, barf your guts up for hours, have disorientation, slur your speech, and have tingly hands? Because if my pre-natal vitamins gave me the kind of migraines that I get, I gurantee I wouldn't be taking them (and there wouldn't be a point anyway, because I'd barf them back up).
Migraines are no joking matter, and if you don't suffer from TRUE migraines (not just bad headaches -- huge difference!), you have no idea how traumatic they are.
FYI, I am taking prenatals and thank god they haven't given me migraines.
You are so delusional that I don't even know where to start. Did it ever occur to you that it isn't healthy on a pregnancy to suffer from migraines and other side effects? Do you drink out of plastic bottles or cups Because if so, then I think you are A COMPLETE IDIOT for not banning plastic from your house 6 months prior to conception, SHEESH, EVERYbODY knows that BPA is bad for you and an impending pregnancy. How selfish of you. Do you eat foods with high fructose corn syrup, and use deoderant with aluminum in it? HOW SELFISH, THAT IS SO BAD FOR YOU. Get a grip.
You should start immediately!...
Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium
Folic acid helps prevent neural tube birth defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord.
Neural tube defects develop in the first 28 days after conception, before many women know they are pregnant. Because about half of all pregnancies are unplanned, it's recommended that any woman who could get pregnant take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily, starting before conception and continuing for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Foods containing folic acid include green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, citrus fruits, and many fortified foods. Even so, it's a good idea to take a supplement with the right amount of folic acid, as a backup.
Calcium is also important for a pregnant woman. It can help prevent her from losing her own bone density, as the baby uses calcium for its own bone growth.
Iron helps blood -- in both the mother and baby -- carry oxygen.
You do realize that prenatal vitamins are a recent development with regards to how long humans have been having babies. The best thing for baby would be to make sure you are getting enough of the nutrients you need via your dietary choices, but most people don't do that. Prenatals are a great development, but your body absorbs the nutrients much more easily through food so they are not ideal.
Obviously, if you don't think you are getting enough of the proper vitamins through your diet, a prenatal vitamin would be the next best choice.
This. I have been taking just the Target brand prenatals since January. I am still taking those now that I am pregnant. Once I go to my first appointment, my ob-gyn might suggest I take a different kind or write me an Rx... but for now, I'll keep taking the ones I have.
******************************
Nov siggy challenge: animals eating Thanksgiving food
Rhys - born 04.17.2013
Harry - born 04.18.2016
I was unable to take PNV with my first. I became extremely sick (as I do with any vitamin). My doctor provided me with a very specific diet that would provide my body with enough of the vitamins needed, along with folic acid. It was not the best option, but I was unable to work I was so ill.
So far this pregnancy I have been able to stomach Flintsone chewables, but not PNVs.
I have been told this by both of my dr's as well. That the babies will take everything they need and a lot of times that leads our bodies with little to nothing left and can be part of the reason some get so sick and exhausted (other than the whole growing a human part...)
1. Migraines are a medical condition and it related with the brain but it is not a brain disorder. Of all the websites I've quickly looked through only one says it may be a neurological disorder (and that was wikipedia)
2. You don't need to have ALL the symptoms you suggested to be considered a migraine. I often will only have insane sensitivity to light and sound.
3. They don't have to last for as long as I believe you are suggesting. They can be as short as 2 hours and as long as 72 hours (i believe).
My BIL suffers from severe migraines with nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light/sound, and the first time he was treated with the wrong medicine he went off the walls (he [kinda] unintentionally punched a nurse at the ER) so we've had a lot of experience with his migraines. I've had several of my own but they are much less frequent partially due to the fact that I have to have several environmental triggers work together so it makes avoiding them much easier. Not trying to be mean - just wanting to clarify some parts of what migraines are.
BFP - 7/16/12 ----- EDD 3/27/13 ----- Born 4/5/13
BFP - 5/27/14 ----- EDD 1/31/14 or 2/4/15
This is a very strong opinion and I disagree. I think prenatals are extremely important but every time I took them in the first trimester with DS I threw up. In fact I threw up even if I drank water most of the time. I was on IVs 3 times a week so I didn't dehydrate. At that point my Dr. was just wanting me to get some food down.... prenatals weren't something I could even stomach. I can guarantee I would have lost the baby and even caused serious problems with my own health if I had forced down the prenatals only to throw them up minutes later with all the fluids I had for the day as well. I don't appreciate being referred to as selfish or an idiots because I was so sick. I did take prenatals for 2 years before conceiving and still took them right up until they wouldn't stay down.
ETA: even after I stopped throwing up several times a day, I only was able to handle children's gummi vitamin for the rest of my pregnancy......... there was nothing more I could have done.
No, I have never had a migraine last longer than a day or two, so I was not implying that they last any particular duration of time. Some of mine have been a few hours, some a few days, some only 30 minutes.
But the assumption that anybody who avoids PNV's due to "a simple migraine" is selfish and not being a responsible pre-natal mom REALLY set me off -- because people don't understand how scary a migraine can be. The first few that I had, I thought I was having a stroke.
My doctor told me that this kind of migraine, also called an ocular migraine or migraine with aura or in old terms "a complicated migraine (duh)" is a neurological disorder.
Whatever you call it, it is very scary and painful and I hope nobody else ever has to go through it. But calling people selfish idiots for choosing to avoid them really really bothers me.