Product Spotlight: Vitamins

Kathryn0903 · August 2019

Our very first Product Spotlight! We'll do "non-registry" items to start us off.

Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product. Feel free to comment on these threads throughout your time at the board, not just during its week in the spotlight, if you discover something new OR are new to the board. This week we're talking.... Vitamins!

FTMs are encouraged to ask questions & STM/+s encouraged to share their knowledge based on experience. You can use any or all the prompts relevant to you below to share info in an easy-to-read format. Pictures/screen grabs, if put in spoilers, are welcome!

For all...

What brand prenatal vitamins are you taking & why?
What other brands of prenatals, if any, did you take this pregnancy before these? Why the switch?
Any other vitamins you are taking & why?
Anything else related to vitamins to add?

For STMs/STM+s...

Are you taking the same vitamins you have w/ previous pregnancies?
Why/why not?

Kathryn0903 · August 2019

I'm taking the VitaFusion gummy prenatals. Same ones I took last pregnancy. Don't love them, but I have trouble swallowing pills, so gummies it is. I think they smell awful, but they're manageable.
When do you guys take your prenatals? I've been taking them in the morning like last pregnancy. Last pregnancy, I had horrible morning sickness and I wondered if it would have been better taking them in the evening.

aresee · August 2019

I’m using the Nature Made ones, which are the same I used last time. Affordable and they seem like they’re good quality.

I’m currently taking them in the morning, but might switch to nighttime at some point. I had minor morning sickness last time and switching to night definitely helped.

mercury94 · August 2019

I take the One a Day prenatals. It’s only one pill (no separate one for DHA) and I have less trouble with it as it is a soft pill. Plus, as long as I take it with food, I’m not getting the unpleasant after taste from the fish oil.

ETA: I tried a few others last time, including one called Brain Strong abs some gummies. I just didn’t like them due to either the horse pill size or the taste.

littleredm · August 2019

@mercury94 I take the One a Day prenatals too but the ones I take have a separate DHA one. I take them with food too and so far I haven't had any problems with them.

sanpelligrino · August 2019

I take the Ritual brand prenatals. Their ingredients are clean, well sourced, all Non GMO, gluten free and no nausea design. I used to have their vitamins for women last year and switched to their prenatals this year. I also do take an additional B vitamins for the extra folate, etc. the ritual brand vitamins are one of the rare multivitamins that source their omega 3 DHA from microalgae as opposed to fish, to avoid heavy metals contamination like mercury from fish.

aresee · August 2019

@sanpelligrino I was thinking about trying those!

sanpelligrino · August 2019

@aresee i would def recommend. if you don't have an issue with pills, you could try it. i know some ladies prefer the gummies. i have my order set to autoship, so just have been getting them regularly for the past year or so.

mandarenee898 · August 2019

I take the generic Target brand pre-natal vitamin and then Fish oil separate. I tend to buy the fish oil when Walgreens has the b1g1 free sale on vitamins. Should probably check out the pre-natal vitamins during that sale too I guess!

sanpelligrino · August 2019

Ladies, any recommendations for fish oil? I've been planning to incorporate it into my regimen, but looking for good brands that dont taste too fishy lol

mandarenee898 · August 2019

@sanpelligrino Nature Made makes a “burp less” one. I didn’t think it made a difference until I bought the NON “burp less” and it was considerably more fishy.

dmbjrgem24 · August 2019

I don’t remember the brand I originally tried when pregnant with DD1, but they were really rough on my stomach and I switched to Super Nutrition Simply One Prenatals. They are super easy on the belly and I took them through all of my prior pregnancies.

kerriann0o114 · August 2019

I take Rainbow Light for prenatals. They are more expensive than other brands, but if prenatals make you queasy like me, these are great. They contain probiotics, which help with the queasiness. They are big and smelly though. DH says they smell like a margarita. They absolutely do not. I also take Ovega 3 for DHA. They are a vegetarian supplement (I'm not a vegetarian) derived from algae rather than fish. So there is little risk of mercury contamination. They are also a little more expensive, but no fish burps!

kath1414 · August 2019

I’ve been taking materna brand at night. No reason why just the brand I bought awhile ago! Once I run out I might switch to gummies as I’m not the best at swallowing pills.

Ive also been taking a B complex once a day in the morning. I’m a vegetarian so the extra B12 is good as well as B6 for preventing MS (apparently there are theories about this). So far no MS at all! Also for the extra folate and energy that B vitamins provide!

sanpelligrino · August 2019

@kath1414 nice to know another fellow vegetarian on this board

ive been taking my prenatals and B complex religiously, I had no idea it was good for MS, fingers crossed it keeps the MS away.

kath1414 · August 2019

@sanpelligrino that’s awesome you are vegetarian as well!

A chiropractor actually told me about the B6 deficiency theory and MS. There’s a MS drug commonly prescribed in Canada (diclectin) that’s made up of B6 and an antacid.

She also notices (and there’s apparently studies on this as well) people who have taken PNV pre conception are less likely to have MS. (Due to the B6 stores? )

aresee · August 2019

I looked into Ritual and it says they’re sold out and not taking new subscribers for prenatal vitamins! I signed up for the waitlist, so hopefully they’ll be back in stock by the time I finish my current bottle.

jd614 · August 2019

I take One a Day plus extra folate

macguyvermom · August 2019

I was taking prenatal one by rainbow light but have recently switched to
Garden of life vitamin code raw prenatal and deva vegan omega 3. I am also a vegetarian and get neausea easily so that was important but found that the vegan/vegetarian vitamins rated higher generally anyway.
There is a for profit company that does independent testing of vitamin efficacy, it was really helpful in determining what to buy.

Mrs.DeRuysscher · August 2019

I tried prenatals with my other pregnancies and they were hard on my stomach. This time I have ordered a raw prenatal from garden of life the reviews say it gentler on the stomach.

sanpelligrino · August 2019

I've heard a lot of good things about garden of life raw prenatals.

macguyvermom · August 2019

@Mrs.DeRuysscher So far so good for me. I have only had an orangeish flavored burp and no upset but I was able to tolerate standard CVS prenatal last time.

youcancallmebeth · August 2019

These taste like fruit leathers or bars...so yummy!

I stocked up at Shoppers Drug Mart

babyrummom · August 2019

@kath1414 and @sanpelligrino I’m also a vegetarian!

I take the Pink stork Total prenatal + DHA. I also take an additional iron pill and vitamin C. I was anemic a few months before trying to conceive, so went on iron and vitamin C. The doctor told me to just continue to take them, even once my blood count improved (if they didn’t upset my stomach). He thought that once I got pregnant I would become anemic again, so told me to keep on taking them.

babybison · August 2019

@babyrummom Oh me too me too! Vegetarians for the win.

Along with prenatals I also take 5,000iu of D3 a day. My midwife prescribed it during my first pregnancy, and I've just been taking them ever since.

sanpelligrino · August 2019

@babybison what a coincidence I take the 5000 iu D3 as well. It was prescribed to be along with CoQ when I was TTC . I stopped the CoQ though.

mysteryship · August 2019

@youcancallmebeth I take those too, they're always 2 for 1 at my local grocery store.

mercury94 · August 2019

@babybison My OB just had me start the D3 because my levels were low at my appointment last week.

KFrob · August 2019

@mandarenee898 I also take the Target ones. I've stuck with them through DD1 and DD2. They're cheap, I've never had an issue with the fish oil taste.

I take mine at night with a light snack since I read some where that caffeine can interfere with iron absorption.

babybison · August 2019

Why is iron so hard to be absorbed 😆 I knew dairy affected it, but now caffeine too? It's such a pain!

KFrob · August 2019

@babybison I didn't know about dairy! I know vitamin C is supposed to help the absorption so for a while I was trying to take it with a glass of OJ

aresee · August 2019

In case anyone's interested, the Ritual Prenatal Vitamins are back in stock now and taking new subscribers.

SweetNiks · August 2019

I am taking Nature’s made currently. I took target brand gummies with my 1st and 2nd. I was taking Rainbow Light until recently when I found out they were in a big law suit and it just made me nervous since I miscarried while taking them.

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