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October 2022 Moms
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Product Spotlight: Vitamins

bows22bows22 member
in October 2022 Moms

I figured I’d kick off our first product spotlight! I posted a proposed schedule for each week, please check it out and see if you think we should adjust it at all!

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?
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Re: Product Spotlight: Vitamins

  • bows22bows22 member
    edited February 2022
    I alternate every other day (ish - sometimes I can’t remember what I took the day before) between the Vitafusuin gummies and the Nature Made prenatal. I only did the gummies last pregnancy but at some point in the last 5 years I had bloodwork done that showed low iron and the doctor recommended I switch to a prenatal with iron. It upset my stomach talking it every day but the every other day seems to be working well as my iron was back to normal the next time it was checked!

    I also take Vitamin D because that was low at some point too. It’s also back to normal but my RE said to just keep taking it for now. 
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  • merostomatamerostomata member
    I take the MegaFood prenatal gummies (YUM) and the MegaFood prenatal choline+DHA. It’s a little spendy but I love that they are from natural sources. I also take a high dose of iron, plus vitamin D and magnesium separately.

    I did the NatureMade prenatal +DHA last pregnancy and it worked ok for me. The iron helped kick my weird red meat cravings that I got while taking a different vitamin. I’ve since learned through bloodwork that I need a LOT more iron though to alleviate my anemia, and I’m more interested in natural sourced vitamins this time around. I don’t like that the NatureMade has magnesium oxide or cyanocobalamin in it. I also took choline but don’t remember the specific brand- something generic probably!

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  • isceaiscea member
    I started taking New Roots prenatal (Canadian) after my naturopath wanted to get me on a really "high quality prenatal" but honestly I find it so hard to get down the three big capsules that some days I just do the smarty pants gummies. Problem is, they only have around 400mcg of folate and I should be on 1000, so sometimes I supplement with a small 1000 folic acid pill. Also, the gummies don't have iron so I'm thinking I need to supplement with that too. 

    Eugh, honestly I find it all really overwhelming. Take enough iron, but not with calcium, oh and it'll prob make your constipation worse. And lots of folic acid, but not too much, because that can be harmful. And vitamin D, but with K so it gets absorbed, and don't forget fish oils..... Some days I feel like throwing them all out and just having an apple. 
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  • rockstarmomma152rockstarmomma152 member
    I take Best Nest Wellness’s Prenatal (a specialized company that offers methylated vitamins that are more easily absorbed by anyone with the MTHFR gene mutation), plus a prenatal fish oil from Nordic Naturals.
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  • reirei09reirei09 member
    I do the Nature made +DHA. I tried gummies with my last pregnancy but when I started getting nausea and a sour stomach, I hated taking them. 
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  • EmilyE13EmilyE13 member
    I am doing the Hello Bello organic prenatal gummies (yummy!) right now but also have the Garden of Life Vitamin Code raw prenatals I’ve taken with previous pregnancies and may switch to those when I finish the bottle of Hello Bello. I generally choose prenatals with folate instead of folic acid. I take a separate fish oil capsule with DHA. 

    I have tried the Nature Made + DHA before but they didn’t agree with my stomach at all. 
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  • merostomatamerostomata member
    @iscea I agree, it's totally annoying and overwhelming at times. The iron in particular is difficult-- almost everything interferes with it if you eat it within an hour or two (calcium, grains, coffee or tea, several different vitamins and minerals).  Taking iron with Vitamin C (which significantly aids its absorption) helped me with the constipation issue a lot, and the ferrous gluconate, sulfonate or ferrochel versions were a lot easier on the stomach. Some people also really like Heme iron, which isn't inhibited by calcium in the same way. The SimplyHeme brand gets a lot of rave reviews in this Facebook group I'm in.
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  • krthousekrthouse member
    I do Centrum + DHA, but I also add B12 gummies and my midwife had me add vitamin D because we're low on sunshine here for a good while. The B12 are supposed to help for people prone to anemia, which I am, so I was already taking them and I actually mostly stayed on prenatals since having DS so the only new thing is the vitamin D top up. Head's up for postpartum that staying on your prenatals can help stave off or reduce the postpartum hairloss that most mamas experience around the 3 to 9 month mark. I had briefly gone off them and my hair was chaos but when I went back on them it got better again.
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  • magic_lentilmagic_lentil member
    edited February 2022
    I’m using Natalist.  They seem to be complete and come in daily packets of 5 pills to take.  I wanted a one and done kind of deal rather than having to figure out my own cocktail of bottle of pills.  It’s a monthly subscription and kind of expensive at around $50 per month but I like that they include iron and take care of everything vitamin related for me.  Since I switched to these a week ago I feel way less run down than I was before which I attribute to the iron - anemia issues run in my family.  Even though it is a vegan formula I still get fishy burps though, the only downside.
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  • kattm2322kattm2322 member
    I've currently using One A Day Advanced with Choline supplement, but just recently purchased the Modern Fertility prenatals. Based on what I'm eating I'm already getting plenty of certain vitamins and minerals so I went for something that seems like it would supplement my eating habits, rather than go heavy on things I'm already getting enough of.
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  • jcw2018jcw2018 member
    I actually just switched to those same ones @kattm2322 (one a day advanced with Choline supplement) I’m not able to eat a wide variety right now due to morning sickness, but I love that they are the most complete that I’ve been able to find.
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  • kattm2322kattm2322 member
    jcw2018 said:
    I actually just switched to those same ones @kattm2322 (one a day advanced with Choline supplement) I’m not able to eat a wide variety right now due to morning sickness, but I love that they are the most complete that I’ve been able to find.
    I like them and they don't bother my stomach. I always take mine at night so I can hit my calcium intake throughout the day and it won't interfere with the iron absorption later at night. I'm probably going to keep them stocked for days I might not get to eat as well as I hoped (between nausea & working 10-12 hr days 😬).
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  • pangolindromepangolindrome member
    I’m taking Nature Made multi+DHA. I get the Costco pack. I’ll see at my first appt next Wednesday if they’re doing what I need them to.
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  • shortstack930shortstack930 member
    I take the Nature Made + DHA and I've taken them for all of my pregnancies. I find that if I take them at night I don't have issues with stomach upset.
    TTC History
    Me: 35 DH: 34
    Married 07/2012
    DD born 07/2014
    DD2 born 10/2018
    DS born 10/2022

    IF history:
    TTC #2 since January 2016
    June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN
    Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis
    Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
    Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
    Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing
    Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018
    FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks
    FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22


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  • Australian_girl_in_ParisAustralian_girl_in_Paris member
    I take Rainbow light 35+ prenatal. They have a regular one that I took for my last pregnancy. Plus I take a vegan DHA. I will get tested to check iron and B12 because I’m vegetarian but it’s generally not a problem for me. 

    I like the rainbow light because it’s all plant based and from food and not chemical. Personal choice. And it’s only one pill unlike some other raw prénatals - I tried garden of life vitamin code but they taste  strong and  you have to take 4 a day. So don’t love them. 

    I like garden of like mykind B12 which is a spray.

    i live in Europe so get these sent from the US. Anyone else in the same boat I suggest buying up bulk including for postpartum because you will pay tax to import them. 
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