Why Its Important To Take Prenatal Vitamins
The big reason why people who are pregnant should take prenatal vitamins is pretty simple: you need to keep both you and your baby healthy. All of the nutrients and vitamins a pregnant woman takes in will go to the baby first, says King. The baby needs that nutrition to grow.
But the mother also needs those vitamins. While the vitamins and nutrients are essential for the babys development, the mother also needs key vitamins for both her and the baby, King notes.
Some of those include:
- Folic acid for your babys neurological development.
- Iron because your blood volume will double and to provide oxygen for your baby.
- Calcium and vitamin D for your babys bone development.
- Vitamin A helps your babys eye development.
Most prenatal vitamins should contain these, particularly iron and folic acid, both of which are essential. Check with your healthcare provider just in case, though, because if your prenatal vitamins dont contain certain nutrients, they might recommend a stand-alone dose.
Can I Take An Over
There’s nothing wrong with taking over-the-counter vitamins as long as they have a USP seal or NSF International certification these organizations monitor supplement quality. “We do have concerns about pills that contain certain herbs and those that may contain too much of a certain nutrient, like vitamin A, which can adversely affect the fetus’ development,” says Ashlesha Dayal, M.D., an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. “Take the bottle to your obstetrician to make sure that all the ingredients are safe,” Kukreja adds.
What Type Of Prenatal Vitamins Is Best
Vitamins come in multiple forms: pill, soft-gel capsule and gummies. For some, swallowing and holding down a pill can be difficult especially when youre queasy due to morning sickness. If thats your situation, try a soft-gel capsule or a gummy vitamin. Just remember that gummy vitamins do not contain iron, so you may want an extra iron supplement for that.
Read Also: Whats A Good Prenatal Vitamin To Take
Don’t Miss: Is There Vitamin D In Almond Milk
I Have Morning Sickness And Struggle To Take My Prenatal Vitamin What Should I Do
Sometimes morning sickness is a problem with prenatal vitamins. If you find that your stomach is upset when you take the vitamins, try a different time of day or a different prenatal vitamin. You can also cut them in half and take half in the morning and the other half at night. Try taking the vitamin with food to decrease stomach upset.
Prenatal vitamins are essential to ensure you are meeting your nutrition needs and the needs of the growing baby. Morning sickness is typically at its peak in the first trimester when key nutrients are crucial to a babys development. Speak with your health care provider to find a solution that will work for you.
Rainbow Light Prenatal Daily Duo
Rainbow Lights Prenatal Daily Duo pack consists of two pills, the brands Prenatal One multivitamin and Prenatal DHA Smart Essentials capsules. One pack contains a months supply of each, though you can also buy the multivitamins and DHA supplement separately. One common complaint is that the vitamin can be hard to swallow due to its size, so it might not be a good fit if you dislike taking pills.
Also Check: Can Vitamin C Cause Migraines
Prenatal Vitamins Supplement Not Replace A Balanced Diet
Any balanced diet will contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, but you should still take a prenatal vitamin to make sure that you are getting enough of the nutrients your body and your baby needs. Additionally, since prenatal vitamins are formulated with the idea that the person taking them is eating a healthy diet, there is no need to seek out additional vitamin supplements in any form, be it a pill, diet drink, or fortified smoothie. Be sure to let your doctor know if you use any of these products so you can be certain you are not getting too much of a good thing.
Best Pregnancy Supplements For The First Trimester To Post Pregnancy
Figuring out what vitamins to take when pregnant can feel totally overwhelming! I’m sharing the best pregnancy supplements I’ve taken for early pregnancy, past the first trimester, + postpartum while nursing! These goes well beyond the best prenatal vitamins to take when pregnant!
There’s different vitamins for early pregnancy and supplements after 12 weeks depending on what you’re experiencing during the first trimester. Finding the right pregnancy supplements, especially if you have an MTHFR mutation, can be the difference between experiencing nausea, constipation, low energy, or none of those things!
to never miss a post!
Don’t Miss: How Does Your Body Use Vitamin D
Key Nutrients In A Prenatal Vitamin
Prenatal vitamins contain a wide range of nutrients, targeting the specific vitamin and mineral needs to support a healthy pregnancy. “I look for the active form of the B vitamins folate and methylcobalamin . I also look for iodine, choline, and adequate amounts of vitamin D,” says Kristin Brown BSc, RD, who owns Grounded Health Nutrition and Wellness.
These are some of the top nutrients to look for in a prenatal vitamin and their different forms:
Your Guide To First Trimester Nutrition
The first trimester covers your pregnancy right from the time of conception when the first cells are formed, up until the end of week 12. Its an important trimester in terms of your babys development organs take shape, your baby starts moving and muscles form. Your 12 week old baby emerges from this trimester as a fully-formed foetus, about the size of a peach, ready to enter the second trimester.
Read Also: What Vitamins Are Good For Me
Vegetarian Vegan And Special Diets In Pregnancy
A varied and balanced vegetarian diet should provide enough nutrients for you and your baby during pregnancy.
But you might find it more difficult to get enough iron and vitamin B12.
Talk to a midwife or doctor about how to make sure you’re getting enough of these important nutrients.
If you’re vegan or you follow a restricted diet because of a food intolerance or for religious reasons, talk to a midwife or GP.
Ask to be referred to a dietitian for advice on how to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need for you and your baby.
Find out more about healthy eating if you’re pregnant and vegetarian or vegan.
Excess Prenatal Vitamin Toxicity
Vitamin A: According to the Institute of Medicine, the tolerable upper intake level during pregnancy for preformed Vitamin A is 3,000 mcg. Excessive vitamin A from the retinol form can cause birth defects and weaken bones. If you and a healthcare provider determine that you would like to include prenatal that contains vitamin A, we recommend choosing one with the beta-carotene form of vitamin A instead, as the only side effect of taking excessive beta-carotene is a yellowing of the skin.
Folate: The tolerable upper intake level for folate is listed as 1,000 mcg for pregnancy. One study showed that intakes over 1,000 mcg in the period immediately before and after getting pregnant resulted in poor cognitive development in 4-year-olds. It has also been shown that high levels of unmetabolized folic acid, which can result from the body’s inability to convert folic acid to the acid methyl form , could weaken the immune response and even increase the risk of neonatal jaundice, and infant asthma. It can also lead to developmental delays like autism.
Vitamin D: Intakes over 4,000 IU are considered to exceed the tolerable upper intake level, and excessive vitamin D can result in dangerously high calcium levels. However, this amount often does not take into consideration whether a person is deficient going into pregnancy. If a pregnant person is deficient, they may benefit from slightly higher therapeutic doses for the health of themself and the baby.
You May Like: Do Vitamin D Supplements Help With Depression
When To Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
The best time to start taking prenatal vitamins is before conception. Folic acid is especially important. You should begin taking a folic acid supplement at least 1 month before you try to get pregnant to prevent birth defects.
Some doctors recommend that all women who could have a baby take prenatal vitamins, even if they donât plan a pregnancy.
When Ought To I Begin Taking A Prenatal Vitamin
The folate in a prenatal vitamin taken earlier than conception considerably reduces the possibilities of neural tube irregularities like spina bifida. A childs neural tube, which is able to become each the mind and spinal twine, develops through the first month of being pregnant. Should you arent already taking a each day prenatal vitamin, begin taking one as quickly as you discover out youre anticipating. Pricing information Most of those nutritional vitamins are packaged to comprise 30 servings a couple of months value. Some could also be offered in 60- or 90-serving packages. We primarily based the value rankings on the approximate month-to-month value for every product: $ = beneath $30
Read Also: How Much Vitamin D Does A Man Need Daily
What To Do If Your Prenatal Vitamin Makes You Nauseous
Unfortunately, prenatal vitamins, which are so crucial to a developing baby, can also be a hard pill to swallowliterally.
Prenatal vitamins can cause varying degrees of nausea in certain individuals, says Santos. More often than not, the culprit tends to be iron. The recommended dose of iron in pregnancy is 27 mg per day, so be sure to check the label on your prenatal vitamins to make sure there is not a higher dose in the pill.
Santos recommends trying to take your prenatal vitamin at night, when nausea tends to be lower, or switching to a gummy option.
It may take some trial and error to find a time that wont upset your stomach. Try taking them with dinner or even at bedtime, urges Dr. Gersh. Hydrate well when taking them. Try with food. Try without. Just keep trying!
If you cant tolerate any brand or cannot afford to take them throughout your pregnancy, talk to your doctor. You should also strive to get the necessary nutrients from your diet. Aim to get a lot of healthy fats like salmon , avocado, almond butter, and olive oil,” says Imberman. Beef, chicken, eggs, and spinach have iron, and dark leafy greens contain both iron and folate. Other sources of folate are beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, avocado, broccoli, and breakfast cereals.
Vitamin A Supplementation Versus Placebo
Nine studies assessed vitamin A supplementation compared to placebo or no treatment . Of these, one study was excluded from meta-analysis because it reported no poolable outcomes, but was narratively synthesized . Thus, eight studies were included in the meta-analyses . Four of these studies were conducted in the sub-Saharan Africaof which, two were in Ghana , one in Malawi and one in Tanzania . From East Asia and the Pacific, two studies were conducted in Indonesia , and from South Asia, one study took place in Nepal , and the other in Bangladesh . Three studies provided supplementation from enrollment till the end of pregnancy , whereas, two studies provided supplements from enrollment until 6 weeks postpartum and 12 weeks postpartum , respectively, and one study did not indicate the intervention endpoint .
Vitamin A supplementation, compared to placebo, showed no impact on maternal mortality 0.90, 95% Confidence Interval 0.68 to 1.18 studies = 3 GRADE: low-quality evidence), nor any effect on the risk of stillbirths or maternal hemoglobin concentration . Supplementation may have improved maternal serum retinol concentration .
Forest plot for comparison vitamin A supplementation versus placebo/no vitamin A baseline to post-intervention for maternal serum/plasma retinol concentration .
No subgroup analysis for primary outcomes was possible for this comparison due to an insufficient number of studies per subgroup of interest.
Recommended Reading: What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Seizures
Best Prenatal Vitamins And Their Health Benefits
The 17 best prenatal vitamins and their health benefits include:
So What About Those Who Choose Not To Take Prenatal Vitamins During Pregnancy
Ill admit I didnt regularly take prenatal vitamins with either of my pregnancies. With my first, I had severe morning sickness throughout the first trimester. I could barely hold down food much less a giant vitamin. I did take them throughout the second trimester once I felt better, and took them about once every three days during the third trimester. For my second pregnancy, most of my time was spent chasing my toddler around and, quite frankly, taking a prenatal every day just slipped my mind. Ive never been one for medicines or even vitamins, so it just wasnt much of a priority.
My main focus was on eating a healthy, clean diet full of the necessary vitamins and minerals. Both of my girls were born healthy and thriving and still are.
My doctor even said that so long as I was getting the recommended vitamins and minerals through food, then skipping out on prenatal vitamins wasnt that big of a deal .
Recommended Reading: What Should Your Vitamin B12 Level Be
Vitamin D In Pregnancy
You need 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day and should consider taking a supplement containing this amount between September and March.
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to summer sunlight .
It’s not known exactly how much time is needed in the sun to make enough vitamin D to meet the body’s needs, but if you’re in the sun take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you start to turn red or burn.
Vitamin D is also in some foods, including:
Vitamin D is added to some breakfast cereals, fat spreads and non-dairy milk alternatives. The amounts added to these products can vary and might only be small.
Because vitamin D is only found in a small number of foods, whether naturally or added, it is difficult to get enough from foods alone.
Do not take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.
You can get vitamin supplements containing vitamin D free of charge if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and qualify for the Healthy Start scheme.
There have been some reports about vitamin D reducing the risk of coronavirus . But there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19.
What Is The Difference Between Prenatal Vitamins And Regular Vitamins
Though prenatal vitamins and regular vitamins work the same way to provide your body with micronutrients that it may be lacking there are some key differences between the two, specifically when it comes to ingredients. For example, as an article on Mom.com explains, there is a specific amount of folic acid and iron that pregnant people are supposed to have in their diet. A prenatal vitamin ensures that those exact levels are met, whereas a regular multivitamin might have some amount of folic acid or iron, but necessarily enough to meet the threshold recommended for pregnant people.
As always, it’s important that you consult a health care provider or family physician prior to taking any over-the-counter medication or starting a vitamin regimen. After all, what works for one body does not work for all. But if you do have lingering questions about taking prenatal vitamins when you’re not pregnant, here’s what you need to know:
Prenatal vitamins may help your skin and nails, but its likely that any type of vitamin with the same nutrients would be just as beneficial.
Kipping says that more than 90 percent of women arent meeting their choline needs, and 50 percent are critically deficient in vitamin D. Since fetal organs start to develop in the first couple months of pregnancy, often before some women even realize theyre pregnant, its important to give your body the nutrition it needs ahead of time.
Recommended Reading: How Often Can You Take Vitamin C
What Happens If Prenatal Aren’t Taken In The First Trimester
Those who werent able to plan three months in advance, simply consult with a physician as early as possible and follow their advice to take prenatal vitamins as soon as they realized they are pregnant.
Folic acid, in particular, is especially crucial during the few weeks of pregnancy. It helps to prevent common and significant congenital disabilities.
Doctor opinions differ regarding the level of urgency and prenatal vitamins during the first trimester. Many pregnant women suffer from morning sickness and find that prenatal vitamins will aggravate their upset stomach and nausea.
In this case, doctors will help their patients decide whether to continue taking prenatal vitamins and add an anti-nausea medication to their regimen. In some cases, doctors are comfortable with women skipping prenatal vitamins during the first trimester as long as they are diligently watching and balancing their diet while getting enough nutrients from plenty of healthful foods.
Once morning sickness has passed, most doctors advise that pregnant women return to taking prenatal vitamins. Some will even recommend that prenatals are taken after pregnancy while they are breastfeeding.
That said, if a woman will be taking additional vitamins after pregnancy, there is a postnatal regimen that some may opt for instead.
