Pregnancy vitamins - fact or fiction?

[Judemomma]

So my MW assures me I don't need to take a multivitamin pill during pregnancy as long as I took Folic Acid in the first trimester (which I did, except on the days I threw it back up!) and vitamin D (which I am - the freebies given by the hospital that also contain vit C). I like this one because it's so small, it doesn't make me gag.

I have some Sanatogen "Mum To Be" ones which I took with my first pregnancy but I just cant swallow them this time round so I've decided to just stick to the vit D/C pills.

Everything my MW has said and the reports I've read online say this is fine and that pregnancy vits (except folic acid and vit D) are a con anyway.

Just a quick poll here to put my mind at ease: how many of you agree with my MW and how many are taking the full on massive multivits?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DJMooMoo79]

I think it depends on the woman. There are some woman that needed the vitamins before pregnancy and definitely need them now. But If you obviously healthy and she doesnt seem worried about it, I would be inclined to believe her.

 

[Amygdala]

I don't think they're necessary in the vast majority of cases but I still take a good quality prenatal because I think I feel better on them. I'm sure you'd be fine without but if you're not entirely comfortable, you could try a daily glass of multivitamin juice? Just make sure you check the vitamin a content isn't too high.

 

[crownest]

If you can watch a healthy varied diet then other then folic acid and vitamin D you can just be paying for expensive pee. Vitamins you don't need are just gotten rid of. I took them as I was vomiting until the day I gave birth so I wasn't sure of what I was getting naturally

 

[Jessicahide]

I take pregnacare its probably not 100% needed but i like to feel like its doing good xxx

 

[Jennifurball]

I take the Seven Seas one. I am not a massive meat eater so feel I need extra vitamins, I feel better for it anyway

 

[broodymrs]

I take pregnacare. In my last pregnancy I took top of the range ones but this time after first tri I switched to the basic version. My diet isn't great but even if it was I'd still feel better taking them

 

[Smanderson]

I didn't take them after the first tri both times and was fine but a friend took them all through three pregnancies and was also fine so I'd say do what you feel comfortable with. The main reason I stopped was I had Hyperemesis and pregnacare seemed to make me vomit even more.

 

[Jessicahide]

The only thing i will say is that i have been complimented about my hemoglobin levels during the pregnancies i took pregnacare with xx

 

[ttc bubby no2]

I don't think you have to take them but I like to take them just in case my diet is lacking. I also find I need the extra iron when pregnant. I was taking spatone before pregnancy as my iron was low from miscarriages but now it makes me feel sick so my only extra iron is in my pregnancy multi.

 

[MyFavSurprise]

My last pregnancies I took them every day religiously, this one I've found that I tend to forget and do it every other day which I suppose is better than nothing.. In my first pregnancy I still ended up anemic and second I had low hemoglobin levels so..not sure what to think! I have been worried taking it less but sometimes it just feels like a big rock in my throat.. :/

 

[21yrsurvivor]

This is an excellent question to ask. Now, this is my first pregnancy and I'm 21 weeks, but I can count on one hand how many times I have taken vitamins while pregnant. Today I went in for my follow appointment and got to see my little baby boy growing like a weed. They said I'm 21+4 right now and the ultrasound showed him the size of a 22+5!

I believe every woman is different and has different needs. I haven't been able to take the vitamins because I suffered for a while with nausea and vomiting and whenever I swallowed anything I felt very sick and sometimes actually got sick. So I would say it's probably better to take your vitamins than not, better safe than sorry

 

[sw20]

I had an appointment with my consultant yesterday and I haven't been able to take them as they've made me really sick, she said it's absolutely not a problem and not to worry. I'm sure you'll be fine

 

[MrsPotts]

I took multivitamins in my previous pregnancies but this time around I am on iron and folic acid due to being anaemic. I had to stop taking them between 10-19 weeks due to throwing them back up. MW said it was fine to stop for a little bit as long as I started them back up, I have this week and I am struggling to keep them down. I am off to the pharmacy to see if they have a liquid rather than a tablet to try in multivitamins.

 

[Pne1985]

I agree with most of the other ladies. I think it depends on the individual. I forgot to take them often with my son and he was fine. I have been taking them more this time, just because I take a probiotic everyday now and they are beside them. As long as you are healthy and eat a good balanced diet, I don't think they are necessary. It is just easy for them to tell us to take the vitamins knowing it's not going to hurt anything but it might be better for some women that don't eat nutritionally.

 

[maryanne1987]

Where I live we get given free vitamins to take in pregnancy at each midwife appointment. It also says in our notes that doctors recommend a you take a supplement. I personally always take one, especially as I suffer from a lot of sickness in pregnancy, so my body and baby gets the vitamins it needs. I also take iron supplements as I'm anaemic.

 

[2have4kids]

Folic acid, D, and iron are the essentials. If vits make you sick iron can be taken via liquid either in Spatone or Floradix. Since low iron is very common in 2-3rd trimester and prenatals often have a very difficult cheap iron to digest you could try a liquid or go to the pharmacist for a heme easy to digest iron. Anemia/low iron is associated with postpartum depression and learning & cognitive disabilities in a fetus that's been born to an anemic mother. Pregnant women need 3 times the iron to support the red blood cells (iron carries the oxygen on the blood cell to the baby). And to get 28-30mg of iron/day one would need to eat upwards of 28 heaping plates of spinach salad/day. And veg source iron isn't even easy for us to absorb so take 15-20% off that due to malabsorption. https://irondeficiency.com/healthcare-professionals/iron-deficiency-pregnancy-and-post-partum

Iron and vit D are the ones I really worry about. I take folate too (the easy to absorb kind) but I don't over do it on the folic acid as they're starting to make negative connections on high folic levels. https://www.livescience.com/54711-autism-risk-linked-to-high-folate-levels.html

 

[skris4]

It completely depends on the individual. I cannot take prenatal vitamins but have taken normal multivitamins every day along with a prenatal DHA supplement. FOr the past week I have been on low iron. I am one of those individuals that has good iron levels when not pregnant but feel utterly exhausted during second tri and have to be put on iron pills. That said, some women seem to do fantastic even without vitamins whereas those such as myself absolutely need it.

 

[2ducks]

I am a little bit of a supplement junkie. I have always taken lots of supplements. I like to think it makes a positive difference in my health but I will never really know. It gives me peace of mind taking supplements so its worth it for me.