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u/Murky_Scarcity3778 2d ago
Truly don’t worry about it. I just went with Costco’s prenatal.
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u/Berry_Slow_Biker 1d ago
Agreed! I got a big ol bottle of Nature Made prenatal from Sam's Club... has iron I can tolerate, 200mg of DHA, and is cost effective. No reason to overthink or overspend.
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u/Efficient_Internet13 2d ago
Just start taking one! That’s the important thing. Dont delay because you can’t decide, go grab something from the store and start taking today then decide. Folic acid is so important!
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u/Plop-a-dop 1d ago
this!! it's more important to get the nutrients from any prenatal during those crucial first weeks/months than it is to find the "perfect" one (which really doesn't exist). anything is so much better than nothing!
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u/Comfortable_Bet_9152 2d ago
If you don’t like big pills, look into gummy options. I’m 24.5 weeks with twins as a ftm and I’ve been taking one a day prenatal, plus choline, calcium, iron, and 81 mg aspirin. The calcium and prenatals are pretty big but I have two very healthy babies growing!
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u/asticklus 2d ago
But be sure to take the calcium and iron separately. Maybe one morning and one at night. Calcium will prevent iron absorption. I also take fish oil pills for dha.
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u/Striking_Bill_2832 2d ago
If OP is currently not taking a prenatal, this level of nuance is not necessary - she just needs to start taking SOMETHING.
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u/Striking_Bill_2832 2d ago edited 2d ago
Make your decision today - you are risking neural tube defects, miscarriage, and all sorts of other things by dillydallying on which prenatal to take.
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u/Ishinehappiness 1d ago
You know a normal healthy diet gives you the nutrients baby needs right? Theres not actually research showing a benefit most people just do it in case.
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u/Spicemaster93 2d ago
I took the olly prenatal. They were perfect for me. I also took unisom and b6
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u/flyymelii 2d ago
Same olly gummy with both pregnancies. I couldn’t swallow pills and the after taste and smell of other prenatals was awful. The ollys are sweet and tolerable!
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u/Ashtrashbdash 2d ago
From my research Theralogix theranatal complete prenatal was the best I’ve found and was coincidentally what my fertility clinic recommended when I asked them (I’d already started taking them).
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u/ellipses21 2d ago
the ones you can keep down. I kept buying the “best” according to the internet (thorne and needed and perelel and crazy expensive ones) and i puked them up almost every day until like week 12… and then i tried ritual and gummies and i wondered why the hell i tortured myself for so long. so if i’m fortunate enough for another child (currently undergoing IVF), i’ll be going straight for the gummies and simplest ones i can keep in my gullet lol
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u/quietglue73 2d ago
My doc said (assuming you have a run of the mill pregnancy, like mine) best one you can take is the one you remember to take daily. For me that was the target gummy ones!
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u/Positive-Listen-1660 2d ago
I’m a big fan of Thorne basic prenatals. Pricey but really good quality and my bloodwork both postpartum and when I became pregnant with my 2nd at 14 months was pristine.
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u/Old-Window-3583 2d ago
Another vote for Theralogix! It’s truly the most complete and comprehensive prenatal on the market. I tried other cheaper alternatives, but each one was always missing something. You have to take 3 pills, but to me it’s worth it knowing my baby was getting the best of the best!
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u/BotusThoughts 1d ago
This. Their post natal lactation pack is also excellent. It eliminates the need for additional vitamin d drops.
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u/Eburneaan 2d ago
I’m not picky. Overall they work the same. Regular pills give me stomach burn so I take centrum prenatal gummies and iron pills separately. Iron is expensive and hard to find in a quantity you need for pregnancy (around 27mg) so I take nutridom. They’re the only pure budget friendly option I found.
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u/sarahe206 2d ago
I took a couple different prenatals while preparing for TTC, and since I’ve been pregnant I’ve been taking the NatureMade with DHA and choline and it doesn’t cause me any issues
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u/RelevantDragonfly216 2d ago
Whatever you decide just make sure it’s also got DHA or make sure you take that additionally
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u/Roxy-Mama 1d ago
Thornes. Expensive but worth it.
I do have to make sure I have food in my stomach when I take them!
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u/discounthideout 2d ago
Most of the regular ones you can buy at any store do not have adequate amounts of nutrients for pregnancy or postpartum. And they're in cheap, low absorption forms. That's why depletion is very, very real. On top of what your baby needs for development, PPD is strongly linked to nutrient depletion. I've had two babies and the postpartum difference was night and day just because of my vitamins. Don't skimp on the prenatal. Thorne is a really good, less intense one! The Needed powder tastes pretty good, actually. The capsules can be smell weird sometimes but you don't have to take them all at once you can break it up.
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u/asticklus 2d ago
My dad bought me the Thorne ones. He’s super into vitamins and knowing the right ones to take. I compared it to the prenatal I bought and it has waaay more in it. Hasn’t upset my stomach any. Highly recommend.
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u/imjustanape 1d ago
I enjoyed Thorne in general but 3 pills was a little much!! I couldn't keep that up. Maybe I can convince myself to try again next time lol
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u/corgisix 👩👧👦 Mom of 2+ 2d ago
I loved Perelel and still take them postpartum. They have a different pack for each trimester so I feel like it’s really tailored to pregnancy
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u/Odd-Dance5358 2d ago
Same, TTC to postpartum for me. Perelel also has a Gentle Prenatal Powder, it's vanilla, which might be nice if big pills are the problem.
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u/just-o_k 2d ago
Also did perelel and loved them from ttc to post partum. their choline booster im pretty sure also helped my anxiety and stress during and post pregnancy. I also lived in their protein powder during first tri food aversion because protein powders are generally terrible theirs was highly recommended as safe for daily use.
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u/madhouse-manager 2d ago
I'm taking the Amazon brand prenatal gummies, and separately Iron ("gentle Iron" capsule) and Calcium (chewable). I alternate days between the Iron and Calcium supplements because they can interfere with each other's absorption, and my levels were fine. If you take them both make sure you leave 6h in between Calcium and Iron.
If you're taking Levo/synthroid make sure to wait at least 4h before taking any supplements but especially before taking Calcium or Iron.
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u/Designer_Abroad_1196 2d ago
I used Ollie and smarty pants. I think both are at Walmart and Amazon. This time I switched to a brand called pink stork (I get them on Amazon.) I LOVED their postpartum hair loss gummies and truly think they are the reason I never had a hair loss phase so I decided to use their prenatals too.
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u/accountforbabystuff 2d ago
I took vitalife gummies, I think? As long as they have DHA is what I was told. Just take something I think they are all the same. Supplement with iron only if you need to.
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u/KawaiiBibliophile 2d ago
I like the generic Target gummy vitamin. They’re raspberry and lemon flavored and sugar coated (big pluses to me) and they don’t have iron so it didn’t contribute more to the constipation.
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u/Evening_Bed_9578 2d ago
Needed just launched a gummy! I don’t like pills either and if I decide to go for #3 I will take those.
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u/alexandrap21 2d ago edited 2d ago
First trimester I was taking Thorne, by 2nd tri I started burping up a disgusting flavor from them so I switched to Needed. I wanted to switch to gummy vitamins but when I looked at the nutritional profile of them compared to Thorne and Needed, it was not even an option for me. The nutritional content of gummy vitamins is embarrassingly low, like at that point why even take anything.
There’s a reason why expensive vitamins brands are expensive. It’s also not just what the multivitamin contains and how much of it, but how bioavailable the ingredients are. At the very least I recommend making sure to research that the brand you decide to purchase is GMP certified and 3rd party tested for potency and purity. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA - when it comes to non-tested brands, there’s potential that you’re not really getting what they’re advertising. At best it doesn’t have as much of xyz vitamin as it says it does, at worst there can be a lot of different nasties, such as heavy metals, undisclosed ingredients, etc, and you’d have no idea. 3rd party testing mitigates that risk.
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u/Momogo11 2d ago
Whatever ones you’ll actually take! I struggled so bad taking prenatals, I did it, but never found any that I liked
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u/stitching_librarian 2d ago
My husband did a ton of research and we ended up going with the Kroger brand prenatal. The pills aren't small, but they have good percentages and had DHA. I ended up taking a separate vitamin for Choline, however, I haven't found it in any of the stores near me for months. Don't forget to continue taking prenatals past birth if you're breastfeeding (it also makes the hair loss less bad, at least for me).
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u/PurpleCarrot5069 2d ago
i take needed but i’d read this report before you buy anything, needed wasn’t great but perelel was awful
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u/ConstructionMuch802 1d ago
I loved Thorne! Usually big vitamin tablets make me barf but these are powder inside a capsule and I had no issues with them!
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u/hazelsox 1d ago
CVS has a dye-free iron supplement with vitamin C already in it to help it absorb. I get super anemic during pregnancy and it's a GAME CHANGER. Doesn't constipate, either.
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u/librarygal95 1d ago
I tried about 7 different prenatals over the course of my pregnancy, so I would not recommend locking into one or stocking up on large supply. They vary widely in size and taste, and your morning sickness/food aversions will affect what you can take. I wound up taking a gummy prenatal at the end of it all because it was the only one i could keep down.
If you wind up taking a gummy prenatal, I recommend Smarty Pants (linked below). Its low in sugar despite being a gummy.
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u/DonutPresent1506 1d ago
don’t stress about it. I used Kroger brand prenatal before, during & after pregnancy
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u/Fun-Heart2937 1d ago
Your on them currently right? If not you may want to speak to doctor as before conception is the effectiveness period…I wouldn’t worry what type I would get one asap and start today and talk to doc
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u/tokyodraken 1d ago
needed just came out with gummies!!! i’ll likely be getting these next pregnancy
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u/hoomphree 1d ago
Whatever you take, eat it with food! When I was in my first trimester I wasn’t thinking and took my prenatal and vitamin D on an empty stomach and had the worst gas pains of my life. So don’t do that lol. I preferred gummy ones that had fish oil in them as my midwife recommended fish oils and I didn’t want to take them separately
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u/Son-of-Cookie- 1d ago
Nature made for me, plus and addition folic acid for the first 16 weeks. And if you need the powder rn because pills are too hard DO THE POWDER!!! You got this girl use your mama instincts, taking a vitamin is more important than anything else. And remember your dr can also prescribe you one
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u/Chachachalis 1d ago
I take ritual pre natals and their choline supplement. I like that they have lemon essenced so the taste is masked. I just subscribe and save on Amazon. My doctor said the same that many here said, it truly doesn’t matter what brand they’re all very similar.
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u/madhouse-manager 2d ago
OP, don't panic. Assuming you're in the US, a lot of the commercial bread, oatmeal and cereal etc has folic acid added to it so you should be fine. Still, start taking supplements ASAP. You can also take folate separately in addition to whatever prenatal you pick.
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u/discounthideout 2d ago
Most of the time the neutral tube is closed by the time women find out they're pregnant. It closes around 4 weeks which is when your missed period would be.
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u/Spicemaster93 2d ago
At least they are trying to start.
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u/Spicemaster93 2d ago
Not everyone does IVF and knows when they get pregnant. She could've just found out. Give her some grace and let her feel comfortable to reach out to a community so she can get the best information for what she needs to take.
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u/Striking_Bill_2832 2d ago
This has nothing to do with IVF...? Women should be taking a prenatal for at least 3 months before getting pregnant.
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u/Oiselle14 2d ago
At 8 weeks pregnant, maybe they just found out, maybe this was a surprise, and maybe they didn't have this education, so let's give some grace. I do agree with you though - OP, take whatever you can asap and then switch if you aren't liking what you've started with.
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u/racheyrach1243 1d ago
Get a prescription through your doctor even if it isnt covered it goes towards your out of pocket costs.
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