when did you start taking prenatal vitamins?

[Anonymous]

I never swtiched over. My multivitamin had 400 units of folic acid. OB suggested adding another 400. My multivitamin contain 100% RDA of the most important vitamins. (I made sure to eat more calcium and iron-rich food).

I know various OBs give different advice but she definitely did not think "more" is better.

[Anonymous]

OP I really wouldn't panic. I am in the minority, but I didn't take prenatal vitamins for my 1st pg and DD is just fine. I'm not saying they aren't important, but I think in a well balanced diet the baby will get what it needs. I was so sick (all-day sickness for the entire 9months) and the vitamins made it immensely worse. I just threw them up anyway, so I stopped taking them. I was taking a kids vitamin before getting pg both times (currently 5 mos). I can barely get down a kids vitamin for current pg, but I am trying to take them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I'm trying not to freak out (I eat well and have been taking a daily multivitamin for women), but everything here and everything online suggests that I should have been on prenatals for months now! I asked my doc before my husband decided to go for it, and she said I didn't need to be on them, and I asked again when the blood test confirmed and she said she'd give me a prescription when I come in for the 8 week checkup. I'm baffled.... and mildly panicky... but there's nothing to do but stock up and start popping those pills, I guess. Thanks again to everyone for the feedback.

Don't freak out. Check the folic acid content on your multivitamin. The recommendation is 400 mcg per day. Most multivitamins have that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad this topic was posted.
I have been taking a multi-vitamin for months, but today a friend suggested 'prenatal' vitamins are actually prescribed by the doctor.
Do these prescribed vitamins differ from the over the counter multivitamins that we all take now?

Sorry to ask a repeat question - but when are expectant mothers supposed to switch over?

there are over the counter prenatal vitamins, and there are those that are available by prescription

Start taking prenatal vitamins just before your begin actively trying to conceive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I'm trying not to freak out (I eat well and have been taking a daily multivitamin for women), but everything here and everything online suggests that I should have been on prenatals for months now! I asked my doc before my husband decided to go for it, and she said I didn't need to be on them, and I asked again when the blood test confirmed and she said she'd give me a prescription when I come in for the 8 week checkup. I'm baffled.... and mildly panicky... but there's nothing to do but stock up and start popping those pills, I guess. Thanks again to everyone for the feedback.

At this point just relax and start taking prenatal vitamins. If your diet has generally been balanced there is nothing to worry about. Lots of women have healthy babies without prenatal vitamins, so you haven't hurt your baby in any way. I would start taking them now, and stop worrying - this is more important for the baby!

[Anonymous]

The recommendation for folic acid is actually 800 mcg, not 400 mcg as a PP said. It's best to start taking them when you are trying to conceive (which I just learned is the TTC abbreviation everyone writes on this board).

HAving said that, you don't need to get these by prescription (in fact I did that and paid more for the rx than if i'd gotten the same concoction over the counter). I bought my prenatals in a giant bottle at price club.

Don't worry OP. You are way ahead of most pregnant women in the country in that you even know you need to take a vitamin.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PPs -- it sounds like you had a safety net in place already, so no need to stress. I would, however, have a very thorough and open discussion with your doc about her attitude toward the prenatals. It seems pretty irresponsible to actively discourage you from taking anything until you're halfway through your first trimester -- especially when this baby was planned and you sought advice about how to get your nutritional ducks in a row before TTC.

She may have reasons for her advice, but if that's the case I think she owes you an explanation, not just an offhand dismissal of what's seen as a common and standard practice.

[Anonymous]

Yes, don't stress, OP! Especially if you've been taking an OTC multivitamin for women -- those have folic acid. Your odds of having a problem are low in the first place, and even lower if you've been taking a multivitamin.

You can buy OTC prenatal vitamins, as others have said (which is what I would do in your shoes: get started on those). That's what I did the whole time, actually. I don't know anyone who took prescription prenatal vitamins (though I guess it would have been nice to have my insurance pay for them!)

I do think your doc either has a screw loose or is a bad communicator... hopefully you can sort out which and figure out whether it's a good idea to stick with him/her.