There are several restrictions on what medications and supplements you can take while pregnant, but prenatal vitamins are not only permitted but highly recommended.
A proper prenatal can help you and your growing baby stays healthy by ensuring that you both get the nutrition you need to get through those nine months of codependency.
But, if prenatal vitamins are good for you and your baby, why do so many doctors advise women to start taking them before they get pregnant? Is it okay to do that? Also, have you had a look at the vitamin section lately? It’s jam-packed with alternatives.
Don’t worry; we’ve got your back.
When is the best time to begin taking prenatal vitamins?
There are two options here, but neither of them entails waiting until your first-trimester scan (spoiler warning!).
When you decide to try for a baby, consider a few things.
Are you prepared to start a family? It would help if you started taking prenatal vitamins in addition to seeing your midwife for a good visit, stopping birth control, and avoiding dangerous behaviours like smoking.
You won’t know how long it will take to get pregnant — it might take weeks or months — and you won’t know if you’re pregnant until a few weeks after conception. So vitamins for pregnant women are an essential aspect of preconception care.
It would help if you told your partner as soon as you’re expecting.
If you haven’t already started taking prenatal vitamins, you should do so as soon as your pee stick test shows a positive pregnancy indication.
Your health provider may eventually recommend a brand or perhaps write you a prescription to make your vitamin-popping life easier, but you don’t have to wait — when you’re in the first trimester, every day counts (more on why in a sec).
Why are you taking them before you’ve even found out you’re expecting them?
Here’s how it works: Pregnancy saps a lot of your energy. Your lovely tiny foetus is a tremendous drain on your body’s natural resources, which is why you feel queasy, fatigued, achy, crampy, cranky, weepy, and forgetful during much of those nine months.
Because your kid obtains all of its nourishment from you, it’s easy to become lacking in crucial vitamins and minerals throughout pregnancy. It’s far easier to make sure your body has what it needs to sustain both of you if you start before the kid arrives.
Consider it as stockpiling vitamins and nutrients:
if you have more than enough of the vitamins and nutrients you require to flourish, you can afford to share those vitamins and nutrients with your baby as they grow.
Prenatal vitamin recommendations
Do you have a feeling your prenatal is making your tummy hurt? Some of the more unpleasant side effects can be mitigated.
Inquire with your healthcare provider about switching to a different brand.
A prenatal supplement may be formulated so that you aren’t familiar with it.
Attempt an alternative approach.
Prenatals come in various forms, including capsules, liquids, candies, and even protein shakes, and eating them in different ways can help with digestion. For example, try splitting two doses 12 hours apart or moving from one large pill to three gummies each day.
Before and after, drink plenty of water.
Keep your GI system cleansed out if you’re experiencing constipation. If you’re very constipated, you can also take a fibre supplement (but get a recommendation from your doctor first).
Experiment with different foods.
If you’re getting queasy from your vitamins, consider taking them with or without meals. Taking vitamins on an empty stomach might be annoying for some people, while others find that they can only take them on an empty stomach.
Conclusion
Starting a prenatal vitamin should be at the top of your preconception to-do list if you’re seriously considering becoming pregnant in the coming months.
If you’re already pregnant, you should start taking one right away. It will aid in developing your child’s strength and health (as well as your own!).
If you’re not thinking about getting pregnant right now but could be in the future, take a folic acid vitamin every day. You will provide all you require if you become pregnant, without overdoing it on prenatal nutrients.
With the launch of our Nurturey Pregnancy Nutrition Bundle, we aim to make sure you have one less thing to worry about during your pregnancy. The affordable box is designed to help you maintain ongoing nutrition without getting confused about which supplements you need to take.
On our Nurturey Pink Book app, you can get our Nutrition Bundle
