How many of you Bfing moms take your prenatal vitamins everyday??

[papal]

.. my midwife told me to keep taking them everyday as long as i was bfing and i forgot. i just discovered a stack of them while organizing all the meds. they are the ones which you have to take a morning one and an evening one. does not taking it affect the baby's growth in anyway? just wondering since leela is so tiny. my dad (who is a doc) does not believe in vitamins... he says it is all humbug.. you should get your vitamins thru food not pills. i don't know who to believe anymore!!
anyway.. do all of you take your pre-natal vitamins everyday??

[calebsmama03]

I do, mainly because I'm bad about getting enough calcium without them. Also, I haven't started to give Caleb vitamins yet and I figure having the extra nutrients for me is better than having to give him a huge dropperful of those awful tasting drops! I think I'll just keep taking mine since I'll probably try for #2 shortly after Caleb weans himself (hopefully not too soon!)
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03

[etwahl]

i take a BUNCH of vitamins every day (twice daily).

i am taking a women's vitamin from gnc, fish oil, soy lecithin, calcium, and vitamin c.

ETA: it's Women's Ultra Mega from GNC that i take. You can get them with or without iron. i used to do without iron, but now i get with iron, because i was feeling tired and thought that might help.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Vajrastorm]

I don't take any vitamins (I forget) but if I could remember I'd be taking regular multis and not prenatal. Too much iron in prenatals for my taste.

[Rachels]

I didn't for a long while, but started again because I was just feeling so run down. I'd love to say I was eating perfectly and getting everything through food, but I'm just not. The vitamins for me are a good backup.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[hez]

I agree with the others. My eating habits vary wildly from pretty good to not-so-good, so the vitamins are a good back-up for us. As a side note, I'm still not getting sick at all this year, and DH has been a few times-- I give credit to the vitamins :)

[houseof3boys]

I hated my prescribed prenatal, so I've been taking a vitamin that has all kinds of goodies in it back since I first got pregnant. It has extra beta carotene in it also. I take fish oil everyday, lecithin and calcium. I also try to eat pretty well, but sometimes fall short. I agree with your dad to a certain extent on making sure that vitamins and minerals come from food but I like the reassurance that I'm getting a steady dose of a daily supplement! :)

I take the Slow FE iron every other day with a vitamin C too. The iron in the prenatal was bad for my system and this brand of iron is awesome for me. I had my iron taken at the ob the other day and it is great! I am a pseudo-veg so this is important for me to maintain.

And let's not forget the acidophilus that I take every other day now to keep the bacteria healthy! :)

[jbowman]

I stopped taking my pre-natal vitamins about a month after Ellie was born (when my prescription ran out). Before I was PG, I took a One-a-Day for women along with folic acid, so I've just resumed taking those vitamins. I eat pretty well, so I just think of them as "insurance."

That said, I wouldn't worry about it if you haven't been taking vitamins. I really don't think it's a big deal.

[deborah_r]

I am still taking my prenatal vitamin every day. Just the kind you can buy in the store, not a prescription.

[lisams]

I do (the generic prenatal at Target - much cheaper than my copay for the prescription ones) just because I feel drained if I don't. Don't worry though, your body will sacrafice your OWN stored nutirents to make sure your baby gets everything she needs. I'm not a big believer in vitamins, but it's kind of like insurance for me since some days I don't feel like preparing a perfectly balanced meal (like the days I pop a frozen pizza in the oven and call it dinner!)

Lisa

[lizajane]

well, to make you feel better since everyone keeps saying how great they are at taking vitamins...

i totally forget. i hardly ever take them at all. i didn't take any for MONTHS. i am trying to remember now because i want to ttc in 3 months. but i still forget.

so don't worry about it too much. try to remember. if you don't, know that schuyler and i are still alive and kickin' after 11 months of breastfeeding.

[toomanystrollers]

I'm lucky if I remember to put on deoderant never mind take my vitamins LOL

[jec2]

Debbi are you BFing? I've taken some acidopholous the past couple of days and DS had a 3:00 blow-out where we had to get up and change the sheets. He hasn't pooped in the middle of the night for months and thought the acidopholous might be the cause. What do you think?

[August Mom]

I did for the first several months of DS's life. Then, for some reason, I kept forgetting. I take them still (when I remember LOL), but not everyday. I use over-the-counter prenatal vitamins from Discount Drug Mart. They are pretty inexpensive and not hard to swallow.

[Rachels]

I don't think so. I give Abigail acidophilus, and I've never noticed any relationship to her poop habits. It's beneficial bacteria-- nothing harmful or irritating.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[HelenD]

I still take my prescription prenatal every day.

I have rotten eating habits and I figure that I want to make sure DD gets everything she needs no matter what stupid food choice I make.

I am also very forgetful. The only way I've found to remember it is to take it every day at the same time/same part of the routine. I'm back at work, so every morning I pump, and just before sitting down to pump, I get a glass of OJ and my vitamin. Having a morning routine to take the vitamin has helped TONS. My lactation specialist recommended taking it w/ OJ to help w/ absorbtion, so I just make it a routine.

I'd say, don't worry about not taking it in the past (your body will sacrific to give to baby) but, why not try to start taking it now?

Either way, good luck!

[KGoes]

I quit taking my prenatal vitamins, which were expensive and - hmmm, how to put this delicately? - did not agree with my system. I switched to a woman's multivitamin.
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[sntm]

I used up my prenatals in about 3 months and then switched to a regular woman's multivitamin, which I remember to take about 3x a week. I also take a omega 3 supplement (DHA, etc.) for lactating moms. I eat fairly well, so the vitamin is mostly backup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[lynettefrancois]

Take them for yourself! Baby gets the vitamins first, then you. Even if I'm eating healthy it doesn't hurt to have insurance. My teeth have been going downhill since I got pregnant; I shudder to think what would happen if I didn't take calcium! Your dad is right, it's best to come from food (better absorption I think) but vitamins are still helpful (and they do work, because there can be reactions if you get a large overdose, like a rash from too much vitamin c). Take the vitamin if you are like me and end up in the Chik-fil-a drive thru sometimes! I never bought the prescription kind. HTH!

[HelenD]

Shannon,

You mention an "Omega 3 Supplement for Lactating Moms". I'm interested in finding out what you are taking and where you get it, please! What benefits do you see from it?

TIA

Helen

[TraciG]

I am still taking them & only breastfeeding at night & whatever I get when I pump, this way I dont have to worry if i'm not eating food with enough calcium or fruit & veggies. U know for sure the baby is getting everything if u take the vitamins !

[missym]

With breakfast every day, I have a Carnation Instant Breakfast drink. It's made with milk, so I'm getting calcium, plus lots of other vitamins. It makes me feel better about not always eating as healthy as I should, and I don't worry so much about forgetting my prenatal vitamin.

I buy the powdered mix at Sam's Club; the cans are too expensive and taste too strong for me. Also, I heat the milk first so that it's like hot chocolate.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[sntm]

i don't know how much good it does, but it is a DHA/ARA supplement from Whole Foods. I can't recall the name right now, but I just asked the clerk there and they pointed me to it. It's almost assuredly overkill, but I don't eat as much fish or flax oil as I would like to. I'll find the name and PM you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[wendinbill]

I do, my son is six months old today.

[ohiomom]

I switched to a womens mvi about a month ago. It's amazing what this child is "stealing" from my body. I just finished participating in a research study of bfing, oral contraceptives and bone loss. I was on the micronor (no estrogen) and lost around 3% of bone mass in 6 months, despite consistently consuming 4-5 servings of dairy each day. I'm already at high risk of osteoporosis based on my hip dexa scan -- can't imagine what it will look like when I'm twice my age! So, it seems important to keep taking care of ourselves, not just our little precious ones!!

Nicole's mom
7/30/03

[Vajrastorm]

According to the Kelly Mom site's links, there has been a study suggesting that nursing can actually be protective against osteoporosis. http://www.parentsplace.com/expert/lactation/qas/0,,239840_106414,00.html

If this is true, then its very neat :)

[Tracey1]

Helen,
The main reason that I'm still taking my prenatal is because it has the omega 3 & EFA's in it - it's a bonus that I only have to remember one pill! (OK, well it's actually 2 pills but my OB said it was fine to take them both at the same time rather than one morning and one evening).

It's called PrimaCare - http://www.ther-rx.com/products/primacare.asp

HTH

[ohiomom]

I was told the calcium will replete after I stop nursing within a year or so for the most part, unless I get pregnant again within that time frame, which seems likely if we decide to add #2. My problem is my hip bone mass was awfully low to begin with 2 yrs ago before I even got pregnant. I think I get to thank my genes!!

Nicole's Mom 7/03

[BethS]

I take mine just about everyday and Jack is 3 1/2 months old. As with many others, I don't always eat as well as I should so this makes me feel better. In a perfect world, I agree with your Dad, but that's just not happening for me to the extent that I'd like so I'm sticking with the vitamins.