Isn't is VERY important to take Prenatal vitamins

[TraciG]

My SIL is also pregnant and she say's she only takes her vitamin's once in a while . Isn't it very important to take the vitamin's because of the folic acid ??

[ThreeofUs]

OMG. What an awful way to grow a baby!

Show her the March of Dimes web page (www.marchofdimes.com) - they have tons of resources, and news items on the right that would help with information, if that's the problem.

There's also a "folic acid" thread in the lounge.

[vludmilla]

My Ob told me that it is very important to take the vitamins regularly but that if I forgot a couple of times a week it would be fine. I don't know how often she takes them, but maybe she is avoiding them for a reason. Mine used to make me feel VERY sick unless I took them with plenty of food.

[billysmommy]

All the ones I tried while pregnant with both boys made me terribly nauseous. It was awful!!!! I never had morning sickness but about one hour after everytime I took a prenatal I would be nauseous. I experimented with lots of different kinds and they all did it. On days I didn't take one, I was fine. I have this problem with regular vitamins also. I was able to find a Folic acid supplement and was able to take that without a problem though.

[lmintzer]

My OB said that it was crucial just in the first 6 weeks--until the spinal column closes. Helps prevent disorders like Spina Bifida.

[lizajane]

i didn't take prenatal vitamins because they made me sick. so i took:
centrum multivitamin
folic acid
calcium
fiber

my dr said that was a-ok.

[Ceepa]

My prenatals made me sick so I took a multivitamin for a while instead. OB said it was fine because food I was eating everyday had folic acid in it, as well.

[egoldber]

With Amy any prenatal made me so sick I couldn't take them. I found a folic acid only supplement and took that. They are much smaller and easier to tolerate. Its worth looking around for higher dosage ones. I had to take 2 mg (or 2000 mcg, most prenatals have 800-1000 mcg), so I took 4 of the 800s.

[TraciG]

thanks everyone, I'll ask her if her doc know's that she rarely take's them, I think they make her feel sick .

[lisams]

Like the PP mentioned, the folic acid is important for preconception and the first weeks of pregnancy. Which is why they say women of childbearing age should be taking a folic acid supplement.

Honestly, I would think if mom has a fairly balanced diet, really it isn't that big of a deal. If she were having candy bars and soda for lunch that's another story.

The baby will take from the mother's stores of nutrients, so the one that will suffer is mom if she isn't eating healthy or taking a supplement.

I do take a prenatal as added insurance, but I've read that the body absorbs the nutrients from our food much better than from a supplement.

[bunnisa]

Like the PP mentioned, the folic acid is important for preconception and the first weeks of pregnancy. Which is why they say women of childbearing age should be taking a folic acid supplement.

Honestly, I would think if mom has a fairly balanced diet, really it isn't that big of a deal. If she were having candy bars and soda for lunch that's another story.

The baby will take from the mother's stores of nutrients, so the one that will suffer is mom if she isn't eating healthy or taking a supplement.

I do take a prenatal as added insurance, but I've read that the body absorbs the nutrients from our food much better than from a supplement.

:yeahthat:

In some cases, synthetic vitamins can even be harmful.

I've taken my (food based) prenatals on a regular basis before conception and during the first several weeks, but afterward I just concentrated on eating well and supplementing with specific nutrients (i.e. fish oils, etc).

[SnuggleBuggles]

I admit that I wasn't very good about my vitamins. I tried to eat a balanced diet though. I probably didn't get enough folic acid but the problem is that when you need it most you don't know you are pg. So, if you aren't good at taking supplements you might have missed the window.

Beth

[Sillygirl]

Yeah, I'm terrible at taking pills, missed most of my prenatals, etc.

AND MY KIDS EACH HAVE THREE HEADS!

No, not really. I eat lots of Cheerios so I figured I was full up on folic acid. A balanced diet seems better than focusing on swallowing a pill.

[tnrnchick74]

I have been unable to take prenatals, regular vitamins, whole food vitamins, or even flintstones chewables & the Expecta DHA supplements since I got pregnant. I felt VERY fuilty about it until my OB told me it was more important to be able to eat and KEEP DOWN the food I was eating then to worry so much about taking a supplement.

Everything we eat is fortified - I make sure to drink OJ with calcium every day and try to eat a healthy well-rounded diet.

Supplements are just "added insurance" for those days you don't eat as healthy as you could, in my opinion. My little boy is growing just fine accorsing to all the tests, exams, and ultrasounds. I have moved past the guilt as it does no good.

[icunurse]

I've seen lots of women deliver perfectly healthy babies and never take a prenatal vitamin in their life. I have also seen women do everything by the book and deliver children with all kinds of medical issues that "shouldn't" have happened because they did what they were supposed to. Just because you do something doesn't guarantee anything and just because your SIL isn't taking what YOU think she should doesn't make her a bad parent-to-be, either. Maybe she's already talked to her doc about it? Maybe she feels she gets enough in her diet?

Most people who eat a decent diet get plenty of folic acid. But, as I said, I've seen in my prior work women who ate Doritos and Mountain Dew all day (and I'm guessing those aren't fortified) and no prenatal care and their babies are born perfect. Folic acid helps to prevent and it's a nice thing to do for your child, but it is by no means a sure thing or a measure of love.

[ShanaMama]

I will admit that I have a huge stash of prenatal vitamin samples & I haven't taken a single one. I get queasy from some types or I just gag on the huge pill which can also set me off throwing up. I do take folic acid & have been taking it since before I became pregnant. My midwives are fine with that arrangement.

[C99]

OMG. What an awful way to grow a baby!

Show her the March of Dimes web page (www.marchofdimes.com) - they have tons of resources, and news items on the right that would help with information, if that's the problem.

There's also a "folic acid" thread in the lounge.

And mass hysteria and fear-mongering! I took prenatals for about the first half of DS1's pregnancy. With DD, I took prenatals for a month before she was conceived and about a month of my pregnancy with her before I gave up because they all made me feel bad. I took a chewable multivitamin intermittently throughout my pregnancy and vitamin C daily for most of my last trimester. With DS2, I took folic acid for about a week after I found out I was pregnant and took vitamin C every day of my pregnancy. Anecdotally, the only one of my children who was born prematurely was DS1 and I did everything "by the book" in my pregnancy with him.

All this to say that yes, folic acid and other vitamins are important. But there are sources for this other than in supplements.