I hate my prenatal vitamins

[ilfaith]

Okay. Whose brilliant idea was it to force women who gag at the mere thought of certain foods, to swallow a pill large enough to choke a horse.

I've gotten into the habit of taking my vitamins at night because in the morning it's just too hard to swallow the darned things, which are roughly the size of a cocktail frank.

I would vastly prefer to take two smaller pills...or better yet, why don't they make prenatals in the yummy gummy bear form of my kids' vitamins?

But the worst part of the vitamins (Prenate DHA to be specific) prescribed by my ob, is the packaging they come in. Each enormous pill is individually sealed in packaging that practically requires a blowtorch to open. I've actually broken two nails on the "peel & push" wrapper. I am also certain there are more environmentally friendly ways to package these vitamins.

I am thinking of switching to an over-the-counter brand of prenatal vitamins after my curent supply runs out. Does anyone have a brand they like?

[citymama]

I remember hating prenatals as well - but loved the Twinlab ones when I finally switched over. They're pricey but soooo much better!

ETA They are vegetarian as well, which worked well for me

[KBecks]

I used the Target generics and liked them.

[egoldber]

The most important part is the folic acid, which you can buy as a separate supplement and it comes in a teeny tiny pill. :)

If you feel the need for DHA, you could do that as a separate supplement as well.

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Ugh I hate mine too. They are huge and the smell and taste like the stick that comes in Fun Dip which of course, I hate! Most people probably think they are great because they have a sweet sort of taste to them, but yuck yuck yuck!

[Cam&Clay]

I couldn't take my vitamins with either pregnancy. They made my hyperemesis even worse, so my doctor suggested taking two children's chewables instead. I could keep those down!

Susan
DS1 age 10 years
DS2 age 11 months

[JBaxter]

My OB said that they are unnecessary if you eat a healthy diet. Folic acid is good prior to conceving and the first trimester other than that eat healthy and be happy

[Tondi G]

I took Citrical Prenatals when I was preggo and for the years in between #1 and #2. Never made me sick... I took them at night before bed. I think they cost me 10 bucks a month maybe?

I know lots of mommies who couldn't stomach their prenatals so they took a couple of childrens chewables instead... just check the folic acid content and get extra if you need it. Calcium is also important and you might want to take some fish/flax seed oils too!

[Ceepa]

My OB said that they are unnecessary if you eat a healthy diet. Folic acid is good prior to conceving and the first trimester other than that eat healthy and be happy

This was what was told to me.

[KHF]

I took Flintstones chewables (2 per day) once my nausea got so bad, I couldn't take the Rainbow Light ones anymore.

[MontrealMum]

I took Materna and a separate Omega 3-6-9. They're big, but not monster-big. They were one of the few big names that I did not see on that list of vitamins with lead in them that was posted here a few months back. They don't smell :)

[kijip]

Gummy bear vitamins + tiny folic acid pill. No point in taking anything I was sure to vomit up it 4 seconds.

[saschalicks]

I take the Rainbow Light Prenatal One A Day and really like those. They are the only ones that do not upset my stomach.

[LarsMal]

I'm going to run and take cover...but I don't take prenatal vitamins. I started having issues with them when I was BF DD. I tried to take them at the beginning of this pregnancy and had issues again (I think I've developed an allergy/sensitivity to some mineral in there). I just take folic acid, try to eat really well. I actually take a digestive enzyme for my stomach problems, and they are supposed to help your body absorb vitamins and minerals better. I wouldn't recommend just starting that (I am under doctor supervision).

I went out last week and got an OTC brand from the Vitamin Shoppe (Solgar, I think). You are supposed to take four a day- and they are big and smelly! I decided to start with one, and within a couple hours I started getting itchy and a little rashy again. So, I'm not taking them at all now.

I take the Solgar folic acid and was told that is a really good brand, but you might not want to take four a day (of the regular prenatal- the folic acid is tiny)!

GL! My OB told me to take what I could and just make sure I get good vitamins and nutrients through food and I'd be fine. At 19 weeks, the baby is growing well and everything has been fine so far, so fingers crossed I'm not doing anything to to harm the kid!

[Snow mom]

Ugh, I hated, hated, hated the Prenate DHA vits. Seeing the smiling woman logo still makes me want to hurl.

I ended up taking over the counter vits. I'm not confident enough in my diet to go without a vit. I took promise prenatal (www.promiseprenatal.com) and liked them well enough. They claim the tablets are small but I'd say they are pretty average size, maybe the size of a typical gel-tab. The DHA is also sold seperately if you are looking for a supplier of DHA. They disguise the fishy taste with strawberry so you don't end up with horrible fish burps. I liked their DHA much better than the expecta lipil.



~Lisa

[hellokitty]

I just got a bottle of the Rainbow Light ones. Holy Moly, they are like horse pills! I had a hard time choking mine down. I have heard ppl rave about them, but did not realize they would be as large as the other prentals.

[carolinamama]

Looks like several others have done what I did - Flintstones chewables and folic acid supplements. Not sure if it was due to this or just a near-meatless diet due to nausea, but I did have to take iron supplements at the end of pregnancy. I was most concerned about the folic acid though.

[lizajane]

just take a multi vitamin (like centrum) a folic acid and a calcium. and keep tabs on your iron with your OB.

[shawnandangel]

I took the Flinstones chewables when my ms was soooo bad. After that I switched to Women's Once a Day.

[bluestarfish18]

I take the Nature's something-or-other PreNatals. They're not too big, but the taste kills me..so I always take themat night (so my tummy doesn't feel like crap all day), and take them with juice to mask the flavor.

[citymama]

I take the Nature's something-or-other PreNatals. They're not too big, but the taste kills me..so I always take themat night (so my tummy doesn't feel like crap all day), and take them with juice to mask the flavor.

Oh those Nature's Best ones taste awful! Poor you.

[mommylamb]

I was able to get prenatal vitamins that were small and you took 2. The nice thing about them is that I still take 1 (or try to remember to anyway), and because they're prenatal vitamins, I can claim them on my flexible spending account (they don't reimburse for regular vitamins... don't know why).

[3blackcats]

I like the ones I got at Costco. They are on the smaller size and don't have any taste when you take them. Or - Why don't you get the chewable kind from your Dr? You can swallow them or chew them.

[alirebco]

I took the Target brand prenatals which are not that big and easy to get down but I then switched to Primacare one with DHA - the purple one. That one was a prescription.