Prenatal Vitamins - Federal Way,WA

Hi T.,
Yah I tried those prenatal pills and they made me ill too---plus gas that smelled like EEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!! I actually just got single supplements of the most important vitamins:
1) a B-complex, B-6 (which really helped my morning sickness) and Folic acid, all three taken together.
2) Iron, which I took w/ 250-500mg. vit. C.
3) ###-###-####mg of calcium and magnesium, which can also be taken w/ vit. C.
4) trace mineral liquid supplement that I added to my drinking water

I took the B vitamins most days, and alternated betw. the iron and Ca/Mg as I felt like it.

Baby came out fine, and if I was to do it over I'd add cod liver oil pills or the nice lemon-flavored liquid, assuming that it didn't make me ill. :)

I haven't seen many multi-vitamins, and that includes the prenatal ones, that don't have at least some vitamins present that don't absorb properly when taken together. Anything w/ both iron and vit. E together, or iron and calcium, you might as well not even bother.

Good luck!
Jennifer

I really liked Rainbow Light Prenatal One - you only have to take one a day vs a lot of most other prenatal vitamins and it has ginger in it too. They did not make me sick when many others did.
Congratulations!!

I had trouble with my first prenatal also. I took the Flinstone gummy vitamins (who doesn't need an excuse for a gummy bear?!) for a while, and then was able to switch later to a prenatal that didn't bother me, but still preferred my gummies, hehe!

I was also extremely sensitive to the prenatals. I tried many different brands and finally found Rainbow Light Once a Day Prenatals with ginger extract for sensitive stomachs. I love them. They also make a pregnancy safe DHA which helps with brain functioning during pregnancy. I have a very sensitive system and these have worked great for me. I bought them online at a vitamin store and they shipped them pretty quickly. I hope this works for you because the quality of the flintstones vs. these prenatals is a night and day comparison.
Good luck to you!

I did the Flinstones, and doubled up on B6, and B12...it's for babies brain!

I like to take my vitamin advice from the experts. Super Supplements people are extremely knowledgable. Go there and ask them. Usually the more food-based a vitamin is the better. Amway's Nutrilife, or Super Supplements has a huge variety of food-based vitamins. A lot of people are allergic to factory-produced vitamins, which Flinstones are.

Also, I was extremely sick in the last trimester of pregancy and it was a B-12 deficiency. I had to take B-12 shots, which cleared up the problem in a matter of hours. B-12 deficiency shows itself by weakness, nausea and can also cause anxiety and depression.

I had the same problem when I was pregnant with my son. My doctor recommended taking 2 Flintstone vitamins so you should be okay! I wasn't sick at all after I started doing that. Good luck and congrats!

Hi T.,
Congrats on your pregnancy! I have something much better than vitamins! It is whole food in capsule, chewable and gummie form. You get the nutritional equivalent of 17 servings of fresh, raw fruits and veggies and 2 grains everyday!! Call me if you would like more information at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com. I would love to tell you more about it and the research behind it.
D.

Dear T.,

You may want to check out supplements of better quality than the one's you mentioned. There are several more reliable brands on the market such as Schiff and Shaklee. I personally have used Shaklee off and on for 35 years. Every time I try other cheaper brands they don't work as well for me. A woman's intuition is usually right about her own body, and it doesn't surprise me that you had a bad reaction to a multiple vitamin supplement. Some of them are made with ingredients such as coal tar for filler and to be avoided. I do know for a fact that Shaklee has a money back guarantee, and there are several people available locally who sell them. They are expensive. The next most reliable, in my opinion, and much less costly, are probably Schiff. They put out a good multiple, low in potency, so as not to "blast you out" and cause nausea. If you're near Bend, Oregon, Nature's General Store has a gal there who knows a lot about supplements, named Kathy. They also have a computer to look up info and you can investigate on your own, online. Beware of an overload of info. One source that has been helpful to our family concerning supplements is consumerLab.com which is a paid subscription. I think it is possible to check it out without paying, just for a sample.

Diet is of course the first defense, getting plenty of good green veges for folic acid and colorful squash and carrots for beta carotene and tomatoes, as well as citrus for vitamin c, along with protein in meat, fish, eggs, milk etc, and more whole grains instead of white breads and pasta. Don't forget water. I'm sure you probably know this stuff, but at the risk of sounding like someone's mother (which I'm old enough to be yours) these simple diet solutions are really important. I had our last child at 43 yrs. old. Due to an excellent diet, a good multiple , and daily exercise, everything went fine. In fact, all the nurses on the floor came in to see this "old mom and her new healthy baby". It was more unusual then than now, to have a baby at my age. He's now a teenager and I'm closer to 60 than 55.

As my physical therapist recently pointed out, deep, slow breathing is the number one anti-stress defense which is often ignored. No need to be over-anxious. You sound like a loving mom who wants to do the right thing. Good luck finding an appropriate pre-natal multiple. I hope this email has been a help and encouragement to you; and I would stay away from the Flinstone vitamins if I were you. Also, Dr. recommended supplements can be taken off as medical expenses on taxes, as long as you have the receipts, of course.. All best wishes to you, your pregnancy, your health and family. Hope you enjoy it all in spite of "bumps" we all have.

Blessings to you and yours,
Jan
about me: (mom, grandma, degree in family & child development, and have studied nutrition as a special interest for about 35 years)

I took flinstones with my first pregnancy because the regular ones made me feel gross. I had no problems and a perfectly healthy baby girl. Good luck!

I was the same way constantly sick and the vitamins did nothing but make it worse. My doctor said I could do the Gummy vitamins my kids took that I just needed to double up on the dose, and then he also recommended a nutrition drink (Ensure) as well. The big thing is to make sure that you are getting the right dose, bring in the bottle of vitamins you plan on taking so that your doc can advise you on how much to take. Or even ask him if there is a specific brand that is best.

Hi T., yes, hurray for your third child! I also have three, watch out the third one seems to grow so quickly, mine just started 1st grade...

The below is what I took before and during my pregnancy and really saw a difference. I still take them. When I would wake up during the night I would take one instead of eating and my hunger went away in 15 minutes! My body knew these are truely food form vitamins and I wasn't wasting my money because of the below...

PhytoMatrix® caplets are formulated to deliver many of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals you need. Because natural vitamins, plant-sourced minerals and standardized phytochemicals are thought to offer greater health benefits, PhytoMatrix® caplets have no synthetic or chemically derived dietary ingredients. Despite the fact that most vitamin and mineral supplements are formulated with synthetic chemicals, science suggests that vitamins and minerals in natural, plant-based forms may be absorbed and utilized more efficiently by the body. PhytoMatrix® caplets furnish both antioxidant and immune system support* with:

All-natural, real-food multivitamins for maximum absorption.

Highly concentrated, plant-sourced minerals derived from healthful, hydroponically grown mustard sprouts.

Standardized phytochemicals, including glucosinolates from broccoli

Let me know if you are interested, the company has a 100% guarantee! Hope this helps you in your search!

I took OptiNate prenatal vitamins that were prescribed by my OB, and I took them at night before bed so if they upset my stomach I would be sleeping and wouldn't realize it. During my first trimester I also took an anti-nausea pill, Zofran. It was very expensive, so I only took half of one a day and it helped a ton. When you already have young children you don't have the luxury of laying on the couch nursing morning sickness. Good Luck!

I took a chewable that my Dr. prescribed, unfortunately, it was a little more than three years ago and I don't remember what it was called. It wasn't too bad and I could chew it up, swallow it and keep it down even while I had terrible nausea and vomiting. Another idea, which I tried but didn't work for me, was a prescription vitamin that you swollow but has extra B vitamins (I think) to help with nausea. Depending on your prescription coverage the chewables with the Rx are probably cheaper than Flinstones, especially if you have to take two a day.
Good luck finding something that works for you.

With my first pregnancy, the prenatal vitamins did a number on me, too. What I did for my second pregnancy was to take my oldest son's Gummy Vites for the first trimester, and then I was able to go back to the prenatal vitamins for the rest of the pregnancy, but I had to cut them in half and I took half a pill each day.

Go to a health food store and find a whole-food based vitamin. Also, eat organic and drink spring water and you'll do ok nutritionally.
Be well,
Liz

Hi, T.! I am expecting my 3rd child in March and I HATE taking prenatal vitamins! They make me sick also. . . I just talked to a midwife yesterday about them. She told me that as long as I was eating well-balanced meals that it would be fine to take nothing. I think she also said if I became anemic, then I would need to be taking a vitamin to help that, but as long as I am healthy and eating RIGHT, then I don't have to worry about taking anything.
I know that a lot of people disagree with my choice to NOT take them . . . (but I didn't take them when I was pregnant with my second child after the third month and he's VERY healthy.)

All the best,
A.

I had the same trouble with pre-natals...made me sick. My nutritionist friend recommended that I take Body Balance... whole food liquid nutrition which gives you all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes your body needs. It even has the natural form of folic acid that my doctor told me to get enough of while pregnant as it effects brain development. She even recommended that I not take a vitamin at all because they are not food and are also synthectic (which I believe was causing me to get sick in the first place). Let me know if you what anymore info. Congrats! C.

HI T.,

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also take New Chapter prenatals. I LOVE them. They are whole food so your body takes in more of the nutrients. They are also much easier on your system. They do say 'gentle enough to take without food". I've done it when not pregnant and I did fine, but only tried it once while pregnant and wouldn't recommend it.

They are spendy, but I just found out that they are available at www.vitaminshoppe.com and at Seattle Super Supplements (brick an d mortar) for about 40% off retail.

Regarding the children's vitamins. We had some that my daughter didn't like, so I thought that I could just double up on them (I wasn't pregnant.) My doctor highly recommended not doing that because I still wouldn't be getting all the nutrients I would need.

Congrats again!!!!!!! Best wishes!!!!
-A.

T.,

With both my kids the prenatals made me sick to my stomach. As soon as I stopped taking them the nausea disappeared.

I took the Flinstones vitamins and my doc was pleased that I was doing something. They worked well for me. Don't know if it correlates or not, but my son will be 5 Oct. 15th and is the size of the average 6 year old. My daughter is 18 months and strangers think she's 2. (Well,,,,she has also hit her terrible two's already)

Melissa

Hi! Yes, I took double Flintstones vitamins during my pregnancies bc I also was getting sick with regular prenatal vitamins. I loved the chewability too, and the taste did not bother me. I was a little paranoid to not be getting enough vitamins, folic acid, etc. It was all fine! I have three beautiful, perfectly formed boys as proof ;) I don't recall if I took folic acid in addition to the Flintstones vites. Check with your doctor to see if you can or should add this.

Hi T.,

Like you, I was not able to take prenatals during my pregnancies. I simply took a multivitamin every day, under the advice of my doctor. From my own gleaning of info, I discovered that our bodies really can't take the high doses of vitamins in the mega-vitamins that some people take. In fact, they can be toxic. But a regular multi, such as One A Day Women's Formula, should be fine. Watch the vitamin A levels, especially. You don't want much of it. The best thing for you to do is talk to your doctor. I can give you advice from personal experience, but I'm certainly not an expert. Good luck!

I also had a problem with the prenatal vitamins. My doctor suggested that I try Costco brand. I did. It worked. No more throwing up prenatal vitamins! :) They did not even upset my stomach!

Hi T. B,

Here are some Prenatal Vitamins that are in powder form, you dissolve with water and are ready to be absorbed by your intestines. Women find them easier to take and they have excellent Bioavailablity and are doctor recommended. Here is the link so you can read about the benefits and the science behind the vitamins. http://www.marketamerica.com/kimkalin/index.cfm?action=sh...

I wish you the best throughout your pregnancy and congratulations!

Kimberly

I had to do the same thing through my first trimester, and in my case, it helped with the yucky tummy. Ask your doctor whether he/she approves of kids' gummy vites - they're gummy bears instead of chalky tabs, so for a queasy mom-to-be they have a much friendlier mouth feel. And they also make Omega-3 gummies. Both of these are available at Costco and other mainstream retailers.

My doctor told me it was fine to take a childrens chewable while I was pregnant, I actually took the gummy vites! They are low in iron so you may need to get a prescription for iron later on in your pregnancy. Thats all I took while I was pregnant and had a very healthy baby girl!

I got sick from the vitamins, too. I found that if I cut them in half and took 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the evening, it was just fine! Good luck.

I don't know how it would be for you, but every other kind of prenatal out there made me sick except the brand Natafort. I was never sick with those. As for chewables I have no experience. Good luck and Congrats!!

Yes - and no problems here - I also believe I took an extra folic acid - that being said my reason for not taking it was that I was a pillphobic - so I couldn't swallow them at all - gag reflex. But the flintstones worked well meaning healthy baby.

I got very ill because of my gag reflex from the prenatal pills. I went to my doctor with this concern. She prescribed me some anti nausea pills and these wonderful purple chewable prenatal vitamins! YES! They actually do exist. I would ask your doctor about these. The chewable ones went down faster and they didn't make me sick at all. :D Hope this helps. Congrats on the pregnancy!

T.,
With both of my pregnancies I couldn't hold down any vitamins. To this day even a regular vitamin (adult or child) makes me vomit. I just stuck with keeping up good nutrition and lots of protein to ward off gestational diabetes. I had that with our second child because I wasn't eating enough healthy foods. (I had morning sickness every day until he was born.)Once I started working with my nutritionist everything was great.

If vitamins make you sick then your body is trying to tell you that you don't need the extras.

Stick with a healthy balanced diet and everything will be fine.

Congratulations!

Congratulations on the new baby! This is my second pregnancy (third trimester) and even now if I take half a prenatal I am nauseous for two days and liable to vomit if I'm not careful.

The gummy vites go down fine for me (although I rarely take those either). The only concern is that most children's vitamins don't contain iron. There is a Flintstones vitamin that contains iron and my sister-in-law who had the same problem took them fine. I have yet to try them. Anyway, the folic acid first trimester is the main necessity with prenatals. Foods high in folic acid are:

Dark green, leafy vegetables
Whole wheat bread
Lightly cooked beans and peas
Nuts and seeds
Sprouts
Oranges and grapefruits
Liver and other organ meats
Poultry
Fortified breakfast cereals and enriched grain products

One cup of orange juice provides half the RDA for folate, underscoring how easy a nutrient it is to consume. Food processing destroys 50 percent to 90 percent of the folate in foods, as it is very susceptible to heat. It is really important to eat raw foods and lightly cooked vegetables as they retain their nutrient value the best when cooked minimally in water -- through steaming, stir-frying, or microwaving.

More and more I am realiziing that nothing replaces proper nutrition. Whole foods are way more effective than pills. The body only absorbs about 15% from a vitamin supplement. The rest is excreted in your urine. Fruits and veggies contain phytochemicals which can’t be put in a bottle or made into a pill. Fruits and veggies are also nutrient rich, vitamin rich and mineral rich and much more bioavailable. Apples and broccoli especially are superpower foods that pack a lot of punch. And if you eat meats regularly you will get the iron you need.

My friend had a theory that the body was getting sick because the prenatals were overkill on nutrients the body was already getting from a healthy diet. (Her third pregnancy she ate the healthiest and became the most sensitive to prenatals.) That's just one person's theory, of course. I try to listen to my body anyway, because I think a pregnant body is communicating loud and clear to the momma what it does and doesn't want. Bottom line is, I have more faith in a healthy diet than in vitamins.

As for the anxiety about your new little one, I hope you can find ways to relax or take breaks even with two other children to watch out for. Mommy's health and happiness are vital to baby's, kid's and family's health. Take care of yourself (or have others help) first and the rest will follow!

Prenatals also made me sick. Here's what my doctor recommended, and it's worked great for me. I'm currently pregnant with #2.
I just kept taking a "normal" (not prenatal) multi-vitamin and added in extra folic acid. I looked at non-prescription prenantals and the "normal" vitamins actually had more of almost everything except for the folic acid anyway. Also, if you have morning sickness, B6 can be very helpful. You can either take 25mg twice a day or 50mg once a day. Good luck!

This is probably bad advice, but I just decided not to take prenatal vitamins because everything made me throw up--and my son came out just fine--I did take folic acid for months before getting pregnant and for awhile into the pregnancy.

I had the same problem and took double Flinstones. I wasn't as sick my little guy is happy and healthy.

During my last pregnancy I was looking for a different prenatal also that would be easier digested and actually asorbed into my body. I found Reliv nutrition to be the perfect prenatal for me. Not only could I drink it, but it is a patent food, safe for the baby, and this prenatal passed my expectations by helping me with my leg cramps and improve my digestion! As a distributor you can contact me for more product information and how to's on getting the product. Feel free to call me at ###-###-####.
Good luck mama!

If you go with a children's chewable I would actually recommend against Flintstones or other gummi-type vitamins. I did a lot of searching for a good vitamin for my kiddos because almost all have sugar or high fructose corn syrup as their main ingredient, along with a lot of food coloring. I've found that the best vitamin/mineral content with the lowest sugar levels are Costco's Kirkland Signature Children's Chewables. (There are dinosaurs on the label.) They are affordable, have 400 mcg of folic acid, and they have never bothered me when I took them while pregnant.

Blessings on your baby!

I had a bad time with prenatals too. I switched to taking them at night instead of the morning and that helped me.

My first suggestion is never take your vitamins on an empty stomach. I found that would irritate my stomach. Also whenever I was pregnant I would gag on regular prenatals, so I had to take chewables. They worked out fine for me. Also, drink plenty of fluids (however much your doctor recomends) dehydration can sometimes cause nausea.
H. T.

Hi Sahm...
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ISOTONIX SUPPLEMENTS. Pills are very hard on the digestive system to dissolve and have and continue to cause many side effects for many...not just you. These Prenatal pills are truly "outdated" and in my research should be taken off the market as they are soooooooooo difficult to break down in the digestive system causing severe nausea, constipation just to mention a few. LIQUID VITAMINS ARE THE WAY TO GO!
This is why Liquid Vitamins will ALWAYS be at the cutting edge of obtaining optimun health for YOU and your baby. Not just now...but thoughout your entire lives. These Liquid Vitamins dissolve so easily and quickly in your digestive system---they tast great and have NO side effects but Great Health!

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I recommend you be on the LIQUID Multi-Vitamin and the B-12 Complex, as well as the Minerals.
This will supply YOU and your growing child the best health possible! They taste Great too! They come in a powdered form that you merely mix with water (not juice) but water. The instructions are on the bottle. You will be nothing more than amazed how great they taste and how healthy you will feel.
The reason women get so ill during their pregnancy is because the fetus is taking up ALL the nutrients you have in your body. This is why it is vital to BE ON a nutritional regimen so YOU yourself have some left over for you...after the fetus takes what it needs to develop properly.

Go to my website= www.simplyyounger.com
review the Health Info on the right side of page. Go down to the bottles of the Isotonix Vitamins and then "click" on the photos and it will take you to the page where you can then review more info on them...as well as Order them...if you desire.
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Many warm and healthy blessings come your way,

D. Frances CNC
SELF CARE IS HEALTH CARE...and Knowledge IS Power.
www.simplyyounger.com

I don't understand. Did your doc recommend Flinstones? Do they have Folic Acid in them? Your vitamin should have:
4,000 and 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A
800 and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of folic acid
400 IU of vitamin D
200 to 300 mg of calcium
70 mg of vitamin C
1.5 mg of thiamine
1.6 mg of riboflavin
2.6 mg of pyridoxine
17 mg of niacinamide
2.2 mcg of vitamin B-12
10 mg of vitamin E
15 mg of zinc
30 mg of iron

If not than, you need the chewable from your doctor. Or make sure your eating a super balanced meal.

Tima,
Prenatal vitimans made me really sick also. I finally found one that worked for me. I use the Nature Care from Costco. Hope you find something that works for you.
K.

I got the prescription for the chewable vitamins with my first pregnancy and they were great. I felt a lot better and kept taking them while nursing. They are just much easier on your system and why feel sick etc...when you really don't have to.

Actually, try New Chapter's Organics PreNatals. They help with the nausea instead of causing it. They're pricey, but you can get a better deal online than in the store. And they are worth it!
For the nausea, if Phenegren doesn't work, see if your health insurance covers Zofran (or whatever generic there is for Zofran). It is the ONLY thing that helped with the nausea in my pregnancy.
Good luck!

Hello,

I was very sick from my prenatal vitamin, until I switched to chewables. I used Centrum Complete Chewables and had no problems at all.

T., I've never heard of taking those in lieu of a prenatal vitamin. The folic acid seems to be the most important thing to get and maybe you can get that and ask what other vitamins you have to have to stay healthy. Have you tried taking the prenatal at night before bed instead of the morning? It seemed to help me keep it down instead of fighting it down in the morning. Try to also go to the health food store and get one that is more natural. Maybe there is something in it keeping you from keeping it down. I hope this helps. Good Luck.

I am sure that some of the people here are distributors for some natural pre-natal vitamins that would not make you sick. My sister got sick on the pre-natals and took something from a company that started with an "M" and did very well Mannatech I think was the name.

Hi! Congratulations on your exciting news!!!
Your best bet is to go with a vitamin that is from a vegetable-base. The ones that are prescribed are actually derived from oil, ew. Check Whole Foods, or even Fred Meyer has some really great natural ones. Since they are from a natural source, your body will recognise them as food and not react or regect them with nausea. Plus they are way better for you! Hope this helps!

Love,
J.

T., I would highly recommend checking into the Reliv nutritional shakes! They are the best my family has ever experienced with vitamins and I know several ladies who have had many children (a couple of them 9!) who had their last one on Reliv nutrition and it was their best and healthiest pregnancy even though they were much older! I noticed Danielle has had personal experience with Reliv through a pregnancy and is a distributor. I would encourage you to give her a call and learn about it. ____@____.com

I had terrible nausea too but felt better after switching my prenatal to eclectic institutes prenatal. you can find it at new seasons and healthfood stores. I also had great success with preggie pops and ginger tea and ginger candy. Hope you find a solution that works for you!

Prenatal vitamins made me sick too. I went and talked to the folks at my local New Seasons (which I love, love, love!). They recommended the New Chapter Organics brand of food based prenatal vitamins. You take them with each meals for three a day total. I found they were much easier to digest and I felt a lot better. The downside is that they aren't cheap. When I started taking them though, I would have paid ten times as much not to feel so sick every day! Luckily the New Chapter vitamins did the trick. Hope you feel better soon.

The prenatals gave me the worst constipation, so only thing I took was a folic acid/B6/B12 supplement. I took it at night and never got morning sickness!!!

My midwife said that she believed the B vitamins helped prevent the nausea and as long as I was getting extra folic acid and had a balanced diet I would be fine.

Just as a sidenote, I am from Germany and there prenatals are only prescribed in cases were women have real nutritional deficiencies. Otherwise just folic supplementation is recommended there.

That is what my doctor told me to do...is take two children vitimans... but they didnt have to be Finstones. But It worked wonderfully! At first I just wouldnt take anything with my second because of how sick they made me and I felt so guilty. So when she told me about the childrens vitamins I was extactic. They don't make you feel sick they just give the right dose.
Hope this helps and good luck with 3!
Cori