Why would a mom-to-be need medicines? Are these best prenatal vitamins safe for intake? What are these prenatal vitamins and how do they serve moms any different from the otherwise regular diet plan?
If you have these questions in mind, we strongly recommend reading through the article below to find answers to all queries accompanied by our best picks. So, what’s the wait? Let’s dive in!
What Are These Best Prenatal Vitamins?
In simple words, prenatal vitamins work as a supplement to any nutrition gap that you might have, assuring an abundance of all the vital nutrients for your baby to grow. These nutrients include magnesium, zinc, calcium, vitamins B and C, omega 3 fatty acids, and folate.
This means, as nutritious as your diet might be, unfortunately, it isn’t wholesome with all the vitamins and minerals that the baby would need to grow and develop during the trimester days. Enter prenatal vitamins!
How And When To Start Consuming Prenatal Vitamins?
In an ideal situation, an expecting mother must start consuming prenatal vitamin medicines as soon as she conceives to help increase her fertility. As far as the duration and time are concerned, it’s best to refer to a doctor.
Tip – It’s recommended to continue taking prenatal vitamins during and even after your pregnancy, that is, for as long you’re breastfeeding.
What To Keep In Mind When Choosing The Best Prenatal Vitamins?
In cases where a to-be-mom experiences certain pregnancy complications or health concerns, the doctor recommends a prescription of prenatal supplements. Nevertheless, over-the-counter vitamins are available at the pharmacy or online, as and when required.
Here is a list of things that you might want to look into when choosing a prenatal vitamin for yourself:
- Calcium
- Vitamins D, C, A, and E
- Folate (folic acid)
- Iron
- Zinc
- Copper
- Vitamin B12
- Magnesium
Most pregnant women fail to get enough choline, so it’s important to include foods that are rich in choline, such as egg yolks, or consume supplements that contain the nutrient. It is essential for your health and the development of the fetal brain and placental function.
On the other hand, other prenatal vitamin supplements contain half of the pregnancies are indeed DHA. This nutrient is important for the growth and functioning of the baby’s brain tissue— especially during the third trimester. So, in case the supplement doesn’t include DHA, we recommend consulting your doctor for the same.
Now, that we understand the basics, let’s get onto our top picks for prenatal vitamin supplements;
Top 5 Best Prenatal Vitamins
Here is a list of our top 6 best picks for you to choose from!
1) Essential Ritual Prenatal Vitamin
With essential ritual prenatal vitamins, you’d be assured to meet all your daily nutrient requirements, such as folate, vitamin D, vitamin B12, DHA, iron, and choline. It is a vegan-friendly pick that supports the pregnant mom-to-be and the baby, before, during, and after pregnancy.
2) Care of Baby Love Prenatal Vitamin
Care of baby prenatal multivitamin comes with vitamins A, C, and D3 and contains iron, choline, and folate with choline and iron levels a little lower than the other options on the list. If you choose this prenatal vitamin, you must make sure to make up for those gaps with iron- and choline-rich foods.
This best prenatal vitamin is a vegetarian pick, is non-GMO, gluten-free, and fermented using organic yeast that encourages easy digestion. And with Care/of, you can customize your monthly subscription and add additional supplements, such as calcium or probiotics, as per the need.
3) Persona Prenatal Vitamins Supplements + Folic Acid
This prenatal multivitamin includes all eight B vitamins, folic acid, and iron. This helps in supporting the nutritional needs of the pregnant mama and the unborn baby. In addition, the Persona Prenatal also includes ginger that is said to aid morning sickness and nausea.
4) Garden of Life RAW Prenatal Vitamins
Garden of Life includes probiotics, ginger, and zinc that are intended to support the immune systems of the pregnant mama bear and her little one. The prenatal vitamin is raw, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free and provides 100 percent of the daily iron needs.
5) Zahler Mighty Prenatal Vitamins DHA
Zahler Mighty Mini Prenatal + DHA comes with over 100 percent of the daily intake of folate and provides DHA from algal oil that is suitable for vegetarians.
Having said that, on the downside, the supplement misses choline in it, which is an important nutrient for the brain and spinal cord development of the fetal and calcium. Therefore, if you are to consume this medication, be sure to increase your intake of calcium- and choline-rich foods or take supplements of each.
Note -If you have any concerns with nutrition being met, make sure to talk to your doctor.
FAQs: Top 5 Best Prenatal Vitamins To Choose From!
1) When should you start taking prenatal vitamins for a healthy pregnancy?
A prenatal vitamin must be taken a few months before you conceive, in other words, when you stopped using birth control and began trying. Nevertheless, it is true that half of the pregnancies are unplanned. Therefore, in these cases, folic acid, and other multi-vitamins are recommended at a childbearing age, even when they are not trying to get pregnant.
2) What to avoid when taking prenatal vitamins?
Here are a few things that you must avoid when taking prenatal vitamins:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- Black cohosh
- Goldenseal
- Dong Quai
- Yohimbe
- Other herbal supplements that are considered unsafe when pregnant
3) Are over-the-counter prenatal vitamins good?
Over-the-counter prenatal vitamins are available in any nearby pharmacy. Although your health care provider would recommend a specific brand or even leave it up to you, you must make sure to check for folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D.
4) What are the side effects when consuming the best prenatal vitamins when not pregnant?
Prenatal vitamins could cause:
- Constipation
- Nausea in some women
- Diarrhea
- Low appetite
- Stomach upset
- Cramps
