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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Quick question about pregnancy vitamins - Are you still taking them after 12 weeks?

29 replies

wolfcubEm83 · 07/03/2011 13:23

Hi ladies,

I stopped taking my pregnancy vitamins at 13 weeks because i lost them and didnt bother getting any more, had read on t'internet that they were only really necessary for the first 12 weeks for foetal development due to the folic acid content.

Im just over 23 weeks now and was talking to a friend the other day who told me that she took them the whole way through as she wanted to breastfeed i do also.
My diet is quite healthy and i eat lots of fruit and veg, keep hydrated and drink milk etc so im assuming i'll be ok. Anyone else not taking them anymore?? (they aint cheap either are they!!)

Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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Binkybell · 07/03/2011 13:31

Hi wolfcubEm

I'm 20 weeks and am still taking the vitamins, but only because my midwife told me too. The fact that you're eating a really healthy diet, will mean that your body will be getting lots of vitamins from your diet. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to start taking them again, but I would've thought a healthy diet is the most important thing. (And I can't say I'm always that healthy, given that I'm particularly fond of pickled onion monster munch!!!)
I had heard, and someone else may be able to confirm this, but that you can get the vitamins free or discounted via your doctor/midwife - worth checking out.

Sorry I can't be more help, and good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

Binkybell

notthewowy · 07/03/2011 13:32

I stopped at about 12 weeks, I'm crap at taking pills, I forget too often but then found out my local surestart sell 2 months supply of multivitamins for 96p so I started again. I don't think it's essential but for the sake of 50p a month it can't hurt. Now if it was say pregnacare at £5 a month I wouldn't. I haven't got it and my diet is quite sensible anyway.

owlbooty · 07/03/2011 13:35

I'm only taking the pregnacare type from time to time when I feel a bit under the weather. Stopped taking the folic acid at 14 weeks. I have a relatively sensible diet apart from the amount of cake

straightbat · 07/03/2011 13:36

I took them all the way through my first pg but not in subsequent ones. There is a link between folic acid after the first trimester and asthma. DS1 has asthma and I wanted to reduce the chances for the younger dcs.

You don't need to take vitamins in order to bf despite what the formula manufactures tell you.

SnapFrakkleAndPop · 07/03/2011 13:40

I'm still taking them but I have quite a limited calcium intake and have often found I don't feel like eating so at least this way baby is getting some nutrients beyond the high calorie stuff I try to prioritise.

Smoogs · 07/03/2011 13:42

I've been taking mine all the way through - 35 weeks now but it's personal choice I guess. I've had the sanatogen "mums to be" ones, worth taking for the extra iron - when they last checked my blood I was told my iron levels were excellent, would be even in a non-preg lady and this made me strangely proud for some reason...

doodledee · 07/03/2011 13:42

Midwife told me to continue them throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding - thats pregnacare though not just folic acid as the additional vitamins - particularly vitamin D is beneficial so i'm still on them (maybe my mw just has shares in pregnacare.....)

Beveridge · 07/03/2011 13:45

I still take the Sanatogen ones but largely because I bought a few packs in when they were reduced in the supermarket and there are 90 tablets in each pack. I really want a homebirth and need to make sure my iron count is high enough, bit prone to a low count so thought there was no harm in continuing.

Absolute mince that you need a special diet or vitamins to breastfeed, you could live on chips and cheese once the baby is here and it won't make a blind bit of difference to the quality of your breastmilk!

thumbwitch · 07/03/2011 13:49

I took them before, during and after pg, while I was bf'ing. I found that if I missed a few days, my teeth started to hurt, bizarrely - but as I later lost two teeth due to crumbling, I think perhaps the calcium was being pulled out of them by the bf'ing (since BM gets first dibs on all nutrients and you come a poor second).

If you are sure you are having your full quota of vitamins and minerals in your diet, then you probably don't need them - but if you're NOT sure then it's a good idea to take at least the folic acid and iron, with vitamin C to aid absorption of the iron. Iron stores in the foetus are to some extent reliant on yours - again, the foetus gets first dibs on the nutrients - and it isn't that easy to improve them once the baby is born, so if they're short-changed in the uterus, the baby/child will be running at a loss on iron. Iron is important for so many things, not just blood and oxygen levels, but mental health, intellectual capacity etc. as well.

Apart from Vitamin A, you can't really do any harm by taking them at suggested doses and you'll do yourself good by not becoming depleted in nutrients in favour of your baby.

BlueChampagne · 07/03/2011 13:51

I took them well on into breastfeeding with both of mine, basically because I thought it's tough enough having a newborn, give your body all the advantages you can! Bulk bought Pregnacare online.

mamamona · 07/03/2011 13:55

I'm 28 weeks and have taken Pregnacare Plus without fail every day. Mind you, my diet is quite worrying and it puts my mind to rest that at least the baby is getting something good from the tablets. (I'm allergic to sooo many things, make it hard to have a full and varied diet). I think its a personal choice, and I think that even without the allergies I would still probably take it every day throughout pregnancy and whilst breast feeding.

WinterLover · 07/03/2011 13:57

Same here, I'm still taking mine. I always felt better for taking multi vitamins prior to pregnancy. I'm taking dual sonatogen mum to be ones with the omega 3 capsule.

edwardcullensotherwoman · 07/03/2011 14:01

I think as long as your diet is healthy you don't necessarily need them, but as someone else said it won't hurt to take them.
With DS I took Sanatogen Mum to Be ones for 14 weeks, then stopped them because I kept forgetting them

This time I've bought PRegnacare with Omega 3, I'll take them until 12 weeks then take normal vegetarian vits (Morrisons 96p for 50) because I need them for myself. My diet isn't bad but lacking in fruit, and I'm quite often borderline anaemic, and I was severely anaemic after having DS so I'm hoping if I continue to take vitamins I can avoid it.

camdancer · 07/03/2011 14:06

I've been taking them since I started ttc almost 6 years ago. It's now been 4 pregnancies and 2 breastfed babies! I took a multivitamin before that so it was just swapping one multivit pill for another. I figure that it can't do any harm. My diet is ok but I don't think too much about it so a multivitamin just gives me a bit of reassurance.

I take the Sanatogen ones and just buy them whenever Tesco does a 3 for 2 deal. When I run out I might try my surestart centre though as they sound extremely cheap.

Beveridge · 07/03/2011 14:30

thumbwitch my dentist told me that the reason your teeth are worse after having children is not because you lose calcium from them but because you don't have the time to look after them like you did before?

I initially thought he was talking rubbish, (I mean how could you forget to clean your teeth?) but then I had DD and I realise how easy it is to do - I had terrible bleeding gums for a while!

thefurryone · 07/03/2011 14:43

I still take them but not everyday, this isn't a particularly conscious decision it's just that some days I forget.

thumbwitch · 07/03/2011 14:54

nah, Beveridge - my teeth cleaning never changed and I swear the teeth crumbled - one was a perfectly reasonable wisdom tooth, I woke up one morning with bits of stuff in my mouth, it was the bloody tooth! 2/3 of the surface tooth had disintegrated. That's nowt to do with poor cleaning and everything to do with loss of mineralisation. The other one was a bit different and required a crown - but it had also broken (just not as impressively as that wisdom tooth! )

thumbwitch · 07/03/2011 14:56

Also, thinking about it, I think your Dentist must have been talking out of his arse somewhat, because isn't the reason that pg women have free dental treatment because of the risk of demineralisation? I'm pretty sure it is

Fleecy · 07/03/2011 15:05

My midwife said they're telling pregnant women to take vitamins right the way through now because so many women are deficient in vitamin D. They've started seeing more babies born with rickets.

pistonpower · 07/03/2011 15:41

Sorry can I add a really stupid question (it is my 1st pregnancy and I haven't had my booking in appointment with the midwife yet)? I am allergic to dairy products (especially milk). I used to have bad eczema when I was a kid but have mostly grown out of it but I am still allergic. I know the importance of dairy in your diet but I don't like it. Should I take a calcium supplement and as I am allergic to dairy, what is the chance of the baby being allergic? Thanks.

SnapFrakkleAndPop · 07/03/2011 16:35

Piston - I take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement.

Yet to see whether baby will have trouble with dairy but I'll be watching carefully for eczema as that's my primary symptom.

hubbahubster · 07/03/2011 17:06

I'm taking the Sanatogen vitamins with omega 3 too, they seem to be on constant 3 for 2 at Boots and they're a damn sight cheaper than the Pregnacare ones. As I understand it, vitamin D is the main concern in pregnancy since it can be difficult to get enough (especially since it's been so darn dark and miserable recently!) ? plus I'm very fair-skinned so going out without an SPF isn't really an option for me.

Original poster

wolfcubEm83 · 07/03/2011 17:33

Thanks ladies, i am sitting eating a bag of raw sprouts as we speak yum yum and very good for baby i told my OH when he walked in and looked at me like id gone off!!

I had a look today and they seem very expensive so im going to have a look on ebay later and bulk buy. I have since relooked at my diet and i seem to be eating a lot of processed meat so im going to get some vits and do my best to take them and try not to lose them from now on.
Thanks for all your input - i heart mumsnet xx

OP posts:

tebbles · 07/03/2011 17:45

straightbat: Thanks for the heads up about the folic acid link to asthma. I have a very strong family history of asthma so don't want to keep taking them now. I had not heard about this link.

I will have to see if I can find a supplement suitable for pregnancy (without Vit A) as I still want the extra calcium, iodine, iron and Vit D. I might have to take separate supplements for these ones.

Meglet · 07/03/2011 17:46

I took them all the way through both pregnancies.

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