Does anyone else forget to take their folic acid?

[LiliAnjelika]

I'm 11 wks PG and forget to take my folic acid supplements at least three times a week. I made the mistake of buying those really expensive Pregnacare dual action pills which you HAVE to take with your main meal on a FULL stomach. On the box it practically tells you you;re gonna die if you take them at any other time. Anyway, thing is, my DP usually makes evening meal and I'm so tired by then I just wolf it all down and forget about the pill until a couple of hours later or when I'm lying in bed, when it's too late!! The other night I got so paranoid I got up in the middle of the night to eat triple decker cheese sandwich just so that I could take the pill.

Any tips?

I've been trying to remember to take Pregnacare since trying to get PG - seven months ago! AS I said earlier, I forget quite a few, but I reckon I'll definitely continue beyond the first 12 weeks and into BF, as recommended.

I always thought you had to take pills on a full stomach because the process of digesting food helped the vitamins to be absorbed? I didin't think it was to stop nausea?

Does weepootle know why other countries routinely fortify food with folic acid and we don't? I suppose it's the same public health vs civil liberties argument as adding fluoride to water...

yes holly i am! i've been taking pregnacare since i was ttc and i am now 20 weeks pregnant. last time i saw my gp to get my blood results and he said my iron levels were excellent. even though i eat healthly im not taking my chances.

by the way, i always remember to take pregnacare because i attached it to my routine of setting the table for dinner with the pills right beside our plates: one cod oil pill to husband, one to lovely dog, and one pregnacare for me.

I have taken pregnacare all the way through (39+wks now) and I am sure it has helped with healthy Blood tests etc, and if the MWs see you have a good red blood count they don't bother sticking more needles into you at week 34+ so its well worth the effort.

You could try a folic acid enriched breakfast cereal or otherwise I've heard that nuts, beans and green veggies are rich in folic acid.

My Dad (who works in a lab) said they conducted a piece of research where they measured their consenting employees' folic acid levels, those with higher levels were in the habit of eating breakfast cereals - check the box for folic acid content.

Having just had a termination for a baby with anencephaly (severe neural tube defect) I can't stress enough how important it is to take your folic acid. I was the mother of complacency and sometimes took them, sometimes didn't...hey ho. I know the risks are small and I don't advocate becoming neurotic about it, but it's such a simple thing to do to make that risk even smaller and give yourself some piece of mind. Not to mention give yourself one less reason to beat yourself up if something does go wrong.

Incidentally, the Food Standards Agency is currently consulting on the issue of fortifying food in the UK with folic acid, so it is a policy that could well be implemented here soon.

Aside from that Lili, I'm sure you will be fine and have a beautiful healthy baby!

liliangelika - from what I can remember Canada fortifies flour with folic acid. The problem is to do with elderly people - folic acid masks the symptoms of a condition they get - ? some sort of anaemia?

I think it is shown though that neural tube defects in Canada are rarer than they used to be

KatyH, you have summed it up perfectly. I was in the same situation as you last year and after one healthy child felt it was okay to "occasionally forget" the folic acid. The self blame and the experience you have gone through will guarantee that you will not "forget" a single day of taking that tablet in the future; from three months before conception until the day your doctor reassures you that its okay to stop. For something as serious as a neural tube defect this is such a simple, effective and available measure.

get those things with a compartment for each pill and REMEMBER TO TAKE THEM - THEY ARE IMPORTANT.

Just wanted to agree with KatieH - we're coming up to the 2nd anniversary of our daughter's death from anencephaly. I had a good diet, planned pregnancy, blah blah - forgot the tablets sometimes, etc, but thought "oh well, spina bifida, can probably cope anyway". Had no idea that in some cases it's fatal until the day of our 20 week scan. No, most people will be absolutely fine without much in the way of extra supplementation, but the point is that you have no way of knowing whether you will be that 1 in 1000...

Should have added - in my second pregnancy I had a big pile of boxes of high dose FA - kept my main one by my toothbrush, but also had a box in every bag I had, in case I forgot, and remembered later in the day... (and have a lovely 7 month old sister to LittleP)

Shit, I feel terrible now

I am 10 weeks pregnant with my 3rd, and have just realised that I have not been very good at all with taking my vits.

Is it too late for me?

So so sorry Katy and others who have had terrible losses due to neural tube defects.

pecka I am 17 weeks and I have been a bit lack on taking my vits. I'm scared now.

I'm afraid i have been a rather good girl and taken them 3 months before TTC and every night since. I have got into a routine of WHEN i take them and obviously that helps enormously.

My Pregnacare's home is on the dining room table so that every time we sit down to eat, I am reminded to take them. Oh and i take them just before i tuck in and haven't felt nauseaus (sp?) for taking them on an empty stomach!

Seems like it's a good idea to carry on taking them throughout my pg then, yes?

Hi All

To those who haven't remembered to take them please don't worry too much about it, there is nothing you can do now just try to remember, like some of the other ladies said try to work it into your routine.

I take the Sanatogen Pronatel ones and always take them with my glass of milk at night and took them with my first dd too. I have always had really good iron levels when pregnant and think that taking the tablets are probably why.

Also if you have a rubbish day eating taking the vits makes you feel not so guilty!

As lulumama says, please don't fret if you haven't been religiously taking them every day. There is absolutely no point in beating yourself over the head about something you now cannot change. Just try to be more vigilant about taking your supplements in the future.