Recommendations on pregnancy vitamins...

[1990carey]

Hey all, am 5 weeks tomorrow. I found out last week I was pregnant and I started taking folic acid the minute I did, but what other vitimans should I take? Is there any particular brands that you'd reccomend? I don't want to buy something crazy expensive but also I want to make sure I'm doing my best for baby. Thanks all!!

You only need a basic Folic acid and vit D supplement like this one www.boots.com/boots-folic-acid-and-vitamin-d-tablets-60-tablets-10145803
if your diet is good.
But my diet was terrible in first trimester as felt crap-so I took these instead
www.boots.com/seven-seas-pregnancy-28-tablets-10141708

Pregnacare are also popular but made me feel worse. Seven seas had no side effects on me and weren’t too expensive, often on 3 for 2 as well.

Better to avoid supplements and eat really well if you can as PP said. My friends all used the Pregnacare ones. You'll get samples from your first midwife appointment and vouchers for a few different ones. I didn't take them beyond folic acid and vitamin D though. Boots do a cheap combined one for that.

As my diet was terrible in first trimester k bought either Morrisons on £3 for 30 tablets or Asda own £3.50 for 3 months worth. Have the exact same as pregnacare etc.

I take Pregnacare every day but like @Megan2018 I struggled with how they made me feel. I learnt to take them as I get in bed so now I don't notice (could also be that the nausea has passed for me!)

Pregncare also made me feel ill, it would turn my stomach and make me get cramps. Boots own version was far better for me! And also a lot cheaper!!

I’ve taken pregnacare since early pregnancy and haven’t had any issues, just take them with food. They are pricey though so I stocked up a while ago when they were 3 for 2 in Boots. Boots also do their own brand similar to pregnacare which are cheaper.

I am taking Sanatogen pregnancy vitamins but I think they're all much of a muchness. Just make sure if you're overweight you get 5mg folic acid tablets from the doctors.

You need to take folic acid and vitamin D. Everyone in the UK needs to take vitamin D.

I have the liquid ones because I’m rubbish at swallowing tablets.

I took just folic acid and vit d for the first trimester then went onto Asda pregnancy vitamins with omega 3. They're like the pregnacare ones but about a quarter of the price

I took Pregnacare. Sounds like they cause problems for some but I was lucky (I didn’t get morning sickness anyway). I know a multivitamin shouldn’t strictly be necessary but I felt happier taking them. My vitamin levels were always good when checked during pregnancy.

I take Tesco own brand ones. Cheaper and pretty much the same as pregnacare.

I take high dose (5mg) folic acid and vitamin D (3,200iu) daily anyway for a health problem. Spoke to my midwife last week because I wanted to check I shouldn’t also be taking a pregnancy multivitamin and she said, as my Hb is fine (139) there’s no need for me to be taking anything else and just encouraged me to eat fresh fruit and veg when I can to encourage good dietary intake of vitamins and minerals.

Thanks guys! I do more or less have a healthy diet, and I was doing slimming world, something I plan to continue doing even tho I haven't exactly stuck to it as I've been feeling rubbish lol, but I am a but over weight so I will talk to my midwife about the higher folic acid. I'm going shopping in a bit so will look in boots see what they have! Thanks guys!

I did supermarket or boots own, or a brand if On offer - two healthy dd safely delivered 😁
the ones with omega 3 oil capsules as well as the vit tab ideally, as I know I didn’t (still don’t!) get anything like enough of that in my diet.

With hine sight, my iron has always been low (ferritin mid teens) but only got noted when it got ridiculously low (ferritin 6). I’ve been on ferrous fumerate plus vit c (and at least an hour before food or tea/coffee) for 18 months and managed to get it up to mid twenties - gp says ideal is 50!! If I had another baby I would take iron from the start, properly (so not with anything else for an hour or so). Calcium (milk, and tea) blocks iron absorption, so not sure how effective it actually is in a multivit with a cuppa ten mins later. May explain why mine was so low 😂

Pregnacare I found a bit harder to stomach than sanatogen/seven seas/shops own.