Vitamins

[L4uz]

I’m concerned about the multivitamins my midwife gave me on my first appointment. She gave me one pot of healthy start and I was reading through my notes the other day to find that she should’ve given me two. When should I stop taking them? Should I ask for more?

Do you get them on prescription / free in your area OP?

I'm 33 weeks now and have taken multi vitamins my whole pregnancy but have to buy them myself. I never got any from the midwife.

I got them free from the midwife, she should’ve given me two though. Tbh she wasn’t very nice when I went, this is my first baby and I didn’t expect a midwife to be so abrupt and uptight so I never gave it a second thought while I was there.

@L4uz that's a shame. On the plus side, I never saw the midwife who did my booking appt again!

There is light at the end of the tunnel then

@L4uz

I got them free from the midwife, she should’ve given me two though. Tbh she wasn’t very nice when I went, this is my first baby and I didn’t expect a midwife to be so abrupt and uptight so I never gave it a second thought while I was there.

There are arseholes in all professions, sadly. The midwife who did my booking was such an absolute cow that I had to make a formal complaint. HCP myself so I don’t tolerate unprofessional behaviour in others.

On the upside you’ll probably never see her again.

I’ve just taken a generic multivitamin as well as extra iron (can’t do any harm and I’m having another section, lost blood in my last two so I figured extra iron would be a good thing to do).

@Connie222 I'm glad it's not just me who's had a bad experience. I was tempted to ask if I could have someone else instead but I think she's the only one at the surgery I'm registered at
Where did you get your extra iron supplements from? I've got some pregnacare multivits but I don't think I'm getting enough iron. I've completely gone off meat the last couple of months where I'd normally get it from red meat but that's out of the window now.

The blood test taken at booking in (we book in at 12 weeks, so perhaps you will have bloods done at your scan appointment if you booked in earlier than that) should tell you whether your iron level is sufficient. The results for us come back at 16 weeks. Most people who take iron supplements also need extra vitamins to help them absorb the iron, as that is half the problem (I think it's vitamin C?) So any multivitamin containing iron usually has that in it. For me, a vegetarian for 20 years, iron supplements have been completely unnecessary for both my pregnancies. I took pregnacare for my first pregnancy, had horrible constipation and painful trapped wind, and was able to go off it once my blood results returned iron levels off the charts. From then on, and for this pregnancy, I just took folic acid and vitamin D pre conception and for the first trimester, and then just vitamin D.

@Connie222 I didnt think pregnancy women should take normal multivitamins as they contain vitamin A?

You can buy pregnancy multi vitamins from most supermarkets. Just avoid one's with vitamin a.

Thanks everyone. I didn't know you're not supposed to have vitamin A.
I rang the midwife for an extra pot of Healthy Start ones but apparently someone had "cancelled the order off the system so they don't have any"

@SpunBodgeSquarepants sorry daft of me to say multivitamin - being lazy. I take a generic pregnancy multivitamin.

@L4uz I take ferrous sulphate. I’m a HCP myself though so I’m happy with ‘self prescribing’ for want of a better term. But I’m terrified of blood loss again and want to be prepared as possible. My 28 week bloods were superb, iron levels/HG right at the top end so it’s doing no harm and probably helping - my consultant is more than happy with what I’m taking.