No folic acid before positive test....

[Bumblingonby]

Hello, panic of the day looking for some reassurance here. I'm currently in week 8 and didn't know before I found out I was pregnant that you were supposed to take FA before pregnancy (ironically I had the fertility chat with the doc that morning, I took a test out of curiosity that afternoon and sat with my mouth open! I'm 40, have PCOS and Hashimoto's and came off the pill one month before so was basically convinced it would take me months if at all!).

So I started taking it then (4 weeks bang on). I've also found out that a PPI I had been on until the day before (omeprazole) can hinder folic acid absorption.

My serum folate is quite low (7 ug/l) in the normal range and that's with a month of supplements so I'm now really worried that I was deficient in that crucial neural tube development phase in weeks 3 and 4. I have some ancient blood test results from years ago when I was on a lower dose of omeprazole showing folate at about 3 or 4 which is low range of normal, but none from my current dosage.

Anyone been in a similar situation and had it all work out fine (or not?!). I can't bear the thought of waiting until 20 weeks to see if I've effed up (I took hot baths without knowing you're not meant to either- I was a little unprepared!)

Reassurance/advice welcomed please 🙏

I didn't start taking folic acid until I found out, I wasn't supposed to be able to get pregnant without assistance 😂

Baby is fine, currently beating me up at 31 weeks. People have been having babies for centuries without folic acid supplements. Lots of people don't find out they're pregnant until late. All your folic acid ranges have been normal, even if on the lower end. I would think the chance of it causing a problem is minimal.

I also can't see hot baths being an issue. Lots of people have them before knowing. Its more you don't want your core temp up for a significant period of time. Baths usually aren't that hot, you can take baths in pregnancy. Its more jacuzzi/sauna/steam room to avoid. If you're someone who has scalding hot baths and like to sit and sweat in it for an hour then lay off. But the odd normal temp bath for 10-20 mins I can't see being anything but fine.

Women have had babies without taking folic acid for centuries. Mostly healthy babies. I didn't take folic acid when I was pregnant and my babies were healthy.

Didn't take it at any point before or during my second pregnancy as it made me feel sick and I have a lovely healthy nearly 18 month old ds. Try not to worry x

I’ve got 4 kids and only took folic acid when I remembered and definitely not before I knew I was actually pregnant - they’re all happy and healthy!

Thank you that's reassuring! I do like a long bath (like, hours) and tried to keep them under 37 degrees as had read that... but discovered after 2 weeks that the thermometer I'd been using to check was wrong and I'd been bathing at more like 40 degrees for like.... hours. I wasn't uncomfortably hot so here's hoping.

Ah thanks all that's v reassuring

loads of women don’t start taking it until finding out they are pregnant. Don’t forget you’ll be getting some from your diet anyway. Also don’t stress about the baths, the only way it’s an issue for baby is if it was hot enough to significantly raise your core temperature, which would also be dangerous for you. The main issue with a hot bath is that it can cause you to feel faint which causes a risk to you if you fall over.