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Ok Not Eating Vitamins While Pregnant

Yenni

By Yenni
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted

My husband and I are talking about trying to get pregnant here. I have not been able to find a vitamin that I don't react badly to. I am gonna ask my ob-gyn about not eating one, but does anyone have any idea if it is fine to skip that or if I could possible find a pill that contain folic acid only (I get folate from a bar I am eating)? Would it be safe not to eat a vitamin at all?

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AndreaB Contributor
AndreaB
Posted

You should be ok. Just make sure your folate is taken care of. I'd also recommend either Nordic Naturals cod liver d oil or Carlson's during the dark part of the year. The regular cod liver oil should be fine the rest of the time. They've found that omega 3's are very important. Of course if you already eat lots of fish you wouldn't have to worry about that. They do recommend only eating stuff like salmon though for the lower mercury content.

Are there any plain b vitamins you can handle? It may be beneficial to you to have a vitamin/mineral panel run just to see where you are at and get a better idea of what would need to be supplemented, if anything.

pugluver31902 Explorer
pugluver31902
Posted

I would talk to your doctor about it before getting pregnant. Folic acid can take up to three months to build up to a good level for baby in your system. Since the need for folic acid is in the first few weeks of the pregnancy, you would want to make sure your level is high enough when you get pregnant. Top that off with celiac and malabsorbtion problems, you might need to start even earlier. Good luck! Im 13 weeks pregnant and really glad I started the vitamins early, just bc when the morning sickness hits, its good to already be used to whatever vitamin or supplement you are taking. You dont want to try something new when you already feel yucky!

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author

The bars I eat have stuff added to them. I know I get the daily intake of Thiamin/B1, Riboflavin/B2, Niacin/B3, Vitamin B6 and Folate/B9.

I eat several of those bars a day and have been for probably over a year, so I should be good on those things.

I also take Calcium with Vitamin D.

I should ask the ob-gyn what else I need. I was thinking that I would do better if I just take a pill with just one thing or two in it.

Thanks for your replies!

Oh, and the bars have ground flaxseed in them, so I should get Omega-3 from them too. Not sure how much though.

I should ask about that panel. I have heard they are spendy though. We do not have much money.

(I did a search on Folic acid and it looks like it is just another name for Folate. (Vitamin B9)

I know I get more than what I need of that. Good to know.)

key Contributor
key
Posted

I would take an iron supplement. If not eat lots of foods high in Iron. You don't want to become anemic during pregnancy, which will add to exhaustion.

Goodluck,

Monica

alamaz Collaborator
alamaz
Posted

i have trouble taking vitamins as well. i went to a nutritionist who put me on Twin Labs multi vitamin and a folic acid supplement. I take at least 800 mg. of folic acid a day. The Twin Labs brand are supposed to be very allergy friendly and easier to absorb/digest. So far, they are the only ones I can handle.

Good luck!

pugluver31902 Explorer
pugluver31902
Posted

Dont forget that your daily intake needs to be higher when you are pregnant. I dont know you personally, but I know that even though I have been gluten free for a year and get well over my daily intake of vitamins, it still doesnt show up in my blood which means Im not absorbing it all. So I need higher doses. The easiest thing to do is see your doc and see what they recommend.

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Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

The problem with the 'official' daily allowance for nutrients is, that it is so low that it barely keeps you alive. For instance, I think the daily allowance for vitamin C is about 50 or 60 mg. In reality you need at least 500mg a day (more is better, like 1000 to 3000mg) to be healthy. The same is true for just about all essential nutrients. You don't want to go for the minimum requirement of nutrients, but rather the optimal intake, which is higher when pregnant.

Especially with celiac disease I doubt you get enough of anything for both you and the baby out of any kind of bars.

Check out the vitamins from Open Original Shared Link, I am sure they'd have a pre-natal vitamin. I've found that they have hypoallergenic vitamins that I can actually tolerate. And you can order a small amount to test your tolerance, before you put out the money for a big bottle.

momandgirls Enthusiast
momandgirls
Posted
The problem with the 'official' daily allowance for nutrients is, that it is so low that it barely keeps you alive. For instance, I think the daily allowance for vitamin C is about 50 or 60 mg. In reality you need at least 500mg a day (more is better, like 1000 to 3000mg) to be healthy. The same is true for just about all essential nutrients. You don't want to go for the minimum requirement of nutrients, but rather the optimal intake, which is higher when pregnant.

Especially with celiac disease I doubt you get enough of anything for both you and the baby out of any kind of bars.

Check out the vitamins from Open Original Shared Link, I am sure they'd have a pre-natal vitamin. I've found that they have hypoallergenic vitamins that I can actually tolerate. And you can order a small amount to test your tolerance, before you put out the money for a big bottle.

I have to disagree. The "official" daily allowance of Vitamin C is 500mg. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. That means, if you take more than about 500mg of Vitamin C per day, the excess will leave your body as urine. You won't absorb it. It's a waste. More is NOT better.

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Actually, the RDA from the FDA is 90 mg for males, and 75 mg for females. Not 500mg at all.

Open Original Shared Link

And yes, for most people 500mg a day should be enough. But, as I said, the recommended daily allowance is laughable and just enough to prevent scurvy.

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author

I tried Kirkman Labs vitamins and they did not work for me. Maybe a nutritionist would be a good idea.

Did you guys hear about the woman in Ukraine (I think it was) that had a HUGE baby this year? One of the biggest ever seen I guess and she had eaten tomatoes, pasta and potatoes her whole pregnancy. Nothing else (no Vitamins) what I heard. :P

maryjoali Newbie
maryjoali
Posted

I took Folic Acid (5 milligrams) for a few months pre-conception and had B12 shots as well. Now that I'm 18 weeks pregnant, the doctor said even though I've been gluten-free for almost a year, my body still doesn't absorb nutrients through food like it should. I am taking Preg Vit and they are working out well for me. I've never been able to tolerate oral vitamins well, but with these, you take one in the morning (containing the calcium) and another at night (containing the iron). My doctor said for people who have a hard time with vitamins, it's important that calcium and iron are separated - not only for absorption reasons but for tolerance as well. Most vitamins contain both. Something you might want to consider.

As for whether just eating properly enough, my doctor told me I was fine up to 20 weeks, but after that the baby zaps everything good and the vitamins are more for me. She also wanted me to wait to get to 18-20 weeks to be sure that the nausea and vomitting had subsided.

MeJenn Newbie
MeJenn
Posted

I take Fem Prenatal by MetaGenics. Its formulated to be free of allergies and to be gentle on the system. You may have to order online or ask your doctor or alternative doctor to get it for you. One bottle comes with 30 packets and I take half after one meal and the other half before bed. It hasnt been too bad! Good luck!

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted
Did you guys hear about the woman in Ukraine (I think it was) that had a HUGE baby this year? One of the biggest ever seen I guess and she had eaten tomatoes, pasta and potatoes her whole pregnancy. Nothing else (no Vitamins) what I heard. :P

I don't remember what the deal was with her but one of the risks of untreated gestational diabetes is that the baby can grow larger than it normally would, making for a difficult delivery.

  • 2 weeks later...
angielackner Contributor
angielackner
Posted

I ended up taking flintstones chewables (2 daily) while i was preggo, 1 because they are gluten-free, and 2 because i couldnt swallow the huge horse pill sized prenatals that people normally take. my midwife and GP both approved it...and i had a perfectly normal 11 lb 6 oz baby (now he is 21 months old ;) )

angie

DonnaD777-777 Newbie
DonnaD777-777
Posted
My husband and I are talking about trying to get pregnant here. I have not been able to find a vitamin that I don't react badly to. I am gonna ask my ob-gyn about not eating one, but does anyone have any idea if it is fine to skip that or if I could possible find a pill that contain folic acid only (I get folate from a bar I am eating)? Would it be safe not to eat a vitamin at all?

Check with your obgyn on what exactly you need. I know you need 30mg of IRON a day, and lots of calcium...so you are probably going to have to take individual viatamins on the ones you are not getting enough of.

  • 4 weeks later...
Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author
i have trouble taking vitamins as well. i went to a nutritionist who put me on Twin Labs multi vitamin and a folic acid supplement. I take at least 800 mg. of folic acid a day. The Twin Labs brand are supposed to be very allergy friendly and easier to absorb/digest. So far, they are the only ones I can handle.

Good luck!

I was trying to find the ingredients (and inactive ones) in the Twin Labs pills, but they do not have a list of it on their page.

I sent them an e-mail. Hopefully they will answer.

-------------

I talked to my ob/gyn and she doesn't like the fact that I can't take any. So I need to keep on looking and trying.

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author
I take Fem Prenatal by MetaGenics. Its formulated to be free of allergies and to be gentle on the system. You may have to order online or ask your doctor or alternative doctor to get it for you. One bottle comes with 30 packets and I take half after one meal and the other half before bed. It hasnt been too bad! Good luck!

Those look interesting.

(although they have Maltodextrin which can come from gluten, corn, rice or potato)

------------------------------------

Isn't it funny what different dosage they all have. Some have tons of this and others have tons of other stuff.

The Kirkman Labs actually seems to not have that much in them (in a good way). Maybe it would be a good idea to give those a try...Less is better when it comes to me I think.

I am going to print the ingredients out and bring them to the ob-gyn tomorrow and see what she says..

-------------

I have talked to my friends in Sweden (where I am from) and none of them ate vitamins. Some ate Folic Acid for a while in the beginning, but the rest weren't even told to eat any. They aren't as big on vitamins over there. I guess they check levels during pregnancy and some have to eat Calcium and Iron if needed. The babies and women seems just as healthy anyways.

Different cultures.

dbmamaz Explorer
dbmamaz
Posted

I didnt see this post b4, but I had a really hard time tolerating multivitamins when pregnant, including the chewables. I ended up taking B12 and folic acid, calcium, and yellowdock capsules instead of iron. My midwife said that yellowdock helps you absorb the iron you are already consuming. My last 2 pregnancies, I was also told to drink a pregnancy tea (which actually came from some very christain herb farm which had a website) which honeslty seemed to make me feel a lot better.

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author
I didnt see this post b4, but I had a really hard time tolerating multivitamins when pregnant, including the chewables. I ended up taking B12 and folic acid, calcium, and yellowdock capsules instead of iron. My midwife said that yellowdock helps you absorb the iron you are already consuming. My last 2 pregnancies, I was also told to drink a pregnancy tea (which actually came from some very christain herb farm which had a website) which honeslty seemed to make me feel a lot better.

Interesting. If it doesn't work for me finding vitamins I'll remember this. Thanks for the info.

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author
I was trying to find the ingredients (and inactive ones) in the Twin Labs pills, but they do not have a list of it on their page.

I sent them an e-mail. Hopefully they will answer.

Got an answer from Twin Labs. I asked about a full ingredients list (saying I have Celiac Disease and more tolerances than just gluten+allergies). I got the reply they do not have a full ingredients list on all of their products but that they are gluten free.

So that is out (I don't do well on a bunch more stuff so I do not dare taking those).

Yenni Enthusiast
Yenni
Posted
  • Author

I ordered the Kirkman Labs's pre-natal vitamins. I had bad luck with their original ones (I got starved and go blood sugar drops real bad), but these are a bit more basic with out the extra stuff in them, so I am going to be brave.

home-based-mom Contributor
home-based-mom
Posted

I really hope this works for you as it is *SO* important to have the folate in you before conception.

Here is a link to the FDA's web site.

Open Original Shared Link

This page also has a link to another page which is a bunch of links to even more information! :blink::blink::blink:

Obviously getting vitamins from what we eat is best, but we know that doesn't always work.

Blessings on your efforts!

iamtgif Newbie
iamtgif
Posted

I have many food intolerances (celiac, gluten, dairy, soy. egg, yeast and caffeen) and I take Twinlab (Phone: (800) 645-5626), Allergy multi caps. I have called and talked to Twinlabs, they are very helpful. I also take many of the County Life vitamines (1-800-645-5768), like the calcium citrate w/D, They are also very helpful on the phone. If you are gluten free and still having problems you might be having other food intolerances. I was tested at Open Original Shared Link and it solved my problems.

I would really encourage you to take folate and vitamins when pregnant. I was just diagnosed with Celiac about 8 months ago. I know I was not gluten free when I was pregnant with my children, but I would have done anything for my kid

  • 2 weeks later...
SDW Newbie
SDW
Posted
My husband and I are talking about trying to get pregnant here. I have not been able to find a vitamin that I don't react badly to. I am gonna ask my ob-gyn about not eating one, but does anyone have any idea if it is fine to skip that or if I could possible find a pill that contain folic acid only (I get folate from a bar I am eating)? Would it be safe not to eat a vitamin at all?

It would be much better to take prenatal vitamins. I have celiac's and take vitamins offered by Whole Foods. I've not had any reactions at all!

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