I was successfully taking my prenatal vitamin while we were trying to conceive (TTC). And then it happened, about 8 weeks into my pregnancy, I couldn't handle it anymore. Just the thought of it made me sick. If you find one that you're tolerating, stick with it! I always hated when my patients switched to the gummies because I knew they lacked some nutrients that are majorly important during pregnancy. I’d try to help them tolerate the pill form with the following advice:
- Try taking your prenatal vitamin with a meal instead of on an empty stomach.
- Try taking your prenatal vitamin right before bed.
Well, I took mine with dinner, only a couple hours before bed (you know how it goes in the first trimester! I was falling asleep at about 8pm those days!). On the nights I would take it, I would wake up in the middle of the night, hanging my head over the toilet, just praying to throw up for some relief. Then I'd lay in bed, totally miserable, cursing the little pill that I was successfully taking for months before pregnancy. So now what? Ugh, it was time to resort to those silly little gummies. If this happens to you, this is how you can try to make the best of it!
- Find one with DHA and plenty of folate.
- Take the ones that instruct 2 per day to improve tolerance even further. One with breakfast and one with dinner!
- If there's no calcium in your gummy of choice, also take a Viactiv calcium chew twice a day (or some other sort of calcium supplement to equal 1000 mg/day).
- Also, please make sure you also ask your doctor about your iron status. The gummies do NOT contain any iron for fear of a child ingesting them mistaking them as candy (at least all the ones that I've seen).
Once you start feeling better, try to switch back to the pill form. I’ve been tolerating mine again since my second trimester! Regardless, make sure you’re covering all your bases so that you and your little one are getting everything you need!