Finding The Right Prenatal Vitamin

Finding a prenatal vitamin....sounds simple right? That’s what I thought. Oh boy was I wrong! Finding the right prenatal vitamin was a challenge for me. Luckily, I worked with my providers to find the right fit, and now I am on my fifth prenatal that *shew* I am happy with!

Whether you are on the search for the perfect prenatal, or have already found yours, I am hoping that you will share some of your favorites (or least favorites) in the comments section below so that others can gain helpful information!

One A Day Prenatal Vitamins with DHA 
I went and picked up a package of One A Day prenatal vitamins with DHA when we decided that we were going to try and have a baby because I read that they help with conception. Well, I was pretty darn fertile and we got pregnant on the first try! So for the first several weeks, I took these, and I was happy with them.

The only problem with these prenatals was that they were pricey (about $20/bottle). However, if you don’t have insurance, they are a great option. I fell in love with the DHA (which became the crux of my issue).

Citranatal Assure & Citranatal Harmony 
My doctor gave me these as samples a couple of times in the very beginning, and these were the bomb! They have a stool softener, which let’s face it, is a god-send with all that extra iron you’re taking with the prenatals. They, again, had the DHA and never made me feel sick. The downside? My insurance company didn’t want to cover these because they were “too expensive.” UGH.

So, I had to go with a generic prenatal.

Generic without DHA/ Generic Chewable without DHA 
When I got the generic without the DHA I cried at the pharmacy. Literally. I was so embarrassed, but I was also distressed because I knew I needed that dang DHA. The DHA helps with mood swings and I knew that without it I would turn into the princess of darkness.

When I called the doctor’s office back, they just gave me a generic chewable instead...again without the DHA. UGH! I was so frustrated because I knew what I needed. BUT, I also didn’t want to become known as the pain in the ass patient. So, I asked my pharmacist what she would do if she were me, and she encouraged me to buy an over the counter prenatal with the DHA to tide me over for a month.

Nature’s Bounty Your Life Multi (with DHA) 
This was a good prenatal, chocked full of a ton of vitamins including A, C and B-12. It’s got the DHA and the prenatal all in one so you’ve only got to take one pill a day, which was convenient. They were affordable ($12.99/60 pills) and on sale (buy one get one free!) For about a week, these were doing great, and then they started to make me throw up. I figured out that if I waited 30-40 minutes after a meal to take them, they didn’t make me throw up. They did make me pretty constipated, so I have been eating a ton of fiber.

Once I got back to the doctor at the end of the month, I asked for another option, preferably one with DHA, they gave me one!

PreferaOB plus DHA 
Finally! I got one that really, really worked for me. Chocked full of iron, but not loaded up on other vitamins, this prenatal comes in two pills, but they are small, so it’s no biggie. My insurance covers them, and they don’t make me sick at all. Also, I noticed that after switching to these, I had less anxiety (another side effect this first trimester has had on me!) I think some of that may have had to do with the large amounts of vitamins in the other prenatals--that has happened to me before.

I’m sticking with these vitamins, and I am so happy to have finally found ones that work for me!