Prenatal Vitamins

[amo4piano]

Hi! I am new here...and we are trying to conceive. I was told by my gyno to start the prenatal pills right away to help fortify my body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to build a healthy baby. After much research, I have decided to go with the Rainbow Light Complete Prenatal System.

I'm not a good pill swallower (and I know I can't be the only one!). Is there anyone out there who has taken these EXACT pills (the 6-a-day program) and can lend some advice on getting through swallowing these now and throughout my pregnancy? I know swallowing them now is going to be nothing compared to when I'm nauseous and exhausted, etc., etc so I want to devise a plan ahead of time.

Specifically, I'm wondering if it is ok to crush the pills (i.e. do they lend the same nutritional value if crushed and is it ok for my system)?

THANKS SO MUCH. I'm also trying to learn to navigate the site so I'm sorry if this discussion already exists...I couldn't find it!

Many thanks,
hopefully soon-to-be-mommy!

[Plummeting]

If you're going with the 6-a-day program, you're going to have to devise a plan for not having morning sickness (good luck! lol), because if you have bad ms, there's probably no way you're going to be able to down 6 pills a day, whether you crush them or not. It's not the swallowing them that's the problem (although I'm terrible with pills, too, so I understand what you're saying). When you have bad ms, it's the nausea the pills cause that is the problem. I had to go with the Rainbow Light Prenatal One, because 6 pills a day is not possible for me with morning sickness.

However, if those are the ones you want you should go ahead and try them out. Not everyone gets morning sickness anyway, and even if you have it in one pregnancy you might not have it in another, so you don't have to automatically assume you're going to be nauseous. I had none at all in my first pregnancy and terrible ms in this pregnancy. Crushing the pills shouldn't pose a problem at all, but they won't taste good! Good luck on your journey towards a healthy baby.

[ann_of_loxley]

I have read that you should take at least folic acid 3 months before actively TTC. If you are not a good pill swallower, just buy the folic acid. They come SUPER tiny - seriously.

You only need the extra folic acid as well, for the first trimester in pregnancy.

If you feel you need extra nutrience after that - give Floradix a try. They don't just do' iron' liquid formula, they do all sorts including 'multivitamin'. A liquid in a glass of orange juice will be much easier for you to handle by the sounds of it.

[luckysgirl]

I tried the Rainbow Light 6-a-day prenatal program with my first pregnancy. Within a week it was very clear that wasn't going to work. So, I did a little research and switched to New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Vitamins. That was almost four years ago and I've never stopped. They're organic probiotic whole-food based and easy on your stomach. You're supposed to take three a day, but I often take one in the morning and then two at night.

The only downside I've found - and it's kind of a big one - is that they're rather on the expensive side, but if you break down the difference in how many you take a day, then they really only come out 10 dollars or so more expensive than the Rainbow Lights.

My health is, at best, rather . . . fragile, so it's something I decided to make a priority.

As a PP mentioned, Floradix is also great. My DS takes their Kindervital, and it's been great for him.

Good luck!

p.s. I don't think crushing the Rainbow Lights will harm the nutritional value any, other than to make them taste even worse. You could always buy a pill splitter and cut them into halves or even quarters. This is the one I use, and it's MAGIC. The same company also makes a crusher, but I've never used it myself.

[russsk]

I tried the Rainbow Lights last pg, then switched to the one-a-day because I couldn't handle swallowing six pills. Turns out I couldn't stand swallowing just the one, either, so I switched to folate plus Floradix. It wasn't just that they pills were hard to swallow. They made me retch and gag and cry. It was awful.This pg I'm taking New Chapter and even though I still have nausea, I can take them no problem. I think it was something about the smell of the Rainbow Lights I couldn't stand, but I can do New Chapter just fine. I know it's just the opposite for some people, so take the RLs and see what happens when you get pg.

[Oztok5]

I know you said you already decided on the Rainbow Lights, but I wanted to put in another plug for the New Chapter Perfect Prenatals. They're a three a day, and I found them very easy on my stomach. I'm not sure how the actual vitamin size compares to the Rainbow Lights, but maybe someone else knows. If you do end up with issues swallowing them, Ann has a good idea of just making sure you're taking the extra folic acid along with a very healthy diet. Although the healthy diet is easier said than done when you're suffering with morning sickness.


ETA: You can get a 180 count of the New Chapter vitamins for under $45 on Amazon. I did the math, and they're about 20 cents / day more expensive than the Rainbow Lights.

[ann_of_loxley]

You know...I am actually surprised that Floradix don't do a specific one for 'prenatal' ...hmmmmm....lol

[amo4piano]

Thank you!

oh my gosh--thank you all so much! i love this site! i will be here from now (pre-conception) throughout my entire pregnancy trying to borrow wisdom from all you great mommies and mommies-to-be!

I will certainly check out the New Chapter pills. I am not really "set" on the Rainbow Lights, but now that I know it's ok to crush or break them, I'll try to get the rest of the bottle down that way.

Again, THANKS! Hopefully I'll be pregnant soon!

[WildinTheory]

I too thought that I'd be able to handle the Rainbow Light six a day program. It actually makes me laugh now because even at 14 weeks, with my morning sickness mostly gone, I've all but given up on them. As soon as the pill touches my lips I start to gag. I'm not be best pill taker at any time but pregnancy just magnifies that a thousand times. I'm gonna have to check out the Floradix because I started taking Emergen-C during cold/flu season and I totally love it, so I think liquid is definately the way to go!

[FireWithin]

I did Rainbow Light when I could for the first preg. They smelled bad.

I really love Thorne vitamins. They have the forms of vitamins (especially Bs) that are readily absorbable. This is especially essential when talking about folate (folic acid is the synthetic version). There is a discussion going on right now about how important it is to take a natural form.

Thorne vitamins also are capsules, so you don't have to taste what's inside. This is especially important with ms.

I have heard good things about New Chapter, but never sat down and studied them beyond seeing they are full of my allergens.

[JenBuckyfan]

Originally Posted by Mammo2Sammo

I really love Thorne vitamins.

These are the ones I've been on since before trying to conceive - my acupuncturist highly recommended them. I don't have any issues taking down vitamins and didn't have morning sickness so I can't help with that side of the issue.

[WaitingForKiddos]

Oh I hear ya!!! For me it's the act of taking the pill that does me in. I'm taking the one-a-day RainbowLight prenatals. I've found recently that taking it with something thick like a smoothie or shake helps.

[etsdtm99]

i am taking the one a day rainbow light prenatal .. however, i am 6 weeks pg and this thread is making me gag.. i am starting to think my throat is closing up and that i am incapable of swallowing that one pill .. its horrible.

i think i made it to 8 weeks with my previous pregnancies before i just couldn't do it . its more important to take them before pregnancy anyway.. and its more important to keep food down than it is to get the pill in there with it..

[Pinoikoi]

I did the one a day Rainbow prenatal for preconception, and 6 a day Rainbow.. but my midwife preferred the raw prenatals.. and I have to say, three a day is easier to take than 6 a day and I think the raw ingredients are more close to what is found in nature..

http://www.appleadayandbeyond.com/search_result.cfm

I think more and more mamas are switching to them too. When I first starting taking them I didn't see that anyone else on these boards were talking about them, but now I do see more topics on them.

[JennTheMomma]

I do Nature's Made prenatals, I started them 3 months prior to TTC. They are really easy to swallow and didn't make me sick.

[turalis]

Just another quick post to say that the New Chapter "Perfect Prenatals" or "Multi for Two" (as they're known as here in Canada - same make up though) worked great for me and were supper gentle on my stomach.

I took them three times a day when pregnant, and continued to take them twice a day while nursing. I'm now pregnant again and back to three a day and can't imagine taking anything else. I tried a few different brands during my first pregnancy and New Chapter's were the only ones that didn't turn my urine bright yellow. I also never experienced that feeling and taste you get at the back of your throat when you know a pill is being digested.

So if you're thinking 6 pills will be too much and maybe 3 a day will be okay, I'd suggest looking into New Chapter.

Enjoy TTCing!