Your prenatal vitamin can be essential in the months leading up to conception—and doctors recommend starting one at least three months before trying to conceive. It can help improve egg quality and optimize outcomes.
But once you become pregnant, it’s just as important to keep up with your supplements as your fetus continues to develop and grow at a rapid rate. Which can be easier said than done when you’re dealing with those early pregnancy symptoms including exhaustion and nausea.
Why is it important to take your prenatal during pregnancy?
All nutrients are required for the rapid cellular division happening in the growing fetus, so prenatals are an insurance policy that you are getting all the necessary nutrients required for fetal development. Certain nutrients are in higher demand, like Vitamins D, A, C and B12, Iron, Choline and Omega-3.
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When during pregnancy is it most important to take your prenatal?
Cellular division occurs most rapidly in early pregnancy, when rapid cell division and growth are occurring, and up until about 14 weeks of gestation. During the first 18 weeks of pregnancy, the neural tube is closing, so nutrients like Folate, choline, B12, and riboflavin are specifically necessary until then to support that process. These nutrients are still used beyond 18 weeks because they support many cellular functions, including DNA protection and repair, and protein metabolism. Prenatals also typically contain iron, and during pregnancy, the body builds blood to support the fetus—in fact, blood increases by up to 50 percent during pregnancy! There can also be serious complications of iron deficiency in all stages of pregnancy and especially in the first and third trimester.
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What happens if you accidentally forget to take your prenatal?
The answer to this depends on where you are in your pregnancy journey. While it’s recommended to take a prenatal before becoming pregnant through to postpartum, it’s especially important in the first trimester.
For a day?
Don’t worry if you miss a day; it happens.
For a week?
If you tend to eat a healthy diet and aren’t at risk of any vitamin deficiencies, then you shouldn’t worry too much about this either.
For a month?
Forgetting to take your prenatal for a month (or more) can be risky, especially in the first trimester. Try to make taking your prenatal part of your daily routine (for example, with breakfast every morning) to minimize missed doses or come up with a system that helps you remember. Bird&Be supplements are packages in daily doses (one day per sachet) and come in boxes of 30—if you start a new box on day one of the month, then you’ll know by day 10 you should have 20 left, by day 15 you should have 15 left and so on.
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Can missing prenatals harm the baby?
The goal of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy is to provide critical nutrients during intense periods of fetal development and support for changing maternal health needs. Remembering to take your prenatal more often than not will help with that goal, so don’t stress too much if you forgot to take your prenatal. Missing one dose won’t harm your baby.
That being said, not taking prenatals during pregnancy can increase the risk of complications. Several key ingredients in prenatal formulations are linked to better outcomes for you and your baby.
Folic Acid
Folic Acid is one of the most commonly recommended pregnancy supplements, and it’s backed by a ton of research. Taking Folic Acid significantly reduces the risk of neural tube defects and can also reduce the risk of pre-term birth.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D works with Calcium to support healthy bone development, and it may help reduce the risk of pregnancy complications like preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia. Since your body can't make Vitamin D on its own, you can get it from sun exposure (though this is tricky in North America, where sunlight can often be scarce), foods that contain Vitamin D, or supplements.
Iron
Iron helps blood move oxygen through the body, and your needs during pregnancy almost double, thanks to a massive increase in blood volume. Low Iron levels are common in females, leading to Iron-deficiency anemia, which can negatively affect fetal brain development. Doctors recommend at least 27 mg during pregnancy.
Can you “make up” for forgetting to take your prenatal by taking extra doses?
There is usually no need to double up on prenatals if you miss a dose. A lot of the nutrients are water-soluble and only so much can be absorbed by the body at once, while others can cause side effects in higher doses. Just pick up where you left off and start taking them regularly.
When is it too late to start taking prenatal vitamins?
It’s never too late to start taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. While doctors recommend starting a prenatal at least 3 months before trying to conceive (some nutrients are used up early in pregnancy, before you may even know you’re pregnant), if you’re already past that point, the second-best time to start is right now.
Can a balanced diet replace prenatal vitamins?
Even the most nutrient-conscious diet wouldn't give you the volume of vitamins and minerals you and your baby need during pregnancy. That's why prenatal vitamins are so important. The doses are carefully calculated to support a healthy pregnancy.
Eating a balanced diet is important before, during, and after pregnancy, and veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains are all-around good diet choices. But during pregnancy, it's best to combine healthy eating with prenatal supplements.
Do prenatals cause nausea or have side effects?
Some nutrients in prenatals can cause nausea and heartburn. If that’s making your prenatals hard to swallow, try switching the time of day you take them, and always take your prenatals with food if possible. You can also talk to your doctor about temporarily skipping certain nutrients that can cause nausea (Iron and Omega-3 tend to be culprits) until your queasiness subsides, or see if there are alternatives (like gummy prenatals) that may be easier to swallow (pun intended).
How can I build a routine and remember to take my prenatal?
If you have trouble remembering to take a prenatal every day of your pregnancy, try some of these tricks to get into the habit:
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Set a reminder on your phone.
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Put your prenatals near your toothbrush (or other daily habit), and take your vitamins when you brush your teeth (A.K.A., habit stack!).
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Get a pill organizer with compartments for every day of the week so you can tell if you took your vitamins each day.
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Get your partner to start a daily vitamin habit so you can remind each other to take them.
