Benefits Of Prenatal Vitamins

Published: August 31, 2021
Updated: January 12, 2024

Written by: Co-Founder Maria Davi
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Nicole Palmer, DO

In This Article:

★ WHAT ARE PRENATAL VITAMINS USED FOR?

★ WHEN SHOULD I START TAKING PRENATAL VITAMINS?

★ DO PRENATAL VITAMINS HELP YOU GET PREGNANT?

★ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T TAKE A PRENATAL VITAMIN WHILE PREGNANT?

★ DO PRENATAL VITAMINS MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

★ WHEN TO STOP TAKING PRENATAL VITAMINS?

★ WHY WE ADVISE TO STAY AWAY FROM PRENATAL GUMMIES

★ CAN YOU TAKE PRENATAL VITAMINS WITHOUT BEING PREGNANT?

★ BEST PRENATAL VITAMINS

Congratulations, on this is a beautiful chapter of your life! It may be hard to take care of yourself during morning sickness, work, or a toddler running around. One of the easiest ways to take care of yourself is by taking a daily prenatal supplement.

Many people think they need to take a prenatal vitamin to get pregnant, but there are many benefits of taking a prenatal vitamin during pregnancy. Here are some of those benefits!

★ WHAT ARE PRENATAL VITAMINS USED FOR?

Prenatal pills are used to supplement your well-balanced nutritional diet that meets the recommended requirements by the FDA. We know it may be tough to follow a well-balanced diet with cravings and the change in your sense of taste. Prenatal vitamins help fill the nutritional gap of essential nutrients that support your body and baby’s needs.

Prenatal supplements also help keep your immune system strong and healthy. During pregnancy, it is common for immune system to weaken, making you more susceptible to getting sick. Try to taking a prenatal vitamin with iron, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin A to help keep your immune system strong.

★ WHEN SHOULD I START TAKING PRENATAL VITAMINS?

Having a healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth and life for your baby. While most assume once they’re pregnant is when to start a daily prenatal vitamin, it is ideal to start 90 days before trying to conceive. A well-nurtured body is essential for you and your developing baby from the moment of conception and throughout pregnancy.

★ Check out our blog on The Benefits Of Prenatal Vitamins Before Pregnancy!

★ DO PRENATAL VITAMINS HELP YOU GET PREGNANT?

Many people may wonder do prenatals make you fertile, actually, they won’t make your chances of getting pregnant any higher. However, prenatal supplements will make it more likely for you to experience a healthy pregnancy. They’re a safety net in reducing the likelihood of neural tube defects, lowering the risk of miscarriage, and preventing any birth complication that result from being nutrient deficit. They also help reassure your baby’s brain and eyes develop properly.

We recommend taking a prenatal vitamin with DHA, if your prenatal doesn’t have DHA, try adding a DHA supplement with your daily prenatal multivitamin.

★ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T TAKE A PRENATAL VITAMIN WHILE PREGNANT?

For pregnant women who are able to follow a nutrient-dense daily diet, a prenatal supplement may not be as necessary as for women who don’t. Some may find it hard to get all their daily essential nutrients for pregnancy with cravings and the change of taste buds. That's why a prenatal supplement may be crucial during pregnancy.

You may have access to a variety of high-quality, nutrient-dense foods but may not know how to adequately supply your daily nutritious need throughout the pregnancy process. Women who don’t take prenatal vitamins may be at risk of an unsafe pregnancy, or may be placing their baby in danger of a number of harmful lifelong conditions, such as congenital disabilities or spina bifida.

Medical providers recommend taking a prenatal vitamin to insure you and your baby have a healthy childbirth and life together.

★ DO PRENATAL VITAMINS MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

While most people who take a regular multi-vitamin know that they don’t cause weight gain, many wonder if prenatal vitamins do. The answer is no, there is no evidence that prenatal vitamins make you gain weight. Most pregnant women gain about 25-35 pounds throughout their pregnancy regardless if they take a prenatal vitamin or not. The weight gain is likely due to the pregnancy itself and your growing baby.

★ WHEN TO STOP TAKING PRENATAL VITAMINS?

After childbirth, many health care providers recommend that you have a daily intake of nutrient-rich foods, in addition to continuing to take a prenatal vitamin during postpartum. You should follow this for as long as you’re breastfeeding or have postpartum bleeding.

The benefits of taking a daily prenatal vitamin after the 40 weeks of pregnancy are essential for the lactating mother, as the production of milk depletes her body of many nurturing vitamins and minerals. Additionally, they support and regulate hormones during postpartum, and help your body heal and return to your pre-pregnancy self again.

★ Check out our blog on Should You Take Prenatal Vitamins After Birth!

★ WHY WE ADVISE TO STAY AWAY FROM PRENATAL GUMMIES

After many hours of research, we discovered many studies on how effective is the potency of vitamins and minerals in the gummy supplements. Gummy vitamins can contain unreliable amounts than what is reported and lack certain essential vitamins and minerals than what is reported on their supplement facts label.

As stated by a Times.com article, “It’s a lot harder to make a good gummy than it is to make a tablet or capsule,” says Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, a private company that conducts safety and quality testing of consumer products. In a 2017 supplement analysis, ConsumerLab.com found that four out of five gummy products contained more or less than their listed amounts of ingredients.

Analysis found that gummy vitamins were the most likely kind of supplement to fail testing. “Many companies seem to have trouble controlling the amounts of ingredients in each gummy,” Cooperman says. He stated to solve this problem gummy makers spray vitamins and nutrients onto the outside of the finished candy—like a coating. There are also “stability problems,” meaning the gummies can lose potency over time. He explains, “This leads some manufacturers to put in a lot more of certain vitamins than labeled to ensure the product provides at least 100% of the labeled amounts throughout its shelf life.”

★ CAN YOU TAKE PRENATAL VITAMINS WITHOUT BEING PREGNANT?

A prenatal vitamin is a multivitamin with extra amounts of folic acid, Iron and calcium. Even though there aren’t many prenatal vitamin side effects, you should stick to a daily multivitamin if you aren’t planning on becoming pregnant.

As stated in Mayoclinic, “Prenatal vitamins are formulated specifically for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, and women who are breast-feeding. If you're not pregnant and not planning to become pregnant, high levels of certain nutrients over a long period of time may actually be more harmful than helpful.”

Some women believe one side effect of taking prenatal vitamins is hair growth, but there aren’t many studies proving they help your hair grow. If you are looking to take a vitamin for hair growth, try a folic acid supplement. Folic acid or folate is primarily responsible for healthy new cell growth, including the cells found in your hair. That's why medical advisors recommend prenatal vitamins with folic acid.

★ BEST PRENATAL VITAMINS

One of the best over-the-counter prenatal vitamins during pregnancy is Feed Mom & Me Complete Prenatal with DHA.

This prenatal supplement is formulated by an OBGYN & Registered Dietitian, containing all the nutrients needed to conceive and during pregnancy. Each small and easy-to-swallow pill is packed with 22 vital natural nutrients to provide nutritional support for you and your growing baby. It contains Folate (methyl folate form), DHA, Iron, Calcium, Choline, Biotin, Zinc, Magnesium, and Selenium.

The vegetarian formula is free of artificial colors or flavors, chemicals, preservatives, non-GMO, dairy, soy, or gluten-free. Each of their capsules contains B6, Organic Ginger, and Peppermint Powder, which can help alleviate morning sickness and nausea.

Adding to that, it is a women-owned company. Who better than a female would understand pregnancy!

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