My Quick & Fast Guide To Prenatal Vitamins
Since Adam and I have shared our pregnancy, I’ve gotten about 59374 questions about which specific prenatals I took—and I’m MORE than happy to dive into this because I think it’s suuuuuch an impactful way to set your baby up for success.
Prenatal vitamins are one of those things where you could choose literally anyyyyy ol’ option, but why wouldn’t you optimize it and choose the best one for both you *and* your little one???? In this post, I’m going to do a super quick and high-level overview of four different prenatals, their pros and cons, and how I used them. You can explore this list and pick which option feels best for YOU!
I also want to briefly mention that while I’ve made the choice to share about my journey and what I’m learning through pregnancy on the blog, I will ALWAYS understand if this is a difficult topic for you and you need to distance yourself. I am going to continue to share these topics, but [as always] I invite you to consume the content that is most helpful to YOU! If pregnancy-related content isn’t your cup of tea right now, I have plennnnty of other blog posts to explore :)
Another brief note, but, as alwaaaaays, I recommend working with and collaborating with your doctor on what supplements and medical plan is best for you and your health conditions. I am just sharing general health information and my opinions, and I always encourage you to run it by your doctor to make sure it’s a good fit for y-o-u!
Alright, without further adou, let’s jump into 4 prenatal brands that I personally put my stamp of approval behind, and then you can explore, compare, and pick the right one for YOU!
prenatals: my quick tips
START EARLY: If you are actively looking to get pregnant, starting with a prenatal 6 months to 1 year prior to conception is generally a good idea. This is optimal, but not absolutely necessary— just a great way to set yourself up for success! (But, if you didn’t do this, please don’t feel any shame— we are all just doing the best we can!.) If you read my pregnancy journey blog post, you know that we waited a while to start “trying” even after we decided we were ready, and part of that was because I wanted to take the time to get my body and health ready for pregnancy—so I started taking prenatal vitamins a year before I got pregnant.
FOOD FIRST: While I think prenatals are suuuuuch a valuable tool, they can’t fill every missing nutrient gap. That’s why I believe in eating whole, quality foods as much as possible. Prenatals should be viewed as an important tool, but not just an outright solution to giving yourself (and your baby!) the optimal nutrients. The food, nutrients, and quality of the meals you eat prenatally and during pregnancy will always be of paramount importance— just a reminder that the “foundation” of your nutrient profile is the food you eat and the prenatal is a tool in assisting that and optimizing that. While a prenatal plays an important role, it’s not just a one-stop-solution! Make sure you continue to prioritize the foods you eat pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy, and post-partum :) A supplement is a great tool, but it can’t replace a balanced, quality approach to nutrition! (If you want a tangible resource on how to best fuel your body during this time, I hiiiiighly recommend this book)
LOOK FOR FOLATE: Almost all medical professionals will recommend a supplement of folate prior to and during pregnancy because it’s known to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects (which can impact the baby’s brain, spine, and development). However, many prenatals only contain folic acid— which is not necessarily the same as folate. Folic acid is the synethetic form of folate and takes many additional chemical processes for your body to process into a usable form (AKA, it’s muuuch harder to use). Folate (especially methylfolate, 5-MTHF) is muuuuch more accessible and readily used by your body, which is what we want! Low folate is linked to a higher risk of congenital heart defects, having a low birth weight infant, and preterm birth so having a prenatal with accessible folate is key.
When is this most important? A very important time for proper folate is right away at the beginning of pregnancy… like, you might not even know you’re pregnant yet (which is why taking prenatals in advance is a great idea!) So, big takeaway— look for folate and not folic acid in your prenatal. It’s important to note that this is often the reason quality prenatals are more expensive— it is muuuch more financially costly for supplement companies to give you a methylated version of folate (the top choice that is most readily available and useful to your body!) than it is to give you folic acid (the wayyy less optimal, much cheaper, synthetic version that is hard for your body to use!). Big takeaway— most prenatals contain folic acid (which is not optimal), so you’ll want to look for folate as it is the thing that’s so so so important in the first trimester for your baby’s development.
TRACE VITAMINS & MINERALS: There are a lot of basic prenatals out there but I tried to find the ones with optimized trace vitamins and minerals. Some examples of what you may want to look for are iodine, zinc, selenium, choline, and chromium. These are all important vitamins/minerals to help support your body during pregnancy which often aren’t in generic, low quality prenatals.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Taking supplements can be hard, but consistency really is the name of the game with your prenatal! Whether you have to set an alert in your phone, write a reminder in your planner, buy a pill organizer— taking your prenatal consistently is a game-changer. This is one choice that can really have such an impact, and if you’re approaching pregnancy by putting quality into the food, fitness, and other big picture choices you make, why wouldn’t you also optimize the prenatal you’re taking?
KEEP TAKING THEM POSTPARTUM: It can often be a good idea to continue taking a prenatal postpartum as your body is replenishing, rebuilding, and recalibrating post-birth. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding— as creating breast milk requires sooo much energy, nutrients, etc. and continuing to supplement during that depleting time is so, so important.
QUALITY DOES MATTER: I think something that can be kind of overlooked with prenatal vitamins is the quality. It can be easy to just take any old one for the sake of taking one, but think about the difference between natural, whole foods and processed junk food—not all food is created equal! And the same goes for prenatal vitamins! There’s a difference between a high-quality, optimized prenatal and an average, cheaply made prenatal with synthetic fillers, artificial ingredients, and vitamins & minerals that aren’t readily available and usable by your body. In my opinion, it’s truly WORTH investing—these little pills are so so so powerful and impactful for both you and your baby, and you both deserve the best.
So, in this post, I am going to share FOUR different options that meet my “stamp of approval” and they are in a variety of forms, price points, etc. so that you can find the one that works best for you! (as always, I recommend running ALL supplements by your provider— but here’s a general list to get you started!)
OPTION ONE: a well-rounded prenatal vitamin…
[One of my] top choices for a straight-forward prenatal vitamin is the Seeking Health Optimal Prenatal. This is the one I took for a year before I got pregnant, and I think it’s tied for first as the best choice of the options I’m outlining in this post. If I had to recommend a straightforward prenatal vitamin for optimal nutrition and fetal development, this would be one of the top choices I’d recommend.
PROS: This prenatal has LOTS of valuable and bioavailable B-vitamins and folate, which is crucial for fetal development. It also has amino acids, chelated minerals, and coenzymes in bioavailable forms (meaning the nutrients are readily bioavailable and much easier for your body to use— if we are taking a prenatal, don’t we want it to be easily USABLE to our body??). This prenatal is definitely much more absorbable and optimized for your body, and it’s designed with the optimal ratios of different vitamins and minerals.
CONS: A couple potential drawbacks are that this is a more expensive option (it took me a while to finally invest, but I’m so glad I did!), and the regimen is eight supplements per day... ONLY for your prenatal. While not ideal, I was totally okay with that dose amount— as I viewed it as a true investment in mine and baby’s health. I personally split the dose into two sets of four. I personally found it soooooo worth it to know I was getting a prenatal that was truly optimized for my body and the preconception/pregnancy period.
HOW I USED IT: I took it for the year leading up to getting pregnant. 8 supplements pretty much every day. Again, taking prenatals BEFORE conception can be very, very useful to your little one. By the time you know you’re pregnant, soooooo many major things have already happened with the baby, and if you don’t have the opportunity to take prenatals before you find out you’re pregnant, you’re missing a valuable window. Also, taking prenatals beforehand allows your body to build up stores of the nutrients and hit the valuable window before you realize you’re pregnant. If possible, I highly recommend taking them early. Overall this was a great experience, and this is DEFINITELY one of the top prenatals I recommend :)
SEEKING HEALTH PRENATAL
A prenatal that is very bioavailable for your body and intentionally designed with the optimal doses, vitamins, and minerals for pregnancy
OPTION TWO: this new prenatal company I just found… (and LOVE?!)
Okay, this company is a newer find for me, and I’ll admit— I’m impressed. It’s the first prenatal designed and founded by OBGYNs and trained women’s health experts. (You know we LOVE credentials here at The Foundation Blog.) Not only is it designed by experts, the thing that makes it SO unique, is they optimize the different supplements for each stage of preconception and pregnancy. Brilliant! This one is “tied” for my 1st place prenatal recommendation as it seems like a REALLY solid option and brilliant idea to optimize nutrients.
PROS: Designed by OBGYNs. 3rd party tested. Qualitiy ingredients. Nutrients optimized for each unique stage of pregnancy. Very bioavailable ingredients. MULTIPLE supplements in each packet (for example, it’s not just the prenatal, it includes other supplements that are beneficial for pregnancy— for example DHA, extra folate supplements, etc.). It provides auto-shipment options. It REALLY seems super unique and quality. I LOVE that there are different supplement packs for each “stage” of pregnancy: fertility, preconception, 1st tri, 2nd tri, 3rd tri… brilliant! The formulation vary for each stage of pregnancy— and this approach optimizes the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are most optimum at each time. While I haven’t tried this, I’ll admit I am pretty into it and will likely do this for future pregnancies! (I honestly might start their 3rd trimester pack in a few weeks!)
CONS: Price point is a bit higher (however, with this company, you get multiple supplements— not just a prenatal!!), some people may not like the changing formulations and prefer just to take one straight-forward supplement, some of the packs have a decent amount of pills (may be difficult if you are nauseous/don’t like taking supplements), etc. But, honestly…. I’m not seeing many cons with this company, team. It looks really solid!
HOW I USED IT: So, I haven’t tried this yet as I was already stocked up with my Seeking Health and Thorne (option #3), and felt VERY good about those choices! However, I am very intrigued by this brand and especially drawn to the different formulations/supplements for each unique stage of pregnancy. I mean, how cool! While I am very happy with my Seeking Health/Thorne Prenatal approach this time, I think I am going to try Perelel in 3rd trimester! I feel like it’s a very “modern” approach to prenatals— convenient, backed by science, designed by women, great branding (lol, it MATTERS, okay), quality ingredients, and OPTIMIZED for each unique stage… and that’s why I gave it my runner up spot! Definitely a great option, and I’m super excited to try it next trimester!
UPDATED NOTE (AND DISCOUNT!): Okay, after I completed doing research for this blog post, I reached out to Perelel to see if I could try their 2nd and 3rd trimester pack, and they said YES! And they also shared a coupon for you guys??? Amazing and so generous! Enter KATEESKURI20 for 20% off :)
HERE IS MY HONEST REVIEW (WRITTEN 2.5 MONTHS LATER):
Well, well, well friends…. after writing this original blog post a few months ago, I decided to give Perelel a try. I ended up taking a month’s worth of their 2nd-trimester pack, transitioning into their 3rd-trimester regimen… annnnnnd I LOVE IT. Like, so much.
Not only are the ingredients & supplements quality and bioavailable (the most important part), but it has simplified my OVERALL approach to prenatal nourishment so much, and here’s why—
Because not only am I getting a quality prenatal, but I am also getting OTHER supplements that are beneficial for me and baby during each specific stage of pregnancy. This targeted, stage-specific approach is important because mom and baby require different nutrients depending on where they are in the journey (pre-conception, 1st tri, 2nd tri, 3rd tri, etc.) For example, my 3rd-trimester pack includes a prenatal, fish oil + DHA/EPA, magnesium, calcium, and a probiotic. These are all supplements I would’ve taken (and paid for) on my own because I knew they were important in this stage of pregnancy– but it is sooooo much more time-efficient AND cost-efficient to receive them all in one convenient packet rather than buying each of the “other” supplements on their own!!! I love that they all arrive in one packet (that is recyclable, booyah!), ready-to-go, and customized for the unique stage of pregnancy that I am in & the specific nutrients I need during that particular time :)
Anyway, you all know I take “putting my name” behind something very seriously, and just wanted to update this post as I ended up trying (and LOVING) perelel as a prenatal. Save 20% on all of perelel products with the code KATEESKURI20 :) This is absolutely the brand I will be using for the remainder of my pregnancy.
PERELEL PRENATALS
The first prenatal designed by OBGYNS & uniquely designed for each specific stage of preconception and pregnancy
OPTION THREE: a great straight-forward option (and only 3 pills per day!)
While perelel is constantly shifting and provides different supplements for different times, and Seeking Health has 8 supplements per day— some women just prefer a SIMPLE option. For a straight forward simple supplement (with only 3 supplements per day!), a great option for a basic prenatal vitamins is this Basic Prenatal from Thorne. If Seeking Health or Perelelel prenatal is out of your price range (or the thought of lots of capsules per day is off putting to you), this is what I would consider to be the best “straight forward” option! 3 pills a day. More affordable. No changing regimen. No fuss.
PROS: Thorne’s prenatal is more affordable than Seeking Health/Perelel, and it only requires three capsules per day. It’s straight-forward and consistent to take. Even though it isn’t quite as optimized, it’s still MUCH more bioavailable than most on the market, and it does contain folate instead of folic acid (the folate is in the form of 5-MTHF, which is great for bioavailability!).
CONS: Some of the vitamins and minerals in this prenatal aren’t quite as bioavailable/optimized as Seeking Health/Perelel, it’s not optimized to each stage of pregnancy, and it doesn’t have some of the trace minerals (choline), but ultimately it’s still a very solid option!
HOW I USED IT: I switched to this once I actually got pregnant, because taking 8 capsules per day just was NOT realistic for me with nausea and aversions I was experiencing, and 3 felt soooo much easier than Seeking Health’s 8. At the end of the day I’d still recommend Seeking Health/Perelel because I think they are a bit more ~optimized~, but Thorne is definitely the next best thing for a “straight forward” , more affordable prenatal in my opinion!! A great option.
THORNE PRENATALS
Simple. Straight-Forward. More Affordable. Quality Ingredients. Only 3 Pills Per Day.
OPTION FOUR: how I approached chewable prenatals
The fourth (and #leastoptimal!) prenatal I tried was this chewable prenatal from OLLY. This one honestly wasn’t that ideal from a nutrient standpoint, but I switched to it when I was experiencing a lot of nausea in my first trimester and throwing up. It was getting to the point where I was avoiding my regular prenatal capsules due to how sick I felt— I didn’t like that I was being inconsistent in taking my prenatal and knew I needed to find another option that would stay down. So, finally I had to suck it up, get over my ego, and stop thinking I was *better* than a chewy vitamin (ha!).
I knew taking a gummy vitamin was better than not taking a “regular” vitamin at all (or just throwing it up). So I set aside my #healthnut ego and decided a random chewy prenatal was better than no prenatal at all! (Even if it wasn’t the best choice). Honestly, I didn’t do a lot of research here! This is out of character for me, but I was desperate so I just looked up “chewy prenatal vitamins” and ordered a one month supply from Amazon. So alllll that being said, here are my thoughts:
PROS: The main pro here is that they didn’t make me vomit. Are these even close to as nutrient-rich as the other options? No. Were they better than nothing when I was vomiting? Yes. I will ALWAYS keep it real with you— this is NOT the best choice on the market, but it IS what I took from weeks 6-9 when my morning weakness peaked. While, truthfully, I wish I would have been taking the optimal perfect ones , it wasn't a reality for me. These gummies allowed me to get some of the essential nutrients in even if it wasn’t the ideal form. Also, they were freaking delicious and tasted like fruit snacks.
CONS: …they were freaking delicious and tasted like fruit snacks. This option is not the best quality, nor does it have the most bioavailable nutrients. They ALSO had a lot of carbs and sugar which isn’t usually what I’m looking for.
HOW I USED IT: I took these in the peak of morning sickness when I just could not keep down my regular supplements (or any supplements really for that matter). While these are NOT the most ideal prenatal supplement by a long shot— but they were better than nothing. I took these for about a month during my first trimester when I was at my most nauseous (weeks 6-9) and then transitioned back to my regular supplements once I was able. I see these as a temporary option— I only really took them because of how nauseous I felt. There are DEFINITELY better options out there.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A CHEWABLE, I WOULD TRY THIS INSTEAD: While writing this post, I just found out that Seeking Health DOES have a chewable prenatal??? I don’t know how I missed this, but I definitely would have tried this option had I known it existed! A MUCH more reputable brand, MUCH better nutrients, etc. but still in a chewable form that may be more palatable in that rocky first tri :) While I don’t have personal experience with their chewies, I definitely would’ve ordered these as my chewable option as they have a much better nutrient profile. Just wanted to pass it along as this is a much better chewable option :)
SEEKING HEALTH CHEWABLE PRENATAL
For those that want a chewable option, this is the best option I found! While I haven’t tried it, the vitamin/mineral makeup looks really solid.
to wrap it up
TOP CHOICE (TIED): Seeeking Health
TOP CHOICE (TIED): Perelel (save 20% with KATEESKURI20)
SECOND CHOICE: Thorne Prenatal
CHEWABLE OPTION: I took chewable Olly prenatals during peak naseous times, but I would DEFINITELY recommend Seeking Health’s chewable option as a better option
that’s it — told ya it would be quick and simple!
And that’s my quick guide to prenatals! As always, I recommend working with your provider on your specific needs and following their recommendations. But these are the prenatals I took or considered in my pregnancy. I REALLY prioritize quality with things like this, and I believe this lineup above is rock-solid! I know the prenatal world (and supplements in general) can be overwhelming so I hope this post helped simplify it to a few great options for ya :)
With love,
Kate
here’s what’s next…
How specifically does magnesium work in the body and WHY is everybody talking about it? Today, I am breakin’ down magnesium 101 & tangible ways to supplement!