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S2E4: Prenatal Vitamins 101: What to Take, Why It Matters, and How to Choose Quality (#39)
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Pregnancy vitamins can be overwhelming, but I’ve got you covered. In this episode, we break down everything you need to know about prenatal vitamins—from the must-have nutrients to spotting quality brands and certifications that actually matter.
In this episode, we talk about…
- The purpose of prenatal vitamins
- How prenatal vitamins differ and why there are so many different formulations
- How to find high-quality prenatal vitamins and why this is important
- When you should start (and stop) taking a prenatal vitamin
- The importance of folic acid above all other supplements
- Other prenatal vitamins that are recommended
Resources:
- Follow me at @taylorraeroman, everywhere
- Full episode transcription and citations: https://taylorraeroman.com/on-the-outside-podcast
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Disclaimer: The information shared on On the Outside is for informational and educational purposes only. I am not a doctor, medical professional, or licensed healthcare provider. The content of this podcast is based on my personal experiences and research, but it should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult with your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions related to your pregnancy, health, or well-being. Every pregnancy is unique, and what works for one person may not be right for another.
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Transcript
Introduction to Prenatal Vitamins
00:00:07
Speaker
Hello and welcome back. My name is Taylor Rae and this is the Outside.
00:00:19
Speaker
In today's episode, we talk about prenatal vitamins and supplements. Is just taking one all-inclusive prenatal vitamin enough? Why or why not? What does the research say? How do we find the right prenatal? What certifications or things should we be looking for?
00:00:36
Speaker
We get into all of that today, including the purpose of prenatal vitamins. how prenatal vitamins differ and why there are so many different formulations, how to find high quality prenatal vitamins and why this is important, when you should start and stop taking a prenatal vitamin, the importance of folic acid above all other supplements, and other prenatal vitamins that might be recommended.
00:01:06
Speaker
I started taking a daily multivitamin about two or three years ago, because I found out that I had low iron and some slight deficiencies after getting some regular blood work during a regular routine physical.
00:01:18
Speaker
One day I realized that my normal eating habits They just weren't so great. About four days a week, especially with grad school and a full-time job, I found myself in this kind of cycle, and this is what it looked like.
00:01:32
Speaker
I'd wake up, I'd grab coffee. Honestly, not because I'm the kind of person that like needs their morning coffee, know but just because I like it and it's like a fun little drink. So I'd wake up. drink some coffee, go to work, eat a bunch of random snacks at the studio. This is when I was a full-time trainer.
00:01:49
Speaker
So I'd be eating like Cheez-Its and pretzels in between classes, then be starving, take the train uptown to Columbia, get more coffee, get donut or a pastry or a brownie or like whatever looked good inside the pastry case.
00:02:04
Speaker
run across the street to Pret and get half a sandwich if I had time, because most of the time I was doing work at the coffee shop, so that's how I ended up there first. grab that sandwich if I had time, and then go home, be literally starving, and eat like two or three portions of dinner because I was so hungry from the entire day.
00:02:27
Speaker
Now, all that is to say and very thankful that I wasn't personally struggling with disordered eating, though I definitely did when I was younger. When I was in college, that was definitely something that was tough for me.
00:02:41
Speaker
In this era of my life, however, i was really just busy not prioritizing my eating habits, not planning when I was going to eat or what I was going to eat, and really just like freestyling it every day in a way that was doing me absolutely no favors.
00:03:00
Speaker
Today, i have better eating habits, honestly, than I ever have in my life, primarily because I'm ah very hungry, pregnant girl, though right now, oh I'm a little over 30 weeks, and I feel like I can't even fit food in my body because of how big this baby is in there.
00:03:18
Speaker
But that being said, i also don't really leave my neighborhood. i don't even leave my house as much because i do a lot of my freelance work from home. So I always have access to tons of food options that are easily accessible and that are healthy for me.
00:03:34
Speaker
That being said, I'm so happy that I started learning about and taking vitamins years ago. When I was finding that I had some of those deficiencies, vitamins helped fill some of those gaps that I had because I was not eating so great.
00:03:47
Speaker
And now they're helping me to build the strongest baby possible. Before we dive in, i want to remind you, as I always do, that I'm not a doctor or medical professional.
Importance and Benefits of Prenatal Vitamins
00:04:00
Speaker
Everything I share in this episode is based on my personal experience and research. Always check in with your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health, pregnancy, or preconception journey.
00:04:15
Speaker
Let's get into it.
00:04:20
Speaker
Let's start it out with the purpose of prenatal vitamins. First and foremost, it is just to support fetal development. It's to prevent birth defects, including neural tube defects. Now, neural tube defects are kind of the biggest one and the most researched area, such as spina bifida.
00:04:38
Speaker
It's also for heart defects, cleft lip and palate, limb defects, brain and cognitive development issues, low birth weight, preterm birth, which just means early birth, and other defects such as urinary tract defects and congenital heart defects.
00:04:56
Speaker
um So these are kind of all of the things to varying degrees of research that have led experts to recommend that we take prenatal vitamins, with neural tube defects being kind of the most researched area.
00:05:11
Speaker
It's also to prevent deficiencies in the pregnant person. So the way that I was eating and living my life like a hot mess a few years ago, i was the kind of person that had a lot of deficiencies at that time.
00:05:24
Speaker
Thankfully, I got my act together in my kind of preconception era stage of my life. But that being said, Prenatal vitamins are a great way to kind of help the pregnant person with any deficiencies they might have, and it can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and also support postpartum recovery.
00:05:44
Speaker
Many studies suggest that insufficient vitamin intake is associated with a wide range of pregnancy complications. And this is a direct quote. As always, you can find it cited on my website with all of the other sources.
00:06:00
Speaker
So pregnancy complications including anemia, cesarean section, depression, gestational diabetes, hypertension, infertility, preeclepsia, and premature rupture of membranes, and infant health problems including asthma, autism, low birth weight, congenital heart defects, intellectual development, intrauterine growth restriction, miscarriage, neural tube defects, orofacial defects, and preterm birth.
00:06:28
Speaker
So insufficient vitamin intake is associated with a wide range of pregnancy complications such as those that I just mentioned. That is why we take prenatal vitamins to answer that first question.
Choosing the Right Prenatal Vitamin
00:06:43
Speaker
Now, how do prenatal vitamins differ and why there so many formulations? You can find prenatal vitamins at your Duane Reade down the street in New York, at your CVS, at your Walgreens. You can find them at your supermarket, at your local mom and pop pharmacy.
00:06:57
Speaker
You can find them online. You can find your fave influencers constantly showing you tons of different vitamins and supplements. If I see another greens powder, babe, I'm gonna lose my mind.
00:07:08
Speaker
So we have access to so many different kinds of vitamins. but they're not all equal. So we're gonna get into how they differ and why they differ.
00:07:20
Speaker
Prenatal vitamins can differ significantly from one to one another from one to the other in terms of the specific amount of vitamins and minerals that they each contain. including key nutrients. So prenatal specifically, we're talking about things like folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin with variations depending on the brand, the formulation, and even the type of pill.
00:07:43
Speaker
So by type, I mean things like gummy versus a tablet. So it's important to compare labels and consult your healthcare provider to find the best option for you because not all prenatal vitamins are created equal.
00:07:56
Speaker
Unfortunately, there is no national standard for the content of prenatal vitamins. So they vary widely on their content and may contain only a few vitamins. That means packed into ah prenatal multivitamin, right? Sounds good. Sounds like that's all that I need. It might not really have all that you may want.
00:08:15
Speaker
right Because they're each formulated differently and they each have a different amount of each different supplement and maybe not even the exact amount that you want, which is wild.
00:08:26
Speaker
And there's a lot to say about the different type of pill, a gummy versus a tablet, etc. Overall, now this is just my humble opinion based on what I've learned.
00:08:38
Speaker
I would steer clear of the gummy variety. There's a lot more that has to go into it to make it taste good, to make it look good, to make it have that gummy texture. Realistically, if you can swallow ah standard tablet or capsule that is not a gummy, that is going to just deliver those vitamins and supplements right where they need to go.
00:08:59
Speaker
versus having them needing to be packaged in this sweet, fun, little gummy shape, which adds a lot more to it and doesn't really do you any favors. So that's just, that's from Taylor's little little opinion right there.
00:09:14
Speaker
um The Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, does not evaluate the effectiveness, safety, or quality of dietary supplements or the ingredients in them before they enter the marketplace.
Quality and Regulation of Supplements
00:09:29
Speaker
Now, that is wild because there is actually no administration, organization, oversight organization that is looking at and testing each and every supplement that is out there.
00:09:43
Speaker
I know that sounds completely bonkers if you never really gave it a second thought, but that is very true, and that is again why every prenatal is not equal. I didn't find that my OBGYN was overly concerned about my prenatal vitamins.
00:09:59
Speaker
And I don't think she would have been unless my blood work showed significant deficiencies. I was taking my prenatals for six months before getting pregnant, so my blood work didn't show any deficiencies, didn't show any issues.
00:10:12
Speaker
That being said, while running all questions by your doctor is of course crucial, as I say in every episode, it's not likely that your doctor will have specific recommendations ahead of pregnancy for what prenatal you should take.
00:10:25
Speaker
It's definitely worth asking, especially if you're going to do a physical or blood work or any kind of exam before you even start trying to get pregnant, that would be a great time to be able to look at your blood work, see if you have any deficiencies, talk with your healthcare care provider, see if they have any specific recommendations.
00:10:44
Speaker
But I found that when I had this discussion with my OB, b all she asked was, are you taking prenatals? Okay, great. She wasn't really interested in the brand, the kind, the specific vitamins I was taking, the other supplements I was taking, because my blood work didn't show any deficiencies. Therefore, there were no issues. Therefore, it wasn't really something that she was deeply concerned about.
00:11:03
Speaker
Now, for context, I go to a really incredible OB. b It was super, super hard to get her to get an appointment. I go to Weill Cornell Medical Center. This is one of the foremost experts in terms of OBGYNs, birth and delivery, and...
00:11:19
Speaker
they don't really care that much. So I think it's really important to understand that your doctor can be an amazing doctor. They can have tons of research. They could have written amazing papers.
00:11:31
Speaker
They could have gone to an amazing school. And they still may not care that deeply. about this unless they're given a reason to care. So that's why listening to a little episode like this and continuing to do your own research is also super important because unless the deficiencies are there, which at this point, it may be too late, right? If you don't find this out until you're already taking your blood work, I'm not saying it's too late just in general. Of course, you can get on your supplements. Your doctor will help you. That's great.
00:12:01
Speaker
But you could have this information earlier on either by getting it checked out earlier on or just starting a prenatal sooner so you kind of cover all of your bases before you even start trying to conceive.
00:12:14
Speaker
Now let's talk about how to find high quality prenatal vitamins and why this is important. Being that the FDA is not regulating this, you may be thinking, Taylor, tell me how I'm supposed to know what prenatals are good. and what i should be taking some useful criteria and choosing a prenatal vitamin and is as follows third party testing that's definitely something you want to see ah certificate of analysis or c o a which is awarded by an independent third party company
00:12:46
Speaker
and there are several certifications available so these are just a few the national sanitation foundation or nsf the nsf offers product and ingredient certification for supplements and they also have a list on their own website the united states pharmakapeia or usp the usp verified mark means a product has been tested for ingredients and contaminants they also have a list of verified supplements on their website as well as the natural products association or n p a
00:13:19
Speaker
an npa certification is given to supplements adhering to their standards for good manufacturing practices so these are just a few certifications you definitely want to be looking out for that third party testing and an award from a third party company as a strong indicator i personally use thorn supplements which i've said in a few episodes now they have certifications they have third party testing i really trust them and they were recommended to me actually
00:13:51
Speaker
by a friend that's a dietician that is an expert in so many things and i really trust that guidance so i love my thorn supplements personally now when you should start and stop taking a prenatal vitamin ideally you want to start three to six months before trying to conceive but absolutely you should be taking them within the first twelve weeks of your baby already being in your belly if you're not breastfeeding you can stop taking prenatal vitamins after birth
Timing and Essential Nutrients
00:14:25
Speaker
otherwise you can continue them if you are breastfeeding there are also a lot of postnatal supplements popping up on the market now this is not something that i've looked into because i'm going on this journey as my body goes through it so once baby boy is here that's definitely something that i'll be looking to a bit more but i also do know that i can just continue my prenatals if that's what's working for me some postnatal vitamins are specifically formulated for breastfeeding and they may have things like more d and omega three s
00:14:59
Speaker
for brain development higher vitamin d since breast milk is often low in it and a lot of times you have to supplement your breast milk with vitamin d so that's something that might be in a postnatal supplement as well as extrach choline and iodine for cognitive growth the current prenaurals i take do have choline and iodine for example but these are some of the things you might get from a postnatal vitamin now let's get into a little bit more than nitty-g gritty for prenatal vitamins that are currently recommended
00:15:31
Speaker
i consulted a very thorough and lengthy study which i linked on my website which you can get to on the show notes i'm only going to talk through a few of the supplements because honestly friends there are so so many what's great is that if you're getting a you know prenatal multivitamin you're going to see it has tons and tons of different vitamins in it already so a lot of these might just be all in one but there's also a few that i've noted that might need to be get ah might need to be taken
00:16:05
Speaker
separately such as choline which i take separately or folate which i take additional one separately so that being said let's go through just a few important vitamins first one is folic acid or folate for mom it supports red blood cell production and helps prevent anemia for baby it is crucial for neural tube formation which we talked a little bit about in the beginning of the episode which develops into the brain and spinal cord it prevents a neural tube defects alike spina biffeta
00:16:37
Speaker
the recommended form of folic acid or folate is methylated folate for better absorption and that's exactly the kind that i take colline for mom it supports liver function and helps prevent pregnancy complications for baby it is essential for brain development memory and neural tube formation now many prenatal vitamins lack choline so i take mine separate for example there may be a multivitamin that contains it but i've yet to find it
00:17:09
Speaker
iron is the next one on the list for mom it supports increased blood volume and prevents anemia which may reduce fatigue and dizziness while you're pregnant you gain up to fifty percent more blood in your body as a pregnant person so you got a lot of blood pumping around there i've already been tested for iron deficiency why during my pregnancy thankfully i was taking iron pills before way before i was even thinking about getting pregnant because i've been an anemic girl for most of my life and thankfully my iron is doing
00:17:42
Speaker
well and i know that's because i'm taking it every day in my prenatal yeah for baby iron in ensures proper oxygen delivery to the fetus for healthy growth growth now too much iron can cause constipation so you want to balance it with fiber and hydration and while you're pregnant constipation is already an issue that is ongoing let me tell you baby but next vitamin up is vitamin d for mom it supports bone health and immune function for baby it helps with calcium absorption for strong bones and teeth
00:18:16
Speaker
next up we have d or omega three fatty acids but i also take in a separate supplement from my multivita multi prenatal for mom it supports heart health and reduces the risk of postpartum depression oh we love to hear it for baby it is crucial for brain and eye development you can also look for d from algae based sources if you're vegan so that's definitely something to look into for my vegan friends
00:18:48
Speaker
i am not vegan any anymore i was once upon a time so i take it in the form of a pill that does have fish oil in it but there's vegan alternatives so love that for you iodine for a mom it supports thyroid function and prevents have hypo thyroidism during pregnancy for baby it's crucial for brain development and metabolism regulation and my multiprenatal vitamin but specifically shout out that it contains iodine so that's one reason why i chose it
00:19:22
Speaker
calcium is abnx calcium prevents bone loss ah since the baby takes calcium from the mother's bones so that's what it's doing for mom for baby it's essential for developing strong bones teeth and heart function of course b twelve b twelve helps with energy production and prevents anemia for mom for baby it supports brain development and nerve function this is again super important for vegan moms i remember when i was vegan b twelve was something i was constantly supplementing so that is definitely something to think about
00:19:55
Speaker
magnesium forr mom it helps with muscle relaxation reduces leg cramps and prevents high blood pressure for baby it supports proper bone and muscle formation i know my multi has magnesium in it thankfully i haveve not gotten any crazy leg cramps yet but i have heard horror stories about it so i love that it can help with that we have a couple more zinc supports immune function and wound healing for mom for baby it's crucial for cell division and tissue growth
00:20:27
Speaker
next up vitamin a you want it in the beta karrantine beta keroene form versus for example you may have heard about vitamin a and the risks of it if you continue using retinol for example or retinina because you don't want vitamin a you don't want to have too much vitamin a in the body and but this form of vitamin a supports immune health and vision it's essential for organ development including heart lungs and kidneys for the baby you do like i said want to avoid retinol
00:20:59
Speaker
or retina and excess because high doses can be harmful so the beta carotene version is safer lastly we have vitamin c vitamin c for mom boosts immunity and enhances iron absorption it so what's helping that iron really get all up in there and for baby it supports collagen formation for skin cartilage and blood vessels so that was a lot ah vitamins and honestly friend there were so so many more
00:21:31
Speaker
that were listed but i was like these are the most important ones so we're just going to talk those through now our final section on today's episode really i just wanted to dive into the importance of folic acid above all other supplements folic acid or fully in its natural form is considered the most critical prenatal nutrient because it plays a key role role in what neural tube development you already know because i mentioned it a few times which occurs within the first twenty eight days of pregnancy
00:22:02
Speaker
often before many women even know that they are pregnant the neural tube develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord and a deficiency in folic acid can lead to birth defects so again this is one reason why i really advocate for taking prenatals especially foley three to six months before trying to conceive but really as soon as you find out that you are pregnant you want to get in on that
00:22:33
Speaker
because of the first twenty eight days of pregnancy are a very crucial time in that neural tube development the key benefits of folic acid are of course prevent neural tu tube defects the most well reason for folic acid supplementation is the ability to prevent major birth defects now again this becomes the baby's brain and spinal cord so that neural tube is very important it also supports dna synthesis and cell growth which is essential for the rapid cell division required for fetal development
00:23:06
Speaker
ah prevents anemia in the mother as i mentioned earlier because it aids in red cell production reducing the risk of anemia which can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and also reduces the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight some studies suggest it may lower the chance of preterm delivery and underweight newborns something else i want to shout out is that as a black woman i'm always thinking about pre-eclampsia especially because it can be more prevalent in women of color and i've read some studies that talk about a link between
00:23:37
Speaker
having not enough folate supplementation and potentially having pre-eclampsia so this is another indication of why making sure we take those folate supplements is very important now something to note is that the world health organization actually specifically recommends folate supplementation and also not that if you have a high risk pregnancy or potentially may have a high risk pregnancy but it's important to take some additional fo beginning at least one month before conception
00:24:09
Speaker
the cdc also recommend folic acid for all women of childbearing age the cdc urges women to start supplementation at least one month before conception and to continue throughout pregnancy so very similar so the world health organization and lastly the american college of obtetricians and gnecologists ok tongue twister also recommends supplementing with folic acid so again we have three organizations right here that highly recommend
00:24:40
Speaker
taking folate specifically and giving it at least a month before trying to conceive to really build up some stores of folate no friend if you hear me gasping for air in this episode it is because my son is last i was told five inches above my belly button that's where my uterus is currently ending so i have basically no space in my entire body for my lungs my organs or any food to fit so if i'm gasping for
Episode Summary and Next Preview
00:25:11
Speaker
that is literally why um i hope that you got some really useful information in today's episode i think it can be very confusing what supplements to take and why you might want to take them what brand to take and how to know if a vitamin or supplement is good quality and if it is the right one for you so i hope this helped a little of course definitely take that opportunity to run it by your doctor if you have the opportunity and i bet there are some doctors out there
00:25:44
Speaker
that might have some really strong opinions about prenatal vitamins i haven't met them usually they're just like cool you're taking a prenatal amazing but i'm sure there are doctors out there but might give you a little bit more insight and if you find them i love that for you
00:26:02
Speaker
on next week's episode i'll be discussing what to expect when it comes to doctors appointments genetic testing and other tests during pregnancy i'll also be talking about some common interventions during labor and delivery so we're getting a little bit medical in the next episode i'm honestly just breaking down a lot of things that i never heard of before i got pregnant and i think it would be super super useful so you know a little bit more of what to expect you can follow me at taylor reale monte everywhere
00:26:34
Speaker
as always a full transcription of the episode along with citations can be found on my website all of those links are available in the show notes see you out there
00:26:50
Speaker
um
00:26:53
Speaker
um um two