prenatal vitamins

It's a well know fact that taking prenatal vitamins before and during pregnancy is of great benefit to your baby.  And a woman in child bearing years should be sure to take folic acid.  Studies have shown that folic acid can help decrease birth defects.

Not every woman is able to plan out her pregnancies, things happen.  Even when precautions are being made, things happen.  I call these "blessings" rather than "things" but that's just me.  ;)  Anyway, if you are able to plan, try taking prenatal vitamins months before even trying to conceive.  With my first pregnancy, I took prenatal vitamins a whole year before even trying to get pregnant.  This time around I also started early.

Now, there are a TON of prenatal vitamins out there.  I was looking at one website and I saw vitamins that were in the hundreds of dollars price range.  That's just crazy people.  Let me tell you what I took before and what I'm currently taking now.

When I was pregnant with little guy I was taking GNC prenatal vitamins which you can find here.

The price (from their website) is $9.99 for 60 caplets, or $17.99 for 120 caplets.  I trust GNC so I felt comfortable taking them.  I told my Dr. that I preferred them and she was fine with that.  All prenatal vitamins tend to be large but I never had a problem taking these, and I never felt sick from them (I felt sick from other things though...lol).

This time around I decided to try something a bit more budget friendly.  I've been taking Spring Valley Prenatal vitamins that can be purchased at Walmart.  You can find them here.

This bottle has an online price of $8.00 and has 240 tablets.  I have talked to women who have been recommended these vitamins by their Drs, so I take that as a good thing.  These are large, but not as large as other brands and the shape seems easier to swallow.

I am happy with both choices.  I think if and when we get pregnant, and once this bottle is finished, I may go back to the GNC brand.  But that's only because I feel it's a very trusted brand.  If money were an issue, I would have no problem sticking with the Spring Valley brand.  The decision is up to you and your situation.  I don't think paying hundreds of dollars is necessary however...lol.

Of course, you should always consult with your Dr. about what prenatal vitamins are good for you.