vitamins

My baby doctor told me to continue with the vitamins that i am on.  I take 4 flintstones and 4 calcium with vitamin D a day.  What did your dr's tell you?  I have heard that you can get too many vitamins and it be harmful to the baby.  What kind of prenatal vitamins are taking?

I take a regular generic prenatal (the one from Target), they are small and have the same amount of everything as the pricer ones. I take 2 of these a day. On top of that I also take 1600 mg of calcium citrate and an iron pill.

The vitamin they worry about you taking too much of is Vitamin A, which I believe flintstones has the kind you can't overdo. But flintstones are also made for children. Please get a real prenatal vitamin as flintstone vitamins are not complete enough for a regular adult much less one with our system and carrying a child (they do not even have iron and you WILL need iron).

Simone

I'm not a fan of flintstones.  At all.  *ends understatement*

With this in mind, you should be on two multivitamins (regular or prenatal), a MINIMUM of 1500mg of calcium CITRATE (make sure it's citrate and not carbonate), b-12, and iron.

Additionally, you should plan on blood draws every 8 weeks to check on your iron, b-12, folate, and D levels to check and see if you need to supplement anything further.


The vitamin people worry about is vitamin A in the form of acetate or palmitate.  In the form of beta carotene, you have no worries as it's not only not bioavailable in adults, it's not fetal-toxic in ANY dose imaginable.  Plus, we have malabsorption, so you have that going for you as well.

I just spoke to my doctor today and she wanted me to just take a prenatal vitamin (one a day) in lieu of my 1 complete multi-vitamin I take, you CAN take too many vites so just be careful!  Each dr is different too-while you're taking 4 flintstones a day my doc only makes me take 1 (i take 4 calcium w/ vit d as well) but it must say complete on it. :)