Choosing a prenatal vitamin is an important step for a healthy pregnancy. While a vitamin cannot and should not replace a healthy diet, it can certainly support one! With so many options available, you may be wondering how to choose the right supplement for you. This is something you should talk with your healthcare provider about, but here are a few tips to help you get started in making your best choice.
1 Choose an option that is more than a one a day
Options that “pack it all in” to one pill a day are trying to do the impossible. Some nutrients that are vital during pregnancy (like choline) are actually pretty bulky and require multiple capsules to fit the proper amount. Simply put, “one a day” options don’t meet optimal amounts and sometimes the amounts of some nutrients are so tiny it’s almost negligible. Ideally, we are looking for a prenatal that is more like eight pills a day. Don’t let this scare you! Just divide it up into a couple doses a day (like four with breakfast and four with dinner).
2 Choose one with active forms of ingredients
This is also known an bio-available ingredients. Most supplement options are focused on profits so they include the cheapest form of each vitamin. What we want, however, are the bio-available forms of nutrients, which are more expensive for manufacturers, because our bodies can best absorb and assimilate these types of nutrients. This is where things can get a little bit trickier to decipher (I’m talking all those funky scientific sounding words in the ingredient list of the label), so reviewing with a professional can be helpful, or choosing an option that says that it specifically uses the bioavailable form of ingredients. The most important one to look for is methylfolate over folic acid (around half of the population cannot convert folic acid into methylfolate properly).
3 Choose one that contains choline, selenium, D3, iodine, and K2 (along with other nutrients!).
These nutrients are all important and many of the cheaper prenatal options on the market don’t include these. DHA is also very important, though many don’t include it (and some high quality options don’t because there is a concern about whether the DHA will essentially go rancid when processed with other vitamins). For this reason I recommend taking a separate DHA supplement, either fish oil or cod liver oil. There are also plant based algae DHA oil supplements out there. Find my fav fish oil here and use code “wildflower10” for 10% off!
4 Choose one that is third party lab tested (to ensure it actually contains what it says it does!).
The supplement industry is unfortunately notoriously unregulated. There’s plenty of unethical companies out there whose products’ contents don’t match up with their labels. Choosing an option that has been third party tested is smart. This can not only confirm that you’re getting what you think you’re getting, but also that the supplement doesn’t contain harmful contaminants, like heavy metals. A few testing options you can keep an eye out for are NSF and USP.
More tips to remember
You can take iron separately
A lot of prenatal options don’t contain iron. This is because iron needs can vary greatly person to person (depending mostly on your current stores and diet) and taking high amounts of iron unnecessarily isn’t great. It can be toxic in very high amounts, it interferes with the absorption of other nutrients (like calcium), and it can be constipating. Having said that, get your iron tested and if you are low then definitely work to include iron rich foods in your diet and consider a liquid iron supplement, or desiccated liver supplement. FullWell also has an Iron Bump capsule now that’s designed to be easily absorbable and non-constipating. You can check it out here and use code “wildflower10” for 10% off!.
Choose high quality when possible, even though it’s more expensive up front
High quality prenatals are expensive! We’re talking potentially $40-50 a pop (for a one month supply). But they are worth the investment over cheaper brands that contain low to no vital nutrients and can sometimes have fillers, contaminants or other weird artificial ingredients. If cost is an obstacle for you, I recommend buying the higher end option and taking less than the recommended dose. I’ve actually done this plenty with various supplements in my years! For example, if your supplement calls for eight capsules a day, take four a day, and the bottle will last you twice as long. I will say that if there was ever a time in life to splurge on this type of thing… pregnancy would be the time! It will pay off by keeping you and your baby in good health for the long run! But if cost is a true obstacle, I think this strategy is better than buying a lower quality vitamin. Just be sure to eat a real foods diet as much as you can.
Brand recommendations
My #1 choice is FullWell Women’s Prenatal. This is the prenatal vitamin I’m personally taking every day during my third pregnancy (after doing a LOT of research on the matter!). This option contains optimal amounts of nutrients in forms that are easily absorbable. They also undergo rigorous third party lab testing. After remaining a very happy customer, I also became an affiliate! Use code “Wildflower10” for 10% off your entire first order. Personally I do the 3 month auto-ship option so it’s one less thing to think about. Continuing to take your prenatal vitamin for at least six months postpartum is a smart idea, so you’ll want to have extra on hand even after your pregnancy. Find their prenatal (and other quality supplements) here.
My next favorite choice is Seeking Health’s Optimal Prenatal. I used this option during my second pregnancy and enjoyed it. Another wonderful option is Needed (use code “wildflower” for 20% off your entire first order! I also love Needed’s Prenatal Collagen Powder for extra daily protein, especially when battling food aversions). If you’re in your first trimester and having a hard time swallowing capsules (this is fairly common), then I’d 100% recommend trying Needed’s Prenatal Multi Powder. It’s the same formula as their capsules, but in a powder form that’s designed to be added to a smoothie or glass of milk/milk alternative. This can be friendlier on the stomach with morning sickness and may increase the chances of keeping your prenatal down— that’s a win!
At the time of writing this, Mama Natural just came out with a certified organic food based prenatal vitamin. While it looks like a quality option that I believe would be beneficial to take, when you do a nutrient break down compared to the aforementioned options, it falls short on nutrient quantities and omits some critical things altogether like choline and vitamin K2 (that’s just my two cents on this new option which may get a fair amount of media attention). I’m sure there are other good options out there so I encourage you to talk with your midwife or doc about specific brands. If you feel like your healthcare provider is not well informed about this matter, consider finding another professional who can answer your questions.
Eat real foods!
Lastly I’d like to remind you that while taking a prenatal vitamin can be a really smart decision, the most important decision you make is what foods you put into your body each day! This is where big time nutrition comes in. The power is on your plate. Your body is primed to absorb nutrients from food and this is what it expects. Real food is also what baby wants! So put your energy into choosing a real foods lifestyle and you’ll have an even healthier pregnancy!
Need help with healthy prenatal eating? Get my free Daily Checklists for a Healthy Pregnancy to start gaining that selfcare momentum.
This page contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you choose to make a purchase. It should go without saying, but just in case, I only ever recommend products that I whole heartedly believe in, that I use in my own personal life, and that I would recommend to my best friend. I hope these resources are helpful to you!