Is It Late to Start a Prenatal Multivitamin in 6Th Week of Pregnancy?

Updated on July 22, 2009
G.C. asks from Burbank, CA
32 answers

I have been taking regular multivitamins prior to discovering that I was pregnant (discovered in 4th week). In 5th week I started taking 2 Flintstones chewable multivitamins a day as I am not comfortable with other huge prenatal pills. Recently I found out the importance of DHA in a prenatal supplement. I want to start with Life fitness life's dha prenatal multivitamin. Is it late to start a prenatal multivitamin in 6th week of pregnancy? Can someone please compare these 2 pills for their benefits.

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So What Happened?

Thanks a lot to all of u for your time and great advises. This being my first pregnancy I have many silly questions. Please bear with me :) Your responses are greatly appreciated. Today onwards I started with the Life's DHA prenatal multivitamin & DHA...and to my surprise I was able to swallow them! So as long as I don't have morning sickness I am good :)

Featured Answers

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R.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

It is never too late or too early to take prenatal. I'm not familiar with the two pills you are asking about so I can't say anything about them.

Good luck.

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S.Z.

answers from Reno on

No, it is not too late to start taking prenatal supplements. The earliest I ever found out I was pregnant was at 6 weeks.

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M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

It is never too late. Because I had such bad "morning"sickness with both of mine I had to take Flinstones the whole time and my kids (3.5 years and 9 months) are both very healthy children.

Good luck

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M.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

It's not too late. There are many things in a prenatal vitamin besides DHA that you should be concerned about getting enough of. You need folic acid so your child does not get a cleft lip/palate and you need iron for brain development. You also need many things to ensure that your baby fully develops. Please start on them today. You have plenty of days ahead with an upset stomach to look forward to, so just throw some prenatals in the mix for the benefit of your child.

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S.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

NO. it's never too late. but always better late than never.
make sure to test your vitamins in water or vinegar to see that it dissolves within 20 mins. max. because believe it or not, some vitamins don't dissolve, which means the whole darn pill goes right through you and not to your baby.

regardless if it's a brand name or generic, some brands don't dissolve. i had one that didn't even after 24 hours. Luckily i had only taken it a week.

also take a separate dose of Folic Acid with your prenatal vitamin.

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D.M.

answers from San Diego on

Never too late to start on something healthy!

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D.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Never too late to start prenatal vitamins. Very important for the baby and you. Also Calcium supplements are helpful, they really helped charlie horses in my calves, plus lots and lots of water!!! Congrats on your pregnancy!!

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D.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

no not too late..u can get one a day prenatals at Wholefoods that won't give u nausea..ask the nutritionists there..also u definitely should take the DHA fish oil pills..i had my son at 41 ...he was/is totally healthy and strong i always think that was partly do to the good foods i ate and the vitamins i took.

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A.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Make sure you take your vitamin before breakfast, that way if you do lose it you will get at least SOME of the vitamins.

This tip was given to me by my midwife at The Birth Center in Redlands.

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S.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would think it's better to take prenatal vitamins vs. Flinstone's vitamins while pregnant because prenatals will give you exactly what you need.......the iron levels and the folic acid levels are very important. Folic acid has been linked to ensuring proper development in the beginning states as well as helping to reduce the chance of a miscarriage. I took Expecta (a suppliment) and that is great for eye and brain development. You take it while you're pregnant and nursing. Good luck and talk with your doctor if you are unsure.

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A.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I am not a doctor so my opinion is not based on medical education. However, I've been told that it is never too late to start. It's amazing how much extra a woman needs when pregnant. When pregnant we need to boost everything, especially calcium and protein. Check with your doctor to be sure your prenatal has what you need.

Good luck and congratulations.

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M.J.

answers from San Diego on

never too late. Just start now.

I don't know why you are set on this particular brand of prenatal vitamin. There are plenty to choose from. You may even be able to get some free samples of different ones from your OB to see which you like best. I think that often they are separated into two pills (mine were) to make them smaller.

At the end of the day you can just try some over the counter prenatals from your local drug store. Rather than stress out about one brand, ask your local pharmacist about the ones they carry.

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V.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

No, but you should have really be taking one the whole time because you need sufficient folic acid so that the baby is not born with birth defects. Also, you need both the prenatal vitamin and the DHA vitamin- Expecta brand is best because its not from a fish source. DHA helps with brain and eye development. Has your doctor told you any of this? He/she should have. I suggest reading a pregnancy book so that you know what to do in order to have a healthy pregnancy and ask your doctor questions. Good luck.

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

I wouldn't think it was to late, your baby has a a lot more growing and developing to do. J. L

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B.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

G.,

Vitamins, minerals and nutrients are all very important, now AND after baby is born AND while he/she is growing up...same with you. We no longer get what we need from our foods, we MUST supplement. There are some simple ways to get what you need though...and not through prescription pills like another mom suggested. Do you know that most pills that are prescribed are synthetic? Why put that in your body???????? Are you creating a synthetic baby?

Natural, organic and pure, that is what you want to put in your body. That is what you and your baby deserve.

If you want to talk about the simple way to add what you need to your diet, contact me ____@____.com is what one mom recently said to me:
"B., I can't believe how much of a difference you made in this pregnancy. And it's my fifth! I thought I knew it all by now! Your nutrition made it simple. I always felt taken care of, never hungry AND my skin has never looked better. My energy was always up, I slept like a baby and I was happy. I really was. I have to say, this was the best pregnancy ever. Healthy baby, easy delivery AND here it is 3 months later and I am already at my pre-pregnancy weight...AND baby is growing perfectly! B. you are a blessing"
Julie, mom 5

Julie, All you have to do is ask.

B.
Family Wellness Coach

H.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

My sister -in -law who is a family Dr. recommended I take the DHA the whole way through since it is good for brain and eye development which take place later in the pregnancy. so yes its beneficial.

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I read your follow up and I'm glad you decided to strat taking them anyway there are still many benefits to be had. In case you do have "morning sickness" you can take them at night before you go to bed. These vitamins can cause constipation so do drink plenty of water and get lots of fiber especially from fruits and veggies. Also if you get morning sickness there are these things called seabands that are a blessing. They are little sweat bands you wear on your wrist that have a bead to put a pressure point that eases nausea. they are by the dramimine at the pharmacy but they are not a drug you take. My doc suggested them to me when I was preggo because I have to go to a wedding on a boat and I was worried about sea sickness. As I researched them I found that many women use them for pregnancy sickness too. Congratulations on your pregnancy. I wish you the best!

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R.J.

answers from San Diego on

I couldn't tolerate prenatal vitamins (hideous migraines amongst other smaller problems)...so I took them for only about two weeks total.

While I chewed flintstones (yum), I mostly tried to get my vitamins/minerals/etc from food sources (still do). Our body doesn't absorb most pill/artificially made vitamins very easily (although it's better than none at all if you're poor and can't afford a healthy diet!!!).

Unfortunately I don't have enough organic chemistry & physiology & nutrition to actually be able to do more than a side by side comparison (I only had a year of o-chem, and only a quarter of nutrition). Some vit/min actually have to be taken in combo with others...and still others depend on environmental factors (we all know the Vit D/Sunlight thing).

If you're really concerned/interested I would suggest making an appointment with a licensed nutritionist...your ob's office should be able to make a reccomendation, and if it's a clinic in the hospital, all you may have to do is walk downstairs. They go through years of schooling learning the information that you're looking for, and the good ones keep up on all the recent studies (published or peer review). Why I say to ask your OB...is that they should have a list of very very good ones, who had both a good education & keep a good practice. Unfortunately there are so many people selling snake shoes that a lot of people just memorize enough for the test to get basically certified so they can promote their own prejudices & agendas. Obviously, prenatal nutrition isn't something you want to play around with.

As for the "late" bit <grinning> you not only have 34-36 weeks left...a lot of women don't even KNOW they're pregnant at six weeks. You've got time. Plenty of it.

And congratulations!

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi G.,
My doctor told me that the baby doesn't start taking nutrients from the mother until week 6, so you are not too late.

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L.Y.

answers from Los Angeles on

You need to take a PRE-NATAL from now until you deliver! You have a long way to go and your baby is just forming. Please start now. The thing that is important is FOLIC ACID among other things but please stop with the kiddie vitamins (Flinstones) and do your baby a favor. Start today. It's not too late. Your baby is forming inside of you and these vitamins are important.

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R.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

No it's not too late and very important to tak prenatal vs flinstone vitamins. It's formulated differently and you need extra folic acid as well. Your obg/yn should have samples or coupons, mine insisted only on prescription prenatal with DHA. Becareful there's no mercury based as this is bad for pregnant woman - guess it's why my doctor insisted on prescription formula. If you don't have coverage, try local health store and enfamil also came out with prenatal pills. It should be on their website. Good luck to you!!

PS - I know women who aren't pregnant that still take prenatal vitamins over regular vitamins for the added supplements

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A.P.

answers from San Diego on

It's never too late! Get some prenatal vitamins in your body. My advice? Ask your DR for samples. They always have really good ones w/DHA included. Otherwise, I took Target brand when I was pregnant & nursing. My DR said the brand didn't matter.

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L.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think you should call your ob-gyn / nurse and get their recommendation.

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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

It is never late to start prenatal vits in pregnancy at any gestation but you are good at 6 weeks.I recommend PrimaCare One to my patients.Each cap has 13 vits and minerals including adequate folic acid,omega-3s,docosahexaenic acid(DHA),eicosapentaenic acid (EPA) and stool softener.If you are uncomfortable with taking big size caps ,you can always cut it in half.

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi G. - no questions are silly questions when it comes to your baby! It's never too late to start getting more nutrition in yours and your baby's body. I'm glad you're not going to rely on Flinstones vitamins anymore which will do nothing for you or your baby. I have another suggest for you. If you want to ensure your baby gets optimal whole food nutrition even before birth that will increase the odds of a healthy baby, take a look at Juice Plus capsules. It's the nutrients of 17 of the most nutritionally rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains in capsule, chewable, and gummi forms. See below the results of a study where participants took Juice Plus who had drastically reduced pregnancy complications. You can listen to a 15 minute recording by Doctor Odom at University of Mississippi who conducted the study for more details by calling 800-942-1260 (press 2 and 2), or see more research results and doctor recommendations at my website at http://www.WeThriveonJuicePlus.com. Feel free to call me if you have any questions or would like to order ###-###-#### or email ____@____.com. Juice Plus has all the green leafy vegetables to provide you the folic acid you need along with a wide variety of other naturally occuring nutrition to prepare you and help sustain your next pregnancy. The evidence shows that by ensuring a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day will certainly lower your risk of just about all health problems. Juice Plus is an easy, more natural way to do that. Thousands more nutrients in their natural combination from whole food, not isolated vitamins. I wish you a happy, healthy pregnancy!

PRENATALS --- Prenatals + Juice Plus+
Preterm (< or = 32 wks.) 35 (20%) --- NONE

Preeclampsia 38 (21%) --- NONE

Spontaneous Labor 16 (9%) --- NONE

PROM 6 (3%) --- NONE
NICU Admission 17 (10%) --- NONE

Respiratory Distress 13 (8%) --- NONE

Ave. Birth Weight 3280 grams --- 3507 grams (+227)

Gestational age 38.2 weeks --- 39.3 (+1.1 week)

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Prenatals have folic acid-yes, you should be taking them-i started in my 4th month...

L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

G.,
It's never too late! Start taking them now and continue on after you've given birth, esp. if you are going to nurse. In addition to prenatals, I recommend the Carlson brand of vitamins w/ fish oil/omega/DHA. You can find Carlson products at Mother's, Whole Foods, Henry's Market, etc. Or, online, too. Their oils come from fish that are caught from the very deep waters off Norway, where there is little, if any, mercury. I've done a lot of research on this and Carlson is the only brand I purchase. Incidentally, I still take these fish oil capsules daily and have made them a regular part of my diet. OH, and after taking them throughout my pregnancy, and while nursing, can I just say that my daughter is one very smart cookie?? ;) I also now have my daughter (4 years old) on a DHA chewable, not made from fish oil but from flax seeds, because we don't eat a whole lot of fish due to the mercury. And children in the U.S. are solely missing DHA in their diets. Promotes brain function. Best of luck to you and congratulations!

Oh, p.s. Carlson's products also come in liquid form!

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N.W.

answers from Las Vegas on

Its never too late the sooner the better. Forgive me I do not recall brand names. I used the prenatal vitamins in a pink bottle. It had a woman on front holding baby. You had to take 2 per day. Of course when I went back to Walmart they didnt have them. So I now take Nature's Best in the yellow bottle. The way I handle large pills is to bite off a small piece and swallow it with juice or something sweet. I have always hated large pills. I then take Limfimil (??) the DHA supplement in the yellow bottle. I take it because they put lemon in it and there's no after taste. Its a gel pill, I just bite the pill, throw out the gelatin and drink it down with water. I dont swallow it because its too big and I dont eat pork which I believe is contained in the gelatin. Sorry for being long winded but yes the sooner the better,its never too late to take vitamins and make sure you have a healthy baby.

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S.A.

answers from Honolulu on

It's not too late! You should take prenatal vitamins throughout the whole pregnancy, and while breastfeeding if you are going to. :)

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P.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

Please make an appt and go see your obstetrician and take his advise, not the public's advise. Taking prenatal vitamins at any stage of pregnancy is totally fine.
Trish

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L.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Better late than never. You really want folic acid to avoid some defects and diet alone usually doesn't get it. Your baby will take from your body what it doesn't get from your diet so you need to be in top shape for both of you.
If you choose to get pregnant again, make sure you are in top shape before you conceive and support your body not only for your baby, but for you for life.
Also, if you find you are allergic to any vitamin formula, it is the additives in the formula that triggers the reaction more than the vitamins themselves. Try a purer formula.

Holistic Health Practitioner

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N.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

No it's never too late to start multivitamins. You may want to order Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch. Also, you may want to see a Naturopathic Doctor. Also, NAET.com for allergy eliminations. You may find that you are allergic to certain vitamins and/or minerals, you will need to eliminate that allergy.

Be well.

N.

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