When To Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins?

The amount of joy that you experience as a new parent is immeasurable.

What is measurable is the health of your new child.

The choices you make as a future parent impact the health of your new child.

When to start taking prenatal vitamins is one such decision, but first let’s make sure you understand what this is really all about and why to do it.

A prenatal vitamin is a comprehensive multivitamin which is specifically tailored to nurture a woman's body during the vitally important time period when her baby is literally being developed, cell by cell.

Have you ever wondered when to start taking prenatal vitamins?

• Prior to pregnancy...?
• After finding out you’re pregnant...?
• All the time...?

Your diet, no matter how perfect, likely has some deficiencies which may affect the development of your child.

So in short, each scenario is better than not taking them at all. You want the best for your future child so taking a prenatal is a no-brainer.

The answer to the question of ‘when to start taking prenatal vitamins’ is individualized.

Starting out with a prenatal vitamin prior to pregnancy:

This is better than taking them just after finding out you're pregnant. This allows your body to replenish the nutrients it needs for you and baby.

If you are generally healthy, eat well, not experiencing constant stress and sleeping well, then you may not need as much time to replenish your vitamin and mineral stores.  

That said, you can likely start taking a prenatal vitamin just a bit before conception or after finding out you're pregnant and have the nutrient balance needed for a healthy pregnancy.

On the other hand, if you are stressed, not sleeping well, or have some health concerns, then you should consider starting to take a prenatal vitamin as soon as you can.

In fact, you may benefit from taking a more comprehensive vitamin, like a prenatal, all the time as your body is likely quite depleted of the tools it needs to restore and maintain your health. (These tools are vitamins and minerals.)

Remember that it is important to continue to take your prenatal vitamins during breastfeeding.

Your body is recovering from a very physically demanding nine months, and still producing nutritious milk to help your baby flourish and grow!
Many mothers forget that this time period still requires healing and nourishment.
 
Supplementation with a prenatal vitamin and a healthy diet can help support nutrition and a healthy state of mind after birth.

In summary, the best time to start taking a prenatal depends on you:

If you are generally healthy, sleep well, eat a healthy diet and not very stressed, you likely can start taking a prenatal vitamin just prior to pregnancy or while trying to conceive.

If you are struggling with fatigue, stressed, don’t eat as healthily as you know you should, then you should absolutely start taking a prenatal vitamin even before trying to conceive. This allows your body to replenish the nutrients it needs prior to trying to support a pregnancy.

Ideally, you work with an outstanding health professional who can help you restore your health prior to pregnancy. Consider a naturopathic physician or a functional or integrative practitioner for a holistic perspective on nutritional biochemistry.

Now having mentioned all of this, obviously not all pregnancies are planned. So start supporting your health as early as you can if you end up with a happy SURPRISE!

I have three boys and all three of them were surprises. They turned out well despite my wife not taking prenatal vitamins before she got pregnant.

Thankfully we both ate a healthy diet, slept well and were generally healthy at the time.

(In fact, we conceived each of our children while on vacation!) So if you’re struggling with fertility, perhaps a vacation is in order!

I do wish I had formulated the Seeking Health prenatal vitamins prior to conceiving my three boys. It was always a struggle finding one that my wife could tolerate. She loves the Optimal Prenatal Protein Powder - Vanilla.

In fact, we both use this almost daily, to this day, for maintaining our general health.

PS: No - we’re not trying to conceive anymore! Three boys is plenty!

When did you start taking your prenatal vitamins? 

This article is not intended as a substitute or replacement for the advice of a healthcare professional. Consult your healthcare professional prior to starting, stopping or making changes to your healthcare regimen.