Comparing prenatal vitamins

[TJ]

Im currently taking Blackmores Preganancy & Breastfeeding vitamins, however im thinking about chaging to Elevit. There is quite a cost difference so I was just wanting your opinions to see if you think its worth switching?
What vitamins are you taking and how do you find them?

[Mum&bubs]

Im taking Iron tablets & vitamin c. I'd tell you the name but i cant remember it ! lol

[Oscar's mum]

I am taking Elevit now. I was taking Elevit last pg too but then saw the Blackmores and switched for one month and hated Blackmores so switched back to Elevit again.

The worst thing about the Blackmores I found was the size, they are like horse tablets!:p

[Oscar's mum]

Oh I am also taking Fefol at the moment to help with Iron, it is a good one for pg women as it is Iron with Folate in it!;)

[Starburst]

Hi I take the Blackmores one too, just recenlty I saw a naturopath after I m/c and she recommended them so I bought more but she said only 1 a day and Ive been taking the 2 that its directions suggest. I didnt think twice about it at the time but hey if you can get away with 1 a day the bottle lasts twice as long.

[cupcakemafia]

I've been using the Blackmores brand for a while now - I asked my doctor the same question you've been asking (about switching to Elevit) and he said that there really isn't any difference and that the Blackmores one is just as good as Elevit.

[annsam]

I have heard both blackmores and Elevit are good for pregnancy tablets. In a research program, I know blackmores was one of the best to actually absorb but I dont know about Elevit and I have no idea anymore what research that was.

I used blackmores through my pregnancy and had a hassel free, trouble free pregnancy and that was the only vitamin I took. I did have a good diet so I dont know how much is to be attributed to vitamins or diet but it was all good.... they certainly didn't harm.

[ETsMum]

For my last pregnancy sometimes I took the Blackmores and other times Herron vitamins. Now I'm TTC#2 and I'm back on the Blackmores ones.

I didn't hear anything good or bad about the Herron ones, I only got them cause they were on special and Aust owned.

[JATS]

I took blackmores for 6 months before I even fell pregnant, then kept taking them all through my pregnancy, since the birth of my son I take Pluravit pregnancy and postnatal vitamins, mainly because I got a deal through a friend where I bought 12 bottles of 60 capsules for $40 :thumbsup:

[Spewiesmum]

I used Swisse Women's Ultivite. I was using it before I found out I was expecting then I purchased Blackmores but discovered the amount of folate in Swisse was the same - plus it had iron and everything else. I'm not sure about the breastfeeding components and not sure about price comparison. Swisse are big tablets but only one a day - or you can get smaller tablets but have to take two a day.

[TJ]

I definitly agree with a PP that Blackmores are horse tablets - i did a bit of a search around the net today, and i found that the elevit ones have more of each vitamin/mineral per tablet than the blackmores ones, some had over 3 times the amounts. Some were pretty close. When this bottle of blackmores is out i migth try a month on elevit and see if i notice any changes.

[hartz]

I am taking Elevit, mainly becasue it has more folic acid than the blackmores (800mcg per tablet where as two blackmores a day only give you 400mcg). When i have my pre TTC blood test the Dr started to tell me about folic acid and I said I had already started, at the point I was just taking 500mcg of Folic acid but when I went off the pill I planned to start the Elevit. She agreed that was the best so i am happy to pay that little bit extra. I also like the way they are individually sealed since it means i don't have to lug the bottle with me when I go away.

[Briannabear]

I tried to take Elevit with my first pregnancy and it didnt agree with me. I switched to Blackmores and took it the whole way through. I ended up with a very healthy little girl! :thumbsup:

I automatically started taking Blackmores again with this pregnancy, and to be honest the large tablets dont bother me.
From memory Blackmores have something in it that Elevit dont - Like fish oil or something? (Could be wrong...)

Anyway, my point is they are both good vitamins. It comes down to personal choice.

[Sabby]

I'm takin elevit and was taking it at night time but I have recently changed to taking it in the mornings and haven't had m/s since...

[My Miracle Baby]

Hi, I take elevit. It is good as you only have to take it once a day, unlike others where you take 2 a day. I have noticed it has more folic acid than other pregnancy supplements. I had pre-pregnancy counselling and my obstetrician actually recommended elevit as one of the best pregnancy vitamin supplements available.

[little_fish]

Hi Mum&Bub, I was going to tell you about this info I came across which says that you should avoid high doses of vitC if you want better CM, but then I noticed you already have one bub with another on the way, so I guess it doesn't apply to you :D . Maybe someone else is interested in the info none-the-less, since I went to the trouble of finding it again :p

What are some other possible ways to improve cervical mucus?
Drinking plenty of water should always be considered in addition to any other therapies one might try. Estrogen is sometimes given to help mucus production, though doctors have mixed opinions of its benefit, especially when used with Clomid (and some suggest using Tamoxifen instead of Clomid). Injectable gonadotropins used for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation often have a positive effect on cervical mucus as well. Some home/natural remedies include eating salty foods such as popcorn (mucus is very salty), taking evening primrose oil, avoiding dairy products (they can thicken mucus), eating lots of baby carrots, and also avoiding antihistamines, including high doses of vitamin C. Another suggestion that is increasing in popularity is to drink grapefruit juice in order to improve or increase the amount of cervical mucus. If one is on prescription medications, it is a good idea to look for warning about grapefruit juice consumption (it isn't recommended with several medications for hypertension, for example). http://ww1.babyzone.com/features/community/Posts.asp?brd=22&tpc=4110669&pg=1

[LittleBoysRock]

When I was pregnant with DS I had the Blackmores Pregnancy & Breast feeding formula and iron tablets called Ferro Grad C.

They worked wonders!! DS is lovely and healthy. :smiliedance:

[superbaby]

I took Blackmores through my pregnancy with DS. Blackmores include fish oil which Elevit don't. I did do a comparison of the two and I felt that the Elevit had very high levels of some vitamins and minerals compared to Blackmores. I thought that as I was having a good diet, less was best.

[Tam-I-Am]

I took a pg and breastfeeding one call Fabfol Plus - I had to get the pharmacy to order it in for me. It has the recommended 500mcg of Folate, plus a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals, including chelated (easiest to absorb) iron and calcium. Although, it only had 80mg of calcium - so I had to take more (although I had shocking heartburn - so I chewed Rennie - killed two birds with one stone!)

Anyway, I found Fabfol Plus to be excellent, its a once-a-day tab, and in pack sort of like the pill, with the days of the week on to remind you to take it. The only prob that I found was that it repeated on me in the first tri when I had M/S - and that kinda put me off for the rest of the pg, but I used it for the first 3 months of breastfeeding too, so can't have been all bad!