A friend recently told me her OBGYN said, "Just get some prenatal vitamins at the pharmacy. They're all pretty much the same." She asked me if this was true. So I told her that it's true that most prenatal vitamins hit on the major stuff, but that there are differences between each brand. And I do think there are superior brands. Of course, everyone's needs are different (given each individual's unique biochemical needs).
Here is a list of my top picks, doctor-approved, for prenatal vitamins, including the best-selling ones on Amazon to add to your cart, STAT.
ONE-A-DAY
This is the most popular brand of prenatal vitamins on the market, and it's a solid choice. It's not necessarily fancy, but it has good clean ingredients.
Ritual Prenatal
One thing to know about iron and calcium in vitamins: they compete with each other for absorption. This vitamin doesn't contain calcium, which may help you better absorb the iron in it (which could be especially important if you're anemic). You can get calcium much more easily from your diet. These vitamins’ minty favor is a nice bonus for women experiencing morning sickness.
Dr. Brighten Prenatal Plus
A complete women's formulation with active B Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support women wanting to become pregnant, currently pregnant or nursing. This formulation was designed to provide comprehensive thyroid support through pregnancy and postpartum with the perfect balance of iodine and selenium. This nutrient-dense formula provides support for baby's bone, brain, and overall development
Rainbow Light
Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin is formulated to help fill in the nutritional gaps common throughout pregnancy and nursing with high-potency amounts (100% or more of the recommended Daily Value) of 18 essential vitamins and minerals—in just ONE daily tablet. Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin also includes an organic superfood blend, probiotics, peppermint, and ginger.
Mama Bird Prenatal
These vitamins contain "methylated folate"—a pretty buzzy word in the prenatal vitamin world. Folate is one of the most important vitamins in prenatal pills, but some women have a genetic condition that makes it hard for their bodies to convert the folic acid in most prenatals to the active form the body can use, but there's a catch: You won't know if you have the condition unless you have genetic testing done. So if you want to be super-safe and cover all your bases, then a methylated version of folate might be worth the money.
Thorne Basic Prenatal
This one's another great choice because it also contains the methylated forms of folate and B12. Plus it also has even more folate (a full milligram more, in fact) than most vitamins out there, which makes it ideal for women who don’t get enough green leafy vegetables into their diet.
Another plus? "This vitamin is also high in vitamin D and provides a healthy blend of calcium citrate and malate, though it does take three capsules daily though to get these amounts, which differs from the usual one-pill regiment for most prenatal vitamins.
