You are 2 months pregnant and your morning sickness is raging at full force. You know you need to be taking your prenatal vitamins to keep your developing baby healthy and give your own body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy during this pregnancy. At the same time, simply the thought of having to swallow the vitamin pill is enough to turn your face green.
Why Do Prenatal Vitamins Make You Sick?
Prenatal Vitamins contain fairly large amounts of iron and folic acid, both of which tend to make you sick to your stomach.
During your pregnancy, you body's blood volume increases by about one third. Your body needs the extra iron in the blood production. Without it you would feel even more tired and lethargic than you already are.
The extra folic acid is included in the prenatal vitamin to protect your unborn baby. Folic acid has shown to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord.
Making The Vitamins Easier On Your Stomach.
Now that you know why your prenatal vitamins are making you sick and also realized that they are important for the health and wellbeing of both yourself and you unborn baby, let's take a look at what you can do to make the vitamins a little easier on your stomach.
Always take your prenatal vitamins with some food. Take them with a large meal or eat at least a small snack that includes some form of protein with them. Drinking a glass of water in addition to the food helps as well. Whatever you do, never take them on an empty stomach, especially not first thing in the morning when you are most prone to morning sickness.
If you are having a hard time keeping your vitamins down in the morning, consider taking them right before bedtime instead. Eat a small snack like a bowl of cereal or some crackers with cheese and take your prenatal vitamins right before you go to sleep. The food will help keep you from getting sick and with a little luck you will be asleep before you start getting nauseous.
by Susanne Myers
