Best Prenatal Vitamins to Ease Your Nausea (When You Can’t Swallow Large Pills)

When I was pregnant for the first time, everyone stressed the importance of taking prenatal vitamins. It felt like I was DOOMED if I didn’t! It was clear that I needed to take a prenatal in order to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Ok, perfect. I’ll pick a prenatal and everything will be awesome! Yea, that didn’t happen. I took the pill out of the bottle and literally gasped in horror! It was HUGE! Like, how is this going to fit down my throat, huge?!

I then proceeded to attempt to shove this gigantic pill down my throat and I gagged.  I just burst into tears. How will I be a good mom if I can’t take my all-important prenatal vitamin? I’m DOOMED! I can’t do this!

There must be an easier way to take your prenatal. I was shocked at how difficult it was to find the right prenatal for me, I tried so many different types of prenatals. Some made me gag, some made me feel nauseous for the rest of the day, some were useless and barely had anything in them, and some tasted disgusting.

It took me 3 pregnancies to finally get it right! It took a lot of trial and error. Here is what I found out and what helped me get the nutrients I needed without being nauseated:

***This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and love.  Before implementing any health advice, please check with your doctor first as I am not a medical professional.  Read my full policy for more information.

So, What Needs to Be in Your Prenatal Vitamin?

There are some key nutrients that you need to have in your prenatal to help you maintain a healthy pregnancy. Typically, a healthy pregnancy leads to a healthy baby which is what we are all hoping for. Here is what to look for in your prenatal vitamin:

Folic Acid

Folate and folic acid are similar, the main difference is how they’ve been processed. Folic acid is man-made whereas folate is more natural. Personally, I prefer going with the more natural source but it’s up to you as they do have the same benefits.

Taking folic acid can help prevent birth defects in the brain and spinal cord (source) while keeping your reproductive system healthy.

The recommended amount of folate or folic acid is 400 mcg (source).

Iron

Your body needs more iron when you are pregnant. Not getting enough iron can cause anemia so be sure that your prenatals have iron.

Iron helps you produce more blood cells which are then carried to the baby for oxygen and development (source).

Gummies typically don’t contain iron so be sure to find other means of getting iron in. Cereals are seriously great for this. Sunflower seeds are another good source of iron too if you’re like me, and not comfortable taking an iron pill!

The recommended amount of iron to take is 30 mg (source).

Calcium

Your body needs calcium to help keep your bones strong. Calcium also helps your baby’s bones grow. Most prenatals don’t contain enough calcium so dairy products are great. If you get nauseous eating dairy or calcium-rich foods, these calcium supplements are amazing! They taste great and eased my nausea.

The recommended amount of calcium is 200 to 300 mg (source).

Vitamin D

Goes hand in hand with calcium. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. It’s important to take vitamin D for strong bones!

The recommended amount of vitamin D is 400 IU (source).

Zinc

Helps to support a healthy immune system. As your body is working beyond overtime making a baby, your immune system takes a bit of a hit. It’s important to help keep your immune system working!

The recommended amount of zinc is 15 mg (source).

Vitamin C

Gives your immune system an extra boost.

The recommended amount of vitamin C is 70 mg (source).

Vitamin B6

Helps ease nausea. Some prenatals contain ginger which is also great for keeping your morning sickness at bay.

Vitamin A

Be very cautious of vitamin A. Now, it is good to take in small amounts but doses over 10,000 IU are considered toxic for your baby. Most vitamins contain a small amount of vitamin A so you should be ok.

Just double-check so you don’t go over the recommended amount.  Vitamin A is good for your baby’s eye and brain development.

DHA

This usually comes separate unless you are ok with taking a huge pill that contains everything and tastes like fish! Yuck! Not for me!

DHA is basically an Omega-3 fatty acid typically found in fish that helps your baby’s brain develop. I honestly couldn’t take DHA because it caused extreme nausea for me. Instead, I ate foods that contained DHA.

Salmon, tuna, sardines, egg yolks, flax seeds, and walnuts are all great options for consuming DHA (source).

When you look at the label of your prenatal vitamins, you will find that there are other nutrients packed in like riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and other fancy ingredients that all help you get the nutrients you need for you and your baby.

What to Look Out For

The annoying part of vitamins is that they are unregulated. As a result, vitamin companies can basically put whatever they want in and not be honest about it! It happens.

This actually scared me a lot. Who can I trust? What brand is best? What if I take a prenatal that is dangerous for me and my baby? Yikes!

I then came across an awesome website (called Labdoor) that checks certain brands against their label. It was shocking to see some big brands with low ratings because their label didn’t match up too well with the contents in the vitamin.

The only drawback is that they have only tested a handful of products, but their reports were pretty interesting to look at.

Dosage

Be sure to look at the label for the correct dosage. Taking too much can be dangerous. Some pregnancy vitamins say to take 1 a day, others 2 or 3. Check you have the right dosage!

I had a checklist on the fridge which I checked off when I took them.

Why? Well, I had “pregnancy brain” to the extreme. I’m surprised I remembered my name some days! It was crazy. I would literally ask myself “did I take my prenatal?” and I didn’t remember. It was hard as the days kinda blurred together and I didn’t want to “overdose”. Checklists really helped me here!

Ingredients

Not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. Some are made with natural ingredients and others are chemically produced. So, either one is ok but I always found the natural route better. Natural ingredients tend to be easier on your stomach which is something to bear in mind when picking your prenatal.

Best Prenatal to Take When Nauseous

Ok, I’ve tried a bunch of different prenatals. What worked for me, may not work for you so try the ones that you feel comfortable with. Here’s a list of what I tried with some pros and cons:

Chewable Prenatal Vitamins

These chewable vitamins were packed filled with everything you need for a healthy pregnancy. I found it difficult to swallow any kind of pill during pregnancy so this was a great option. It contains iron as well which is a plus!

Pros:

• Great if you can’t swallow pills during pregnancy
• Good list of ingredients
• Safe for you and your baby
• Good value for your money

Cons:

• Tasted like chalk to me – yuck (although some reviews said it tasted great)
• Have to order online. Not widely available in stores

It’s definitely worth a try. I bought a bunch of these chewables to save money but hated the taste so it didn’t work for me. Others loved the taste so a personal preference here. Buy one bottle to see if it works for you!

Liquid Prenatal Vitamins

A Liquid prenatal is another great alternative to taking your prenatals. Just mix with your favorite drink or take it by itself.

Pros:

• Easy on the stomach
• All-natural ingredients
• Good list of nutrients
• Just 1 tbsp a day
• Good value

Cons:

• The taste may not be for you. It was ok for me but again, some loved the taste, others hated it. You can also try mixing it with a drink which might help.

Worth a try if you can’t handle pills which is so common in pregnancy. Again, there are mixed reviews on taste so it may or may not be a good match for you.

Prenatal Vitamins to Swallow

This prenatal vitamin worked amazingly for my second and third pregnancies. It is in pill form so you do have to swallow but the size was manageable (not as huge as most but they aren’t mini either!).

Pros:

• Great list of all-natural ingredients (basically crushed up fruit and veg!)
• Scored highly on Labdoor test
• Very easy on the stomach (made my nausea go away!)

Cons:

• You have to take 3 a day! Yep! 3!! That’s a lot.
• Had difficulty swallowing sometimes
• If I failed to swallow, the taste was horrible! Yuck!

Children’s Vitamins

I had a rough time taking any kind of vitamins in my first pregnancy and it sucked! I wanted to take a prenatal without gagging or feeling nauseated. At my first checkup, a midwife suggested I took some children’s vitamins with iron. In order to get the amount of nutrients I needed, my midwife advised me to take 2 tablets a day. Back then, these vitamins had a high level of vitamin A which was a concern to me. So, I didn’t take them.

Now, vitamin A has been cut in half which is awesome. You can now take 1 of these tablets a day and be well under the limit for vitamin A consumption.

Pros:

• Easy on the stomach
• Amazing taste (brought me back to my childhood!)
• Cheap
• Contains iron
• Widely available in stores

Cons:

• Artificial ingredients
• Not the healthiest of vitamins!

Prenatals to Avoid

Prenatal Gummies

Ok, the first gummy I tried was horrible and tasted like fish, not berries! Some may taste great but gummies don’t contain a whole lot of nutrients that you need for you and your baby. It’s not really worth it!

If you take gummies, make sure you take iron as an added supplement!!

If Prenatals Don’t Work for You

I’ve been there! My first pregnancy sucked! Nothing worked! My midwife suggested eating cereal. When I looked at the box, it basically contained most of the nutrients I needed (except folic acid). It was an awesome revelation!!

Eat a bowl of cereal in the evening and take a separate supplement for folic acid (or eat a ton of spinach!) and you’re set!!

My friend also had a rough time with their prenatal so she took folate, vitamin D, and cereal with milk in the evenings. She felt so much better!

Don’t panic if it doesn’t work out! Just eat well and you’ll be fine.

Good luck mama to be! You got this!!