Forgot To Take Your Prenatal? Here’s What To Do

Keeping up with all the dos and don’ts of pregnancy can be challenging, especially when it comes to taking vitamins. Doctors recommend taking one prenatal vitamin daily to ensure you and your baby are getting the proper nutritional support needed, but it’s not always easy to remember to take them every day. If you forget to take a prenatal vitamin, should you take two?

What happens if i forget to take my prenatal?

Doubling up on your dose of prenatals is not recommended, says Bineesh Moyeed, a PharmD, tells Romper. “If a pregnant mom misses her prenatal vitamins for a day or two, she should take one when she remembers, but should not take two," she says.

Why should you avoid doubling your dose? Although it won’t do much harm if you do it once or twice, Moyeed suggests not making it a habit because taking two vitamins at a time could do a number on your gut. “An extra dose of a prenatal vitamin can cause nausea, constipation, or an upset stomach.” With all the nausea and constipation pregnancy already offers, why make it worse, right?

How not to forget to take a prenatal vitamin

It’s important to keep on track with your prenatal vitamins so your growing baby gets the vitamins it needs to stay healthy. It can be helpful to put the vitamins somewhere you can easily see them, like on the counter instead of inside a kitchen cabinet; this visual reminder may help you take them regularly. “It’s not a big deal if you miss a day or two, but if you’re missing multiple days, it means your baby is not getting the folic acid they need," Moyeed warns. You need more folic acid and iron during pregnancy, and you’ll find these two nutrients in prenatals. As the Mayo Clinic explained, folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, and iron supports the development of the fetus. In addition, a great prenatal will also include calcium, vitamin D, and maybe even DHA or other omega-3s.

Because life can get hectic, it’s understandable that you’ll miss a dose once in awhile. If you’ve been forgetting to take them more than you should, you can easily set an alarm on your phone as a daily reminder — pregnancy brain starts early. Just try to do the best you can to stay on track, and if you miss one, take it when you remember.

Expert:

Bineesh Moyeed, Pharmacist