I still haven’t taken any prenatal supplements. Am I harming my unborn baby by doing so?
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
why not taking? any specific reason?
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Is there any reason you haven’t been taking them…??Were you taking them before you conceived ?
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
i dont think you are “harming” your baby because the baby technically will take whatever he/she needs from your body and you should start taking the prenatals asap. my cousin didn’t start taking her prenatals (her doctor didnt even start her till the second trimester because she had very bad nausea in the beginning). I do think you should have been on it but you can help yourself by starting now 
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
just take folic acid, the pills are super small and easy to swallow (if you haven’t been taking prenatals due to nausea). i know that the bigger vitamins sometimes have a weird smell and can be nauseating, especially early in the morning.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
but folic acid wouldn’t make much of a difference anymore. its only beneficial early in the pregnancy. it should be taken prior to conception and upto at least 8-10 weeks of pregnancy. because it helps with neural tube defects and thats completed by 10th week post-conception. it doesn’t hurt to take it but its not the one she most definitely needs at the moment.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
No special reason…just that I havent been to a dr yet 
Im in my 20th week and…
You are starting your 5th month of pregnancy and still have not been to see a doctor yet? Where do you live? Why are you not getting regular, pre natal care? 
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
hmmm.. you really should be geting prenatal care. I mean I hope InshaAllah everything is great with the baby but still.. you should go see your doctor regularly its important. as for the prenatal vitamins you can buy them over the counter and you can use any of the ones you like the doctor wouldn’t care which ones you are taking as long as you are taking prenatal vitamins. I started mine prior to conception so I didn’t even ask a doctor which ones to take my choices were pretty limited cause most of them had gelatin so I opted for the ones without and Alhumdulillah they have been good. I also knew my iron had always been low since I was a teen so I also took extra iron pills with my prenatals. anyways go see you doctor but if for some reason you can’t then do take the over the counter prenatal vitamins they wont harm the baby InshaAllah.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
I find it really strange that you say this so nonchalantly. What are you doing posting these random points on GS? It takes less than five minutes to schedule an appointment with an OB. And they’re usually very good about seeing their pregnant patients asap. Maybe there’s a reason for your lack of attention to this issue, but your tone sounds very careless. Is there something you need help with in order to make sure you and the child get appropriate prenatal care??
Also, you do not need to wait until you see a doctor to start prenatal vitamins. Most countries have them available over the counter (a doctor may later prescribe a higher dose one).
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Does the OP live in the US…?
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Thanx for ur concerns guys, im not being careless about going to the gynae, I dont have any choice other than to wait for sum1 to accompanu me to the dr. I stay in madagascar n both me n my husband r totally unfamiliar with both languages commonly used here. Thats y I had asked a family friend to help me out, she agreed at that time but has been delaying the visit to the dr. I opened this thread so u guyz cud suggest any medicine that I can take while I find sum1 else to assist me with this matter. This world is so full of selfish people :(. Currently im taking folic acid in form of effervescent tablet
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
That sounds tough, but you will need to step up and take control. I think your husband needs to take some time off, and you guys need to find a time to schedule an appointment asap. Half your pregnancy has gone by. Hopefully all is well, but you need to make sure you are taking appropriate care. And what will you do once the baby comes? Wait around for this friend to take you to pediatric appointments too whenever there’s a fever or some other symptom of concern or a scheduled immunization (and this is frequent in those early months!)? You’ll have to find a way to become more self-sufficient. It’s best to start now.
Also, folic acid is good, but you also probably need iron supplements and other things that can easily become deficient during pregnancy.
Wish you the best. Please take care.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
just go to your local pharmacy and take a written translation of “prenatal vitamins” with you the official language there is french if im not mistaken so in french they’d be called “vitamines prénatales” and french is honestly not that hard. i mean to read and stuff its pretty similar. anyways you can for sure go to the pharmacy and ask them for this they’d be able to give you them. and start using a smartphone or something with a translation app - you type something in english and then show the person what it says in their language and vice versa. I went to med school in a country with no english (although my program was english) as an exchange student and we did this all the time when we ran into problems understanding. People were not very friendly there but you will find nice people somewhere just need to start helping yourself out INSHALLAH everything will go well :)<3
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
you’re right, sorry my mind totally ignored the 20 weeks part for some reason. actually, that late in the game, is anything really needed? like a good parasite, the fetus will take whatever else it needs, right? i’d been taking folic acid prior to getting pregnant (and in the first trimester) and that was all my ob seemed to care about.
i guess i’m getting calcium in the form of TUMS for my raging acid reflux
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
yea like a good parasite it will take everything it needs hehe but the prenatal vitamins help the mom replenish her stores which is important otherwise the moms would get very weak themselves. so its always good to take prenatal vitamins until you are breastfeeding. ya folic acid is the most important in the start (more so than any other vitamin) but later on iron tends to get lower and stuff along with any other vitamins so ya.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Madagascar or Timbuktu…there have to be doctors there - English speaking. I’m sure there is an expat community. French is so close to English anyway. Get off your behind and take some actions? Call any English-speaking embassy if you have to. You’ve had 5 months.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
This exactly!!!
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Also, you’re probably at the peak of your energy level. You have to take care of these things NOW. The third trimester gets uncomfortable and exhausting. Please take care of all this asap for your own sake and the baby’s.
Re: Im in my 20th week and…
Ok I went to the dr. Everything is fine , she just prescribed folic acid tablets