Pregnancy Vitamins and Supplements

What you will be able to do

• explain which vitamins Health Canada advises at each stage of pregnancy and after the birth.
• start or catch up on a prenatal multivitamin with folic acid if your pregnancy was unplanned.
• keep taking your vitamins through pregnancy sickness, and know when sickness needs medical help.
• check the vitamin D dose across all your products and avoid doubling up.
• explain why prenatal vitamins contain iron, when extra iron is used, and how to get iodine, omega-3 fats and calcium from food.
• read a supplement label and spot vitamin A as retinol, fish liver oil and other things to avoid.
• find out whether a community prenatal nutrition program near you can help, and know the vitamin D advice for your baby.

1. 1Your pregnancy supplement map

   See at a glance which vitamins Health Canada advises at each stage, from a positive test to breastfeeding, and check where you are now.

   • What Health Canada advises, stage by stage
   • Just found out? Starting late and catching up
   • Making your own supplement checklist

   Pregnancy supplement checklist

2. 2The first trimester: your prenatal vitamin when you feel sick

   Keep taking your prenatal multivitamin through the first trimester, even with nausea and tiredness, and know what stays the same after 12 weeks.

   • Keeping your vitamins down
   • Taking a higher dose of folic acid
   • After 12 weeks: what stays the same

   Daily supplement trackerPregnancy supplement checklist

3. 3Vitamin D all the way through

   Understand why vitamin D matters in pregnancy, how to cover it from food or a supplement in a Canadian winter, and how to avoid doubling up.

   • Why vitamin D matters, all year
   • Getting the dose right and not doubling up

   Daily supplement trackerSupplement label checker

4. 4Iron, iodine, fish and calcium: what your vitamin and your plate cover

   Learn why your prenatal vitamin contains iron, when extra iron is used, how to get iodine, omega-3 fats and calcium from food, and how to cover the gaps on a vegan or restricted diet.

   • Iron, blood tests and extra iron
   • Iodine, omega-3 fats, fish and calcium
   • Vegan, vegetarian and restricted diets in pregnancy

   Daily supplement tracker

5. 5Choosing and checking products

   Choose a prenatal multivitamin that fits the advice and your budget, read a Canadian supplement label with confidence and spot products to avoid.

   • Which prenatal multivitamin?
   • Reading a supplement label
   • Herbal remedies, 'boosters' and things to avoid

   Supplement label checkerPregnancy supplement checklist

6. 6Prenatal programs, after the birth and staying safe

   Find out about community prenatal nutrition programs, what changes for you and your baby after the birth, and how to store supplements safely.

   • Community prenatal programs: free vitamins and food help
   • After the birth: vitamins for you and your baby
   • Keeping supplements safe at home

   Prenatal program finder (signpost)Daily supplement trackerPregnancy supplement checklist

• CheckerPregnancy supplement checklistTick each point that is true for you to check that your supplements match Health Canada's advice for your stage of pregnancy, and see what to sort out next.
• TrackerDaily supplement trackerTick off your vitamins each day, note anything that makes them hard to take, and build a steady routine through each stage of pregnancy.
• CheckerSupplement label checkerHold a supplement bottle and tick what the label shows, to check whether it suits pregnancy and spot ingredients to avoid.
• CheckerPrenatal program finder (signpost)A quick guide to whether a community prenatal nutrition program could help you with vitamins, food and support, with signposts to the services that decide.