The Rantings of a Frustrated, Pregnant Woman

A Preface for my Rantings:

• Having been pregnant before, and taken a variety of prenatal vitamins, I can tell you not all prenatals are created equal. Some come in multiple pills so you have to swallow a whole bunch of things, some have added stool softeners to help with the increase in iron, some have extra amounts of this or that. But for the most part they all have the basics that every soon-to-be-mommy needs. I prefer the vitamins with DHA supplements, having done some research and appreciating all the benefits of such supplement. Basically, DHA is Omega 3 fatty acid commonly found in fish, but can be derived from other sources.

I had received a sample of prenatal vitamins from my doctor this last visit, along with a prescription for the same pills. No doubt the doctor gets some sort of kick-back from the supplier if he prescribes them. It doesn't worry me to much because I know those vitamins are not the only good ones out there; so I can shop around if I want to.

Well, I popped one of those little pills out of its case and, before I could even get it in my mouth, the smell hit me. It was awful! It smelled like a fish that had been spoiling for days. I called my husband in to see if he would smell it. (I am not sure why we want other people to smell horrible odors but we all do it. Maybe it is so someone else understands just how bad it really is.)

We read the nutrition label together. Let me list the ingredients for you: sardines, anchovies, fish, and soybean oil. Yep, right there on the label ... anchovies. I almost lost my lunch just reading it. What genius came up with the idea to feed a pregnant woman fish oil? Is there anyone on earth more nauseated or prone to throw up than pregnant women? What about with more indigestion or aversion to specific foods? I can't think of any. Who would take one of those pills when they know they are going to be tasting fish every time they swallow for the rest of the day? That is to say they even get the pill down in the first place. I am guessing the person who came up with that brilliant idea has never been pregnant or, if they have, did not take the pills they invented.

That weekend I went to the store and purchased a brand of vitamins that had the same amount of DHA but contained no fish oil. They are made from sunflower oil and rosemary extract. They taste kind of like cherry Dr. Pepper. The people making these pills have it figured out.