Arial

I have a friend who is pregnant with her first and her doctor told her to take Flintstone vitamins as a prenatal. I cannot believe this! Has anyone else ever heard of such a thing??

luvmykids

No, and if that's what her doctor is telling her she may need to find another. Flintstone vitamins do not have the folic acid that every pregnant woman needs to prevent birth defects.

mhsteele

I don't think Flintstones vitamins have nearly enough folic acid in them to support a pregnancy. Folic acid can help reduce your chance of birth defects and is not something that should be taken lightly. You can reduce your risk of having a baby born with a cleft palate, spina bifida or congenital heart disease.

Here are some resources that highlight problems that can occur without proper prenatal care.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002046/
http://spinabifidainfo.com
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/con...efects/DS01117

Georgiamom

That's terrible. She needs a new doctor ASAP if that's the best advice they have got. Mhsteele is right folic acid is terribly important during pregnancy.

CaliWifey

Okay ladies, you all are putting out false info! This is NOT uncommon. Doctors do prescribe Flintstones to women who can't keep prenatals down because they make some women very nauseous. Two Flintstones gummies DO contain the 400 mcg folic acid that is recommended for pregnancy.

candy

Flintstones are not pre-natel vitamins, maybe this doc is a dingbat. A friend of mine is taking candy coated PN's but she also has a serious gag issue, so for her its hellpful. I see no possible reason as to why a child's vitamin would be helpful though.

happygirl

With several brands of adult chewable or gummy-type vitamins on the market, I would think there is a better option out there than Flintstones. Of course, something is better than nothing.

Haleigh

I guess the question is how much mcg's of folic acid does a pregnant women need then? Maybe Flintstone vitamins are okay if they contain the proper amount. Actually, a good doctor should know this. A quick research should be able to confirm 400 mcg of folic acid is correct.

Carolyn

I don't know. I think I would feel a lot more comfortable going with a vitamin that is specially formulated for prenatal health. It is better to be safe than sorry with your baby.

candy

I honestly wonder how many other "doctors" are saying stuff like this, even more, how many people are believing them? Did the person just walk out of med school on a limb after cheating their way to get that degree.