Ritual was born when our founder, Kat, was pregnant with her first child and realized she had no idea what was inside her prenatal vitamin. So, you could say that prenatal vitamins are in our brand DNA. But Essential for Women (EFW) is not a prenatal vitamin. It’s a daily vitamin for women ages 18-50. Essential for Women was our first product launch because we thought it was important to create a transparent vitamin that would help the most women possible. But we’ve never forgotten our prenatal roots.

We’ve been working on a prenatal formula (and many others) since day one. But like all good things, research takes time. Our product development process begins with obsessive amounts of research and a lot of time spent searching for the best scientifically proven ingredients from around the globe. This is especially true of our prenatal product development because mom and baby require more nutrients. More nutrients = more research. We’re taking our time to get it right, but we hope to have an update on our prenatal formula soon.

In the meantime, a lot of customers have been asking us if they can continue taking Essential for Women when they become pregnant. It’s important to note that Essential for Women is not a prenatal vitamin and that you should always talk to your doctor before you decide to take something new when you’re pregnant. That said, here’s everything you need to know about Essential for Women if you’re pregnant.

The Type of Folate You Need Doesn't Change

The type of folate is especially important for pregnant women to pay attention to. It’s essential for fetal development and plays a key role in preventing certain birth defects. Methylated folate is better than the other common form, folic acid, because all women can utilize folate. About one third of women have a genetic mutation that makes it really hard for them to properly utilize folic acid. Unless you’ve had a genetic test, it’s impossible to know if you’re one of the 33% who can’t utilize folic acid, so it’s better to supplement with folate when you’re pregnant to make sure that baby is getting what it needs for healthy development.

600 mcg of folate, which is perfect for women who aren’t pregnant, is a little too low for women who are. When you become pregnant, your Daily Value increases to 800 mcg.

You Need More Nutrients When Pregnant

When you become pregnant, a lot of your Daily Values increase because your body is busy making a human and needs extra nutrient power to get the job done. Many of these increased nutrient needs are satisfied by your diet because you naturally eat more when you’re pregnant. Iron is a good example: Although your Daily Value for iron increases slightly when you become pregnant, we don’t recommend supplementing beyond 8 mg. That’s because getting too much iron can actually be problematic for your body, and iron is so abundant in foods that you’re probably already making up for the difference through food when you’re pregnant. In addition to not having to change your iron intake, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids supplementation doesn't need to change for pregnant moms. While your current vitamin routine might have most of the stuff you need, it doesn’t have everything necessary for a healthy pregnancy. This includes choline, iodine & biotin which your body needs more of when you’re pregnant.

After You Have Baby, Your Nutritional Needs Shift Again

When you’re nursing, your nutrient needs shift once again. You may need a little bit more calcium while you’re nursing than you did while you were pregnant. Same goes for zinc—it helps your baby grow and develop healthily.