Shopping for prenatal vitamins is like shopping for anything these days — there are roughly one zillion choices out there. But unlike everyday, low-stakes buying decisions, like grande or venti, one pump or two, choosing a prenatal vitamin actually means something. Whether you’re trying to conceive, you’re pregnant, or you’re a brand new parent, there’s a lot of pressure to get it all right. Trust us when we say you’re doing great. And if you found us because you’re shopping for prenatal vitamins, we’re here to make one part of this whole pre-conception/pregnancy/postpartum journey a little easier. Here’s why Beli should be your first choice of prenatal vitamins.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Prenatal vitamins play a pivotal role at every stage, from preconception to postpartum.
- Beli prenatals for women tick all the boxes — the right vitamins and minerals in the right amounts in the right forms, with a minty anti-nausea blend that’s easy on the stomach.
- It’s important to know that prenatal vitamins aren’t regulated by the FDA, and many popular brands don’t meet current nutrient recommendations.
- It’s up to the consumer to screen for safety, quality, and specific vitamins and minerals in adequate quantities — unfair, but true.
- Do your homework to be sure a brand is worthy of your trust before buying and taking prenatal vitamins.
From start to finish, prenatal vitamins have a big job. Key vitamins and minerals have been linked to the very processes that drive conception in women and men, so a good prenatal can help reduce the chances of miscarriage, trigger ovulation, improve egg quality, and boost sperm quality — all reasons to start those prenatals early. Pro tip — this is particularly important if you’re recently coming off hormonal birth control.
During pregnancy and that mind-blowing postpartum stage, your growing baby and your changing body have very specific nutrient requirements. Almost always, what you’re getting from food alone isn’t going to cut it. The right prenatal vitamin will ensure you have a steady stream of bioavailable nutrients in adequate amounts. The hard part, of course, is finding the unicorn prenatal that does just that, along with a tummy-friendly formula, zero questionable ingredients, and with any luck, a serving size of no more than three vitamins.
Why Beli? This is Why.
We get it, because we’ve been there. When our founder, Joni Hanson Davis, was pregnant, she puzzled over the lack of innovation in the industry. Clearly, prenatal vitamins hadn’t kept pace with science, and she decided that something about the conception and pregnancy journey should be simple. So she considered all the things an amazing prenatal vitamin should be and do:
- Be based in the latest scientific research for fertility, prenatal and postnatal health (clearly)
- Meet current recommendations for key vitamins and minerals in appropriate quantities and in forms the body can actually use (obviously)
- Use the cleanest, highest quality, non-GMO ingredients, manufactured only in cGMP facilities (without a doubt)
- Fully support you and baby through all stages (duh)
Ideally, all of this would fit into non-horse sized pills that somehow taste pleasant and go easy on the stomach. It took a lot of work, but Joni managed to pull off a prenatal vitamin that is all of these things. She called it Beli for Women, and it’s a standout. Truly. Behold:
- The right vitamins and minerals in the right amounts. Beli for Women is one of very few prenatals on the market meeting current recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association for choline, folate, iodine, magnesium, and vitamin D.
- Enough choline? Check. It’s one of the only prenatal vitamins with 400mg of choline, a nutrient that rivals folate in terms of importance for your growing baby’s development. This is the stuff necessary for proper spinal cord and brain development. It also protects against neural tube defects.
- Enough Vitamin D? Check. Beli for Women is one of the only prenatal vitamins meeting the APA’s recommendation of 4,000 IU of vitamin D. According to the American Pregnancy Association, “It is unlikely your prenatal vitamin provides enough vitamin D. A recent study found women taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily had the greatest benefits in preventing preterm labor/births and infections.” Vitamin D deficiencies are associated with preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, postpartum depression, and a higher risk of miscarriage. Insufficient vitamin D for your growing baby will negatively affect healthy bone development and long-term health after delivery.
- A prenatal vitamin for the long haul. It’s formulated to do its job through all five stages of pregnancy, from preconception through all three trimesters and during the postnatal period.
- The best of the best. It uses the cleanest, most potent, and most absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals, like methylated folate and vitamin D3, so your body can actually use them properly.
- And it tastes good, too. It’s formulated with a delightful minty essence that’s particularly gentle on your stomach (because let’s be real — morning sickness should really be called all-day sickness).
- Realistic dosing. A serving size is a very doable three pills.
It all adds up to exactly what women need in a prenatal vitamin. And fertility specialists, fertility dietitians, and doctors agree:
Dr. Taylor Wallace, food scientist and choline expert: “It’s shocking that most prenatal formulas don’t contain choline, or have it in such low amounts, considering how critical it is for baby’s brain development. 92% of pregnant women don’t get the recommended amount of choline in their diets that helps build the baby's brain, protect placenta function, and support normal fetal neural pathway growth. Beli’s new modern prenatal is one of the first to include 400mg of a highly absorbable form of choline that gives women the nutrients they need to support a growing baby in pregnancy and post-pregnancy.”
Carly Hartwig, holistic reproductive health advocate and fertility awareness educator: “I’ll be recommending Beli to all of my holistic reproductive healthcare clients, as it’s easy on your gut and contains supportive amounts of essential nutrients like folate and zinc.”
Dr. Jonathan Bortz, vice president of nutrition science at Balchem Corporation: “Choline policy and science continue to advance and by including 400mg of choline in the new Beli for Women prenatal, Beli is providing nearly the full recommended daily intake of 450mg during pregnancy.”
Dr. Mark Surrey, board-certified reproductive and endoscopic surgeon and serves as clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: “I am a big believer in supplements and adding micronutrients to your diet, especially when prepping your body for a fertility journey. And while I don't think any prenatal multivitamins target all your individual needs, they are a good way to get you started. Beli prenatals are backed completely by science and research to meet recommended nutrients and i.e. include most ingredients that I normally recommend to my patients, like CoQ10, Vit D, Vit C, B6 and 12 and folate and easily digestible iron. Beli also has the recommended levels of choline to support baby's brain development which is hard to find in a quality prenatal supplement.”
Follow the Research
The prenatal vitamin industry has a real Wild West thing going on. The shelves, virtual and otherwise, are positively loaded with prenatal vitamins, and they’re all promising something. But if you pick a pretty box at random, you’re taking a bigger chance than you might think. In 2016, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics called out the the top 25 (i.e. most popular) prenatal vitamins because they didn’t meet vitamin and mineral recommendations. That’s alarming, to put it mildly. And it can also be downright unsafe. A 2010 review of over 200 prenatal brands found lead in the vitamins themselves — up to 15 times the recommended limit in apple juice.
The discrepancies tend to boil down to the fact that there is no absolute standard for either nutrients or quantities of those nutrients. Different authoritative bodies offer their own recommendations, and again, prenatal companies are deciding what matters all on their own. But let’s be clear — there’s a hierarchy when it comes to prenatal experts. And when we formulated Beli’s prenatals for women, we went straight to the authorities on the subject, referencing recommendations from organizations like ACOG and AMA to ensure we were delivering all the right nutrients in all the right amounts. It may not be the industry standard, but it absolutely should be.
The Beli Board
Overseeing our formulations is a board made up of individuals with specialized backgrounds. We have registered dietitians, obstetrician/gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, food scientists, a vitamin chemist and fertility and pregnancy nutritionists, all of whom offer their expertise and guidance. It’s a varied group with distinct yet overlapping perspectives that are entirely relevant to the field of fertility, preconception, conception, pregnancy, and the postpartum stage.
The Bottom Line
If you’re shopping for prenatal vitamins, Beli really should be first on your list. It’s simple, really. The things that matter to you — safety, purity, quality, and efficacy — matter to us. So look beyond the branding campaigns and packaging, and remember what really matters. When you’re shopping for prenatal vitamins, that’s the very best way to make your decision.
