Beyond the Bare Minimum: How I Chose My Prenatal
I’ve been meaning to talk to you all about what supplements I took during my last pregnancy, but time has really gotten away from me. I’m now 5 months postpartum, so it’s clearly time.
I did a lot of research and comparison of prenatals before I decided what to take during my pregnancy this past summer (at the age of 44!). It was really important to me that what I took covered not just the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of nutrients, but the OPTIMAL levels of those nutrients. The RDA value is so outdated (designed in 1941!), and only covers the level of a nutrient you need to avoid deficiency, not the amount you need to thrive.
Many prenatals also contain less than ideal forms of nutrients, which means you can’t even absorb most of what is listed on the label. And, to make matters even worse, the RDA doesn’t take into consideration the increased demand for most nutrients that happens during pregnancy, postpartum, and while breastfeeding - they were (shocker) based on research performed on men.
Needless to say, the RDA value was not something I was going to use as a guide when deciding which prenatal to take.
So I decided to compare a few popular prenatal brands - Needed (I focused on their Prenatal Multi Essentials, which is their easiest-to-take, simplest option), Ritual, Perelel, Nature Made, One A Day and Olly. And here’s what I found:
Needed provides 7x more nutrition than Ritual's prenatal.
Needed provides 6x more nutrition than Perelel’s prenatal.
Needed provides 6x more nutrition than Nature Made’s prenatal.
Needed provides 6x more nutrition than One A Day’s prenatal.
Needed provides 13x more nutrition than Olly’s prenatal gummy.
I was starting to see a pattern, so I kept digging.
Needed includes 12x more Choline than leading prenatals+.
Needed includes 2x more Vitamin A than leading prenatals+.
Needed includes 31x more Vitamin B12 than leading prenatals+.
Needed includes 4x more Vitamin D than leading prenatals+.
Needed includes 20x more Vitamin B6 than leading prenatals+.
Needed includes 3x more Zinc than leading prenatals+.
Other leading prenatals don’t contain any Selenium, while Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials provides 3x the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowance+.
Other leading prenatals don’t contain Chromium, while Needed provides 4x the outdated Recommended Dietary Allowance+.
So now that my search for the best prenatal had a clear front-runner, I wanted to learn more about the brand and what else made them different. What I discovered was that Needed really has gone above and beyond to ensure that their supplements are top notch. Not only do they contain key nutrients that others leave out (like Choline, Vitamin A, B12, Selenium and Vitamin D), they dose their nutrients to defeat nutritional depletion, not just ward off clinical deficiency. They’re backed by over 15,000 practitioners (which says a lot!), they’re Certified Pesticide-Free, and, what really won me over, they consider the WHOLE mother through the full continuum: preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.
And that settled it for me. I was going with Needed.
In addition to their Prenatal Multi Essentials, Needed also offers a regular Prenatal Multi, which is their most comprehensive prenatal. The Multi Essentials are a streamlined way to get the most bang for your buck with taking only 3 pills per day (I know some of you hate pills, or can’t swallow them when you’re pregnant and nauseous). I don’t mind taking pills, so I decided on their regular Prenatal Multi. You do have to take 8 pills per day (vs. the 3 in the Prenatal Multi Essentials), but it also comes in a powder that can be mixed into milk or a smoothie (and it’s delicious!). The regular Needed Prenatal Multi provides methylated folate (not folic acid), active nutrient forms for better absorption, and clinically studied dosages of vitamin D3, choline, and more nutrients that support neural tube development, maternal health, and fetal brain growth throughout pregnancy*.
The Multi Essentials cover all your essential nutrients during pregnancy, where the Prenatal Multi goes a bit more above and beyond to ensure the best possible nutrition during such a crucial time. Both are great choices - it just depends on your preference (8 pills vs. 3, or maybe the powder works better for you!).
I’ve continued to take my Needed Supplements postpartum, since it can be a time when women get really depleted, especially while breastfeeding (which I am basically constantly). If you’d like to give Needed Prenatal Multi Essentials a try, you can check them out HERE.
"This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to clients and use personally."
*"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
+Based on the total daily dosage of nutrients provided compared to leading prenatals as determined by IRI sales data as of December, 2025.