This post is sponsored by Ritual, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
"Whether you’re trying to conceive, newly pregnant, or considering making a switch from your current prenatal, I can confidently say we all ultimately want the same thing: A prenatal multivitamin that gives you and your growing babe all the key nutrients and doesn’t make you want to gag the moment you open the bottle. Now, if you’re new to the prenatal game, then you’d think this wouldn’t be such a tall order for supplement brands to fulfill. But as a two-time former pregnant person who knows a great deal of other pregnant people, that has not been the case for most of us.
I was extremely ill during both of my pregnancies, well past the first trimester (my overachieving children decided to take my nausea all the way to week 28, in fact). Taking a prenatal gave me anxiety sweats because I already felt terrible 24/7. Add on a supplement that is widely known for causing an upset stomach? Yeah, I straight-up dreaded the prospect, and the prenatal I used during my first pregnancy lived up to all my worst nightmares. After enduring nine months of that misery, I decided I simply could not live that way again with my second. In a totally desperate search, I tried five different prenatals before finally finding the light at the end of my queasy tunnel: Ritual Prenatal Multi.
Ritual checked my no-nausea box and about three other boxes on top of that. After taking their prenatal through my entire second pregnancy, Ritual is the only prenatal I recommend to all my pregnant and TTC friends with all my heart and soul—here’s why:
The scent is so smooth and pleasant that it helped curb my morning sickness
So how is it that out of all the brands I tried, Ritual’s Essential Prenatal Multi was the only one to not make me want to immediately vomit? Well, upon further research, the answer’s actually very simple. Ritual was founded by a mom who wanted better for moms. Because she was determined to create a prenatal different from the rest, Ritual’s team of prenatal nutrition experts designed Essential Prenatal with morning sickness in mind.
Essential Prenatal bottles include a citrus-essenced tab that literally smells like a basket of lemons. They offer a mint-essenced version for those who prefer it, but I loved the fresh, citrus smell immediately. Pregnancy aversions are no joke, and certain smells can easily trigger nausea. But Essential Prenatal’s fresh scent completely eliminated the gagging reaction I was used to with my previous prenatal vitamins. Each capsule is smooth, small, and easy to swallow—a non-negotiable quality for all my supplements.
Most prenatals require that you take them on a full stomach, which isn’t always feasible when you’re already struggling to keep food down. However, Ritual capsules feature a delayed-release design to help make it gentle on an empty stomach, so I didn’t feel any queasiness after taking my daily dose. This was such a huge deal to me after my intense reactions to every other vitamin. Although my hunt for a no-nausea prenatal is what brought me to Ritual, it’s not the only thing I rave about to my expecting mamas.
It’s formulated with key nutrients to support both mom and baby*
Due to their commitment to give other moms ingredients they can trust, Ritual is formulated by experts in pregnancy nutrition. Because shouldn’t a pregnancy multivitamin be created by pregnancy experts? Exactly. Essential Prenatal has 12 key nutrients, including Methylated Folate and nature-identical Choline to support baby’s neural tube development, Omega-3 DHA for brain and early vision development support from mom to baby, and Vitamin D to support fetal bone health. Another great feature of Ritual’s delayed-release capsules is that they are designed to dissolve later in the small intestine, which is the optimal location for nutrient absorption.*
In their prenatal research, Ritual discovered that over 95 percent of women aren’t getting enough Choline from diet alone so they developed Natal Choline to take with Essential Prenatal. But why is Choline so important to take while pregnant? Well, in a clinical study, supplementation of 550 milligrams of Choline in addition to dietary intake during pregnancy was shown to help improve information processing speed in infancy and support sustained attention in early childhood. In simple terms, Natal Choline helps provide brain support from mom to baby.* Paired with their high-quality prenatal multi, this dynamic duo can help moms reach an intake of 930 milligrams of Choline Chloride daily (an unlikely feat from diet alone). Plus, Natal Choline bottles have the same citrus-essenced tab as the prenatal multi, so you get the key nutrients in a more enjoyable experience.
Ritual
Bundle Ritual’s Essential Prenatal with Natal Choline to help provide your baby with brain-building nutrients.
Get 20% off your first order at Ritual.com!
Their ingredients are traceable for a mom’s peace of mind
Naturally, Ritual didn’t stop at creating one-of-a-kind formulas with high-quality ingredients. They ensure that all of their active and other ingredients are Made Traceable®. Each of their products has a certificate of traceability that provides a transparency most brands don’t offer. Ritual shares where they source their ingredients and showcases their supplier names so we can see firsthand who their high-quality partners are.
They also publicly share the key tests their supplements undergo, certifications, and even packaging materials. Their products are rigorously tested by a third party for allergens, microbes, and heavy metals, so the mama bear in you can rest assured your LO is only getting the good stuff. Essential Prenatal multivitamin is not only Clean Label Project Certified but also earned the Purity Award, which is only awarded to products in the top 33 percent of testing. Ritual goes above and beyond for moms in every way; their certifications help prove that.
It’s delivered to my doorstep for extra convenience
Ritual’s subscription option was key for me. I had mom brain to the max while I was pregnant with my second—growing a human while working full-time and taking care of a preschooler will do that to you. If I were left to my own devices and had to remember picking up a monthly bottle of prenatals, I knew I’d space it. Their auto-delivery service ensured I got my vitamins right on time every month. They notified me a few days before they charged me and shipped my next bottle so I could rush or delay the order online whenever needed. I always felt taken care of by Ritual’s easy-to-use service, so it’s no surprise why I want all my dearest moms-to-be to feel the exact same way.
Ritual
Bundle Ritual’s Essential Prenatal with Natal Choline to help provide your baby with brain-building nutrients.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Megan Kemp, Sr. Sales Manager of Brand Partnerships
Megan is the mom to her spunky 5-year-old son and cute-as-a-button 7-month-old daughter. She handles her busy days with grace and relishes family time spent under the sun gardening, playing sports, or boating at the lake.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steph Alleva Cornell, Branded Content Editor
Since becoming a young mama in 2020, Steph has found joy in creating beautiful yet relatable content surrounding the raw realities of motherhood. She believes showcasing both the wonders and struggles of being a parent helps other mothers understand that they are not alone in their journey.
*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 a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study on 63 women, and men ages 26 to 64 years old.
This post is sponsored by Ritual, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.