Best Postnatal Vitamins for Breastfeeding – Guide for Moms

We share the same sentiment when it comes to the best postnatal vitamins for breastfeeding. It’s important to make sure you and your loved ones are getting the vitamins and nutrients you need throughout your life for a variety of reasons. Multivitamins are meant to help supplement your regular diet to make sure you get sufficient regular doses of important nutrients like Vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin D, and other common nutrients. Other supplements are geared toward more specific conditions like inflammation, anemia, and degenerative diseases.

It stands to reason, then, that there are very specific vitamins that women need when they’re trying to have a baby, while they’re pregnant, and after the baby is born. Pre- and postnatal vitamins are absolutely crucial for both mother and child, with both serving unique purposes both before and after childbirth.

Are Prenatal and Postnatal Vitamins the Same?

As you might guess by the names, prenatal and postnatal vitamins are two completely different sets of vitamins, and should be taken at different times during the process of planning for and giving birth to a baby. Some multivitamin formulas can be designed to support women during and after pregnancy. 

Prenatal Vitamins

Prenatal vitamins are meant to be taken before the baby is born to improve the fetus’s development and ensure that both mother and baby get all of the important nutrients they need. Your typical prenatal vitamin should have:

• Calcium
• Folic acid
• Iodine
• Iron
• Niacin
• Riboflavin
• Thiamine
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

Since the lion’s share of the mother’s nutrients are going to go toward feeding the developing child, the mother will need to make sure she’s supplementing her intake of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, it can be a lot easier for the mother to become susceptible to illness or other conditions as a result of malnutrition.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients an expectant mother should be getting in her prenatal vitamins. Pregnant women should be looking for prenatal supplements that have a minimum of 400mcg (micrograms = .001 milligrams), with many supplements ranging 800mcg of folic acid and higher. This nutrient is vital to healthy brain development, helping reduce the risk of numerous major brain defects and spinal deformities.

Vitamin B6

Similar to the above, B6 is extremely important to your baby’s brain development, along with the development of their nervous system. It also acts as a catalyst to help a growing fetus metabolize carbohydrates and proteins for nutrition. On top of the benefits to the baby, though, there are also studies that have shown it helps reduce nausea in women experiencing morning sickness.

Postnatal Vitamins

On the other hand, postnatal supplements are intended to assist nursing mothers produce more milk and give them more energy. After all, nothing is quite as draining (or rewarding) as caring for a newborn! Additionally, postnatal multivitamins may help improve a new mother’s mental wellness and emotional recovery on top of physical healing, helping reduce the risk and effects of postpartum depression. Below are some of the major players in postnatal vitamins for breastfeeding moms.

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What Kind of Vitamins Should I Take While Breastfeeding?

Just like folic acid is a crucial component of prenatal vitamins, there are several nutrients in postnatal vitamins that are specifically meant to help breastfeeding mothers.

Calcium

Calcium is necessary for both mother and child because of its impact on our bone health, but it plays a much deeper role for lactating women. Because a mother’s body is biologically engineered to take care of a newborn in every way it can, if a mother isn’t getting enough calcium in her diet or through supplements to provide it in her breast milk, her body will take it from her bones instead. This is a risk to both mother and baby: mother, because it can negatively impact her bone strength; and baby, because they may still not be getting enough calcium through breast milk.

Iron

Because breastfeeding women are at risk of using up their own body’s stores of vitamins while breastfeeding, they’re also at risk for conditions that result from vitamin deficiencies, including anemia. Iron is an important supplement because it will encourage the mother’s blood flow and production of red blood cells, which will in turn stimulate breast milk production. It’s important to note that increasing the mother’s intake of iron will not transfer those iron levels to the infant through breast milk. It will only improve the mother’s iron levels and ability to provide milk for her child.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is another nutrient that serves multiple purposes. Like iron, it helps the body replenish blood supply, specifically through red blood cell development. However, this is also a very helpful vitamin when it comes to giving our bodies an energy boost, which is something that benefits anyone, but especially the mother of a newborn child. Because of its role in energy production, red blood cell development, and even brain growth and development, you’ll want to be sure to look for postnatal vitamins with B12 in them.

Fish Oil

Whether you see it referred to as fish oil, DHA, or omega-3, this fatty acid nutrient is particularly beneficial to both mother and child. With its anti-inflammatory properties, this vitamin has been shown to minimize the symptoms of postpartum depression, improve mental focus and brain development, and improve eye health and development for both the postpartum mother and the growing infant.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 and/or Vitamin D is something that, quite frankly, very few of us get enough of in our daily lives. The vast majority of us likely need to be on some form of Vitamin D supplement, and that’s all the more true for breastfeeding mothers. The aptly named “Sunshine Vitamin” is known to support brain and nervous system development in infants and support the immune systems of both mom and baby.

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Can You Take Postnatal Vitamins If Not Breastfeeding?

As with any vitamin supplement, you should always discuss your options, circumstances, and needs with your doctor before adding any to your diet. At the very least, your primary care physician can test your current vitamin levels and determine which–if any–deficiencies need to be addressed, then give you an accurate idea of how much of a supplement you should be taking.

Postnatal vitamins can be beneficial to you even if you aren’t breastfeeding. Because of their help with postpartum depression, energy and mood in the mother, and the physical and emotional recovery needed after childbirth, postnatal supplements may still be appropriate. Again, it’s still best to just check with your doctor before starting any, as having too much of a vitamin can cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and headaches. These side effects may go away very quickly once the vitamin excess is removed, of course, but it’s highly recommended to check your levels before deciding what the best prenatal or best postnatal vitamin supplement is for you.

* 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.