Prenatal vitamins? You knew to take those. But, postnatal vitamins? Many women don’t think to change to them or discontinue use of prenatal vitamins at this important time. Now that your baby is born, your body is in need of some different nutrients. These provide benefits like post-pregnancy support, immune health support, and lactation support for you and your baby.

When starting your postnatal journey, look for supplements that include these ingredients. 

Folate

Since mothers are no longer supporting the baby in the womb, their bodies no longer need the higher amounts of methylfolate needed for their baby's neurodevelopment that their prenatal should have provided. Look for a postnatal that provides 100% of the daily value for women. Folate, unlike folic acid, can be used by the body immediately. It not only supports your body’s energy production (1, 2), brain’s processing speed (3), and memory (4),  it is needed for synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (5), which affect sleep (6), cognitive function (7), and mood (8). 

Vitamin B12

Methylcobalamin, also known as vitamin B12, helps iron work better in the body. If you are vegan or vegetarian during this lifestage, it’s important to supplement your B12, as your body doesn’t make it and it’s exclusively found in animal products. 

Organic wellness blend

A wellness blend that provides vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients to help support the demands of being a new mother is important at this lifestage. And, since nausea and a slower digestive system are no longer an issue, this wellness blend can help replace the herbal digestive blend you may have been taking.  

Probiotics

By adding probiotics to the above essentials, you can support a healthy gut-brain connection. Your gut, through its gut microbe system, influences your brain's function (9, 10). Plus, with probiotics, you’ll get the added benefits of supporting digestion, healthy regularity, lactation, and immunity for you and baby. 

Vitamin D

It’s possible for you to get vitamin D without worrying about sun damage. Proper vitamin D levels may support mood, immunity, and build healthy bones—all so important at this lifestage (13). Most people are deficient in vitamin D, so it’s important to add this supplement to your daily routine.  

Looking for supplements with the above ingredients to help you start your journey? We’ve got you covered.

Mama Bird Postnatal Multi+ was designed to nourish you during your postnatal time. Our premium neurologist mom-created vegan multivitamin has been formulated with an organic vegetable blend, probiotics, a digestive enzyme blend, and vitamins and minerals to help you feel your best from the inside out. 

Mama Bird Probiotics were designed to beautifully nourish you and your baby for vibrant health. With our vegan-friendly formula, our once-daily probiotics provide lactation, pregnancy, and immune support for you and your baby. We hope you’ll feel your best from the inside out.

Vitamin D Drops are made from fractionated coconut oil (MCT oil) and vitamin D3. This supplement helps restore and maintain vitamin D levels. Proper vitamin D levels may support mood, immunity, and help build healthy bones.

 

 

Madhavi Gupta, MD

Madhavi Gupta, MD

Madhavi Gupta, MD is the founder and CEO of Best Nest Wellness. Dr. Gupta is a board-certified neurologist and has won The People’s Choice Award as a favorite doctor three years in a row. She holds a degree in biochemistry and humanities from MIT, completed her neurology residency in New York City, and completed her fellowship in headache medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

References

(1) Mitochondrial function and toxicity: Role of the B vitamin family on mitochondrial energy metabolism, Elsevier, Chemico-Biological Interactions, Volume 163, Issues 1-2, 27 October 2006, Pages 94-112.

(2) Vitamin B Supplementation: What's the Right Choice for Your Patients? J Psychosoc Nurse Ment Health Serv, 2017 Jul 1;55(7):7-11, doi: 10.3928/02793695-20170619-02.

(3) Effect of 3-year folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in older adults in the FACIT trial: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, Volume 369, Issue 9557, 20–26 January 2007, Pages 208-216.

(4) Short-Term Folate, Vitamin B-12 or Vitamin B-6 Supplementation Slightly Affects Memory Performance But Not Mood in Women of Various Ages,  Janet Bryan, Eva Calvaresi, Donna Hughes, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 132, Issue 6, June 2002, Pages 1345–1356.

(5) The Methylation, Neurotransmitter, and Antioxidant Connections Between Folate and Depression,  Alternative Medicine Review. Sep2008, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p216-226. 11p.

(6) Serotonin control of sleep-wake behavior, Sleep Medicine Reviews, Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2011, Pages 269-281.

(7) Serotonin and human cognitive performance, Curr Pharm Des, 2006;12(20):2473-86. doi: 10.2174/138161206777698909.

(8) Serotonin in Mood and Emotion, Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience, Volume 21, 2010, Pages 367-378.

(9) The effects of probiotics on depressive symptoms in humans: a systematic review, Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2017; 16: 14. Published online 2017 Feb 20.

(10) Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria–Gut–Brain Signals, Trends Neurosci. 2016 Nov; 39(11): 763–781.

(11) Vitamin D and Depression: Where is all the Sunshine?  Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2010 Jun; 31(6): 385–393.

(12) Vitamin D and the Immune System, J Investig Med. 2011 August ; 59(6): 881–886.

(13)  Vitamin D and Bone, Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2012 June ; 10(2): 151–159.