This article about postnatal vitamins is not medical advice. Please consult your physician or midwife.
Best Postnatal Vitamins
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#1 Premama Wellness Postnatal Vitamin
Premama Wellness has an entire system of vitamins and supplements designed to support you through your entire journey of becoming a mother. They have blends specific to support your fertility as you try to conceive, an awesome prenatal for the duration of your pregnancy, and of course, this amazing postnatal.
I love the Premama postnatal vitamin because it covers all of the basic vitamins and minerals. You won’t have any major gaps to fill if you take this postnatal! I also love that they add their own proprietary blend with saffron extract, a mood booster, and PQQ, which will help your brain to power through the exhaustion of new mom life.
#2 NatureMade Postnatal Multi + DHA
NatureMade is a great no-frills choice for your postnatal vitamin. They have sufficient amounts of all of the basic vitamins and minerals without going overboard, but you won’t be paying extra for fancy proprietary blends.
#3 Actif Organic Postnatal Vitamin
If you’re looking for an organic postnatal vitamin, Actif might be the right choice for you. All of the ingredients are from organic and non-GMO sources!
It’s also one of the only prenatal or postnatal vitamins I found that contains choline, which is an important nutrient for nervous system functioning and cellular growth.
As a bonus, Actif will also give your milk supply a boost with a blend of herbs known to be great for milk production!
#4 Milkies Nursing Blend by Fairhaven
Milkies is actually endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association, and it is absolutely packed with huge amounts of vitamins and nutrients. You probably won’t have many deficiencies if you choose this as your postnatal.
Personally, I’m cautious about taking doses that are way above the recommended daily value for various vitamins and minerals. Most of the time it won’t hurt you, but there are some potential side effects for certain ingredients. So do your research!
Also note that while this vitamin has a lower price point than some of the other postnatals on this list, a serving is three capsules, not just one or two. So a bottle won’t last as long as you might think!
#5 New Chapter Perfect Postnatal
New Chapter is another great choice that provides a healthy amount of the most important vitamins and nutrients you’ll need postpartum.
The cool thing about this postnatal is that their fermentation process helps your body absorb the vitamins more efficiently. Your body won’t just let all of those fantastic nutrients in this vitamin run right through you!
What You Should Know About Postnatal Vitamins
What are postnatal vitamins good for?
Depending on the brand you choose, postnatal vitamins have many nutrients that both you and your baby need to stay healthy. If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, your milk is your baby’s only source of vitamins and nutrients. You want to make sure your milk is providing your baby with everything it needs!
If you don’t take in enough of certain vitamins and nutrients, your own body might get depleted of those nutrients. Your body priorities quality breastmilk. For example, if you don’t get enough calcium in your diet, your body will take it from your bones and put it in your breastmilk so that your baby has enough.
Some postpartum vitamins contain supplements that are thought to increase milk supply. Fenugreek and fennel are common ingredients to look for in the ingredients list if your supply needs a little extra help!
What vitamins should I take postpartum?
Prenatal and postnatal vitamins contain many of the same nutrients. So unless your doctor or midwife instructs you otherwise, there’s no huge need to switch from the prenatal vitamin you took throughout pregnancy!
If you decide that you’d really like to take a vitamin that’s formulated for postpartum and nursing women, the American Pregnancy Association recommends Milkies Nursing Blend Breastfeeding Supplement.
Milkies are absolutely packed with vitamins and minerals to keep you and your baby healthy! (Perhaps too much?) Just remember that a daily serving of Milkies is three tablets, not just one.
Do postnatal vitamins help milk supply?
Maybe! Some postnatal vitamins, like Milkies Nursing Blend, contain supplements like Fenugreek that are thought to increase milk production. You’ll definitely want to check the label and consider what supplements you’d like to have in your postnatal vitamin before you decide on a specific brand.
However, the main purpose of taking a postnatal vitamin is to make sure that your breastmilk contains all of the vitamins and minerals that you and your baby need. It’s more about improving quality, not quantity!
When should I stop taking postnatal vitamins?
It’s important to make sure that both you and your baby are getting all of the vitamins and nutrients that you need. Even if you eat a healthy diet, there could still be gaps that need to be filled in! So if you’re breastfeeding, you should continue to take a prenatal or postnatal vitamin until your baby is weaned.
If you’re using formula, you should keep taking your vitamin for at least a few weeks after you give birth. At your 6 week check up, your doctor may give you the green light to stop taking it unless you plan to get pregnant again soon (ha!).
Can you take prenatal vitamins postpartum?
Yes! I’ve never had a doctor or midwife recommend that I switch to a specific postnatal vitamin after having my babies. Prenatal and postnatal vitamins contain many of the same nutrients. So if you have a great prenatal that you like and your provider doesn’t instruct you to switch, there’s no huge need to search for the perfect postnatal.
What vitamins are absent in breastmilk?
Breastmilk is pretty amazing, but there are a couple of areas where it lacks:
- Vitamin D: Breastmilk is usually low in Vitamin D because mothers often don’t get enough Vitamin D either in diet or through sun exposure themselves. A prenatal or postnatal vitamin doesn’t necessarily solve the problem, either. In order to provide enough Vitamin D for your baby in breastmilk, you would have to take a higher dosage than what is currently recommended for adults. Because of this, your pediatrician will probably recommend that you supplement your breastfeeding baby’s diet with Vitamin D.
- Iron: Breastmilk is also low in iron. This isn’t usually a problem, though, because babies usually have enough iron in their bodies to last them the first six months of life. After that, they can start getting their iron from iron-rich foods.
Only you can decide what postnatal vitamin is best for you. Talk with your healthcare provider to figure out the best choice for your body!
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Melinda worked with children for years in a professional setting before becoming a full-time stay at home mom. She currently has three young children, and enjoys sharing tips and ideas about parenting and how to manage a home with excellence. She’s been featured on Heathline and Her View From Home.
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