When To Start Taking Postnatal Vitamins

Why Take Prenatal Vitamins

Consider prenatal vitamins as a safety net to your nutrition. We understand how stressful it could be once you find out you’re pregnant. It’s bound to be a mental, physical and emotional roller coaster. Daily routines will be disrupted, as well as timely healthy meals and sufficient sleep. These multivitamins come with a lot of benefits for you and your future little one.

Prenatal vitamins are packed with nutrients your body needs to grow a healthy baby with less risk of complications. They’re also crucial to support your healthy pregnancy.

Birth defects and complications are also possible. In addition to preventing neural tube defects, prenatal vitamins are found to fight iron and calcium deficiency, low birth weight, cleft lip and cleft palate, preterm delivery and preeclampsia: a pregnancy complication that affects blood pressure and organ function.

When you’re pregnant, your body functions differently hence, some it will need extra amounts of specific nutrients. It’s not only the baby you need to look out for but also yourself.

Postnatal Vitamins And Breastfeeding

Did you know that producing breast milk uses a lot of energy? In fact, lactation takes as much energy from the body as your entire pregnancy! Studies show that producing milk during breastfeeding consumes 25% of the bodys energy.

When you breastfeed, you are nutritionally supporting your new baby. To get the nutrients that both of you need, many experts believe that eating a healthy diet alone is not enough. According to the American Pregnancy Association, its often recommended to take a postnatal multivitamin for lactation support. Yes, postnatal vitamins for breastfeeding can be a big help!

Perfect Postnatal multivitamin is crafted specifically for postpartum care, helping to nourish your body after delivery and supporting your unique energy, lactation, and nutritional needs.* If you are breastfeeding, you can take Perfect Postnatal for lactation support, including critical nutrients for milk production and composition such as B Vitamins and Vitamin D3.* In addition, because Iodine needs for thyroid support increase during lactation, Perfect Postnatal is formulated with both fermented Iodine and organic, sustainably harvested Kelp that delivers natural Iodine from the sea.*

What Are The Best Prenatal Vitamins For Me

Finding a good quality prenatal vitamin can be confusing and may contain things that you just plain dont want to take in a vitaminfood dyes, hydrogenated fats, sugar, etc. Thats why I created Prenatal Plus, a complete formulation with active B vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Prenatal Plus supports your body while you try to become pregnant, during your entire pregnancy, and while you nurse.

This formulation was also designed to provide comprehensive thyroid support with an ideal balance of iodine and selenium. Insufficient thyroid hormone leads to an increased risk of infertility and miscarriage. And the answer is almost never to just take more iodine.

Prenatal Plus provides amazing support for nutrient depletions caused by hormonal birth control as well.

Finding the best prenatal can feel confusing. There is so much out there on the market that is not regulated, not quality, and isnt delivering the best nutrition. I sometimes also see well intentioned people telling women that they can take vitamins that contain harmful nutrients and herbs as if pregnancy isnt a consideration in supplement selection. A developing baby is susceptible to many things in your environment, so I would encourage you to use caution when selecting supplements.

Lets chat about what the best prenatal vitamins contain.

Don’t Miss: Is Vitamin C High In Potassium

What Are The Benefits Of Taking A Prenatal Vitamin Before Getting Pregnant

Your nutritional needs increase immediately after conception. So, it’s important to build up the nutrients in your body before pregnancy to make sure you’re getting the most out of all the great benefits associated with prenatals.*

As soon as that egg is fertilized, the embryo starts gobbling up nutrients needed for cell growth and division. Those teeny-tiny organs form in the first eight weeks of pregnancy, and the neural tube closes within the first 30 days of gestation all of this before many people even miss a period or realize theyre pregnant. This means that all of the necessary nutrients must be readily available the moment sperm meets egg.

According to ACOG, these are the most important nutrients your body needs before and during pregnancy :

If youre vegetarian or vegan, the list of nutrients to pay attention to grows longer. Vegetarians often aren’t getting enough iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, choline, and vitamin B12 from food alone and vegans are sometimes deficient in calcium as well. Looking for vegetarian or vegan food sources and prenatals that fill your nutritional gaps can help you get your levels where they need to be by pregnancy.

On top of 10 ACOG-recommended nutrients, the Prenatal Multi also has zinc and biotin. Zinc is essential for healthy fetal growth, and can be up to 50% deficient in vegetarians.* Biotin aids in converting food into energy, and a third of pregnant people are deficient.*

What Is A Prenatal Vitamin

A prenatal vitamin is a blend of supplemental vitamins and minerals crafted to meet the needs of women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Prenatal multivitamins can provide reliable nutrition in vital areassupporting babys healthy development as well as moms prenatal wellness. Prenatals provide peace of mind that your body is getting the right foundational support at such an important time.

Read Also: How Much Vitamin D Does A 13 Year Old Need

The Difference Between Prenatal And Postnatal Vitamins

Before you decide to stop taking any vitamins or switch to a different kind, it helps to first understand the goals of each multivitamin.

• Prenatal multivitamins: The word prenatal literally means before birth. So prenatal multivitamins are specifically designed to include just the right combination of essential nutrients to meet the increased nutritional demands of a pregnant woman and her developing baby in utero. For instance, prenatal multivitamins contain extra iron and folate
• Postnatal multivitamins: Also known as postpartum, the word postnatal literally means after birth. So postnatal multivitamins are specifically designed to support the nutritional needs of women who recently gave birth as well as women who are breastfeeding. For instance, because pregnant women need nearly double the iron, prenatal vitamins contain much more iron than needed for breastfeeding.1

The verdict: Since prenatal and postnatal vitamins are specifically designed to meet different nutritional requirements, its best to take prenatal vitamins while youre pregnant. Then, consider switching to postnatal vitamins after you give birth, whether youre nursing or not.

Learn More: When Should You Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins?

Should All Pregnant Women Take Prenatal Vitamins

Proper nutrition is important for your babys health, and your baby depends on you for all of his or her nutritional needs, which includes important vitamins, supplements, and minerals that are necessary for embryonic and fetal development. Ideally, if you eat a healthy diet it should provide all of your growing babys nutritional needs however, doctors recommend taking prenatal vitamins if you are planning to conceive or are already pregnant, for your babys health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends multivitamin supplements for pregnant women who do not consume an adequate diet. However, your doctor or midwife may still recommend taking them unless your doctor refers you to a nutritionist for a nutritional assessment.

Don’t Miss: How To Test For Vitamin D Deficiency At Home

Are Vitamins Hsa Eligible

HSA does not cover most vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal preparations because the FDA does not recognize them as medication but rather as food for daily nutrition needs. Therefore, the only way your vitamins would qualify as HSA expenses would be if your health care provider gave you a prescription for these vitamins to treat or prevent a specific health condition.

When To Start Taking Prenatal Multivitamins

Pregnancy can be hard to predict. Its impossible to know whether it will take a month or a year to get pregnantand, oftentimes, someone may not know they’re actually pregnant until a few weeks later.

Because so much of a babys development happens during the early weeks of pregnancy, its important to start taking prenatal multivitamins before trying to get pregnantthree months is a good rule of thumb.

Read Also: How Do We Get Vitamin D From The Sun

When To Stop Taking Postnatal Vitamins

Is there a right time to stop taking a postnatal vitamin and switch back to taking a regular multi? While there is no set answer to this question, consider your answers to some key questions. For example, are you still nursing? Do you feel like you are still in the recovery stage of your pregnancy journey? If so, you may want to keep taking your postnatal for now. Are you beyond the year and a half mark after giving birth? Are you planning to get pregnant again? If so, you may want to switch back to a prenatal. Always consult with your healthcare professional before beginning or changing vitamin regimens.

Ask Your Healthcare Provider

It is best to work directly with a qualified healthcare provider who knows your personal health history. That way they can recommend the prenatal vitamins that are best for your biochemistry and physiology.

There are endless options when it comes to choosing prenatal vitamins. Ask lots of questions. Do your research. Invest in a high-quality supplement that you can trust. Work with a healthcare provider who can offer you a personalized recommendation.

Read Also: When To Take Prenatal Vitamins

A Guide To Helpful Postnatal Vitamins

Why do you need postnatal vitamins? Well, when youre pregnant, your baby is your bodys priority. Youre channeling all of the good stuff into their growth and development.

And following birth , its not uncommon for your vitamin reserves to be a bit depleted.

Ultimately, you may need some extra TLC to help your body adjust to life as a mama which is why doctors recommend taking postnatal vitamins.

In this article:

• Are prenatal and postnatal vitamins the same?
• When should I start taking postnatal vitamins?
• What vitamins should I take postpartum?
• What vitamins should breastfeeding moms take?
• What about your milk supply?

Best Postpartum Vitamins After Giving Birth

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy and becoming a new mom! This new adventure during your postpartum period can be such a blur. Between feeding schedules, diaper changes, sleep depravation and doctors appointments, there isnt much me time. Sadly, you start to forget to take care of yourself.

With all that there is to do in a day, it is common for new moms to forget to eat. They often end up grabbing the first thing available that is quick and easy to eat, but are not nutritionally sufficient. You may wonder if its ok to take prenatal vitamins after giving birth. For most of us, taking a postpartum supplement becomes a must.

Also Check: How Much Vitamin C In Golden Kiwi

How Long Should You Take Postnatal Vitamins For

Another question that most new mothers have is how long to take postnatal vitamins for. The general advice is to take them from birth for around six months postpartum. This is a good period of time to ensure that they are allowed to do their work, but not so long that you might feel overwhelmed by it. Of course, if you want to continue taking the vitamins for longer, that is your right and its still going to have benefits. Its certainly not going to harm you!

If the people around you are telling you all different things, or other mothers that you know are making different decisions, just remember its your body and your baby, and the final decision is up to you, not anybody else. You might also want to keep the vitamins going for longer if you are breastfeeding, for instance.

As you can see, both prenatal and postnatal vitamins are hugely important for both you and your baby. It is vital that you are doing all you can to keep your health in check, so you can have better well being for yourself, and also for the sake of your new arrival. These vitamins are a very simple and highly effective way to make sure that you are doing that, so they are definitely worth strongly considering for anyone who is pregnant, thinking to conceive, or who has just given birth.

What Are The Key Nutrients Postpartum Moms Need

Women should take a good postnatal multivitamin, like Ritual postnatal multivitamins, during their postpartum period. Some of the key nutrients for postpartum moms are:

Iron & Folate

Folate and Iron help promote red blood cell formation.* Ritual uses a chelated form of Iron thats backed by years of human studiesplus, its shown to be gentle on the stomach, unlike other forms.* They also chose to use methylated Folate because it bypasses common gene variations .*

Vitamin D

This vitamin helps support normal immune function. It is also a calcium-helper along with Magnesium, and Zinc, which helps maintain bone health.* Ritual uses a vegan-friendly form from sustainably-harvested lichen, as opposed to non-animal-friendly sources like sheeps wool or fish liver.

Vitamin B12

B12 is an important nutrient that helps with red blood cell development and energy production.* Ritual uses a biologically-active form .

DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid

DHA has been shown to support brain and vision health.* Rather than using Fish Oil as you will commonly see, Ritual uses a vegan-friendly form made from microalgae.

Choline

Choline is a nutrient similar to folate that is crucial for supporting brain development.* It turns out that over 90% of pregnant women are not getting enough choline from their diet.* Ritual uses clinical studied Choline, sourced from nature-identical tartrate.

Iodine

You May Like: Does Vitamin D Help Breast Growth

What Vitamins Should I Take Postpartum

Key vitamins like folate, calcium, and vitamin B6 are vital because they help promote a healthy body. And, if youre breastfeeding, your doctor may recommend taking even higher levels of these vitamins to support your babys continued growth and development.

So, what do you need to look out for with postnatal vitamins? Ideally, youll see a long list of health-boosting vitamins and minerals on the packaging, but these are the main ones you need to know:

• **Iron: Some mamas can be iron-deficient or even anemic immediately after having their baby. Your OB should check your levels and advise if you need to up your iron intake.

• Vitamin C: After giving birth, your body needs to do some serious healing. Vitamin C can help support this, no matter if baby arrived vaginally or via c-section.

• Vitamin D: Your skin naturally produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. But babies, with their delicate skin, arent ready for sunbathing just yet. So, if youre breastfeeding, you must get enough vitamin D for both of you.

• Calcium: This vitamin helps strengthen teeth and bones. And its needed for the heart, muscles, and nerves to function properly and for blood to clot, too.

• DHA omega-3 fatty acids: This helps boost your babys brain development.

• Choline: Doctors believe this essential nutrient is important for the nervous system.

• B vitamins : These vitamins help create a stronger immune system and better circulation.

Trending

How Do Prenatal Vitamins Differ From Regular Vitamins

Since prenatal vitamins contain such various vitamins and minerals, you may assume that they are no different from your average multivitamin, but this is not the case. Prenatal vitamins are made specifically for pregnant women and contain the specific, recommended levels of each vitamin to support you and your baby.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, the needs of a pregnant woman differ from the needs of a non-pregnant woman, and choosing a prenatal vitamin as opposed to an average multivitamin ensures that you are getting the right amounts of the vitamins you need.

Similarly, postnatal vitamins should be taken instead of regular multivitamins after your baby is born. This is because postnatal vitamins are also made specifically for pregnant women and contain the recommended amounts of certain nutrients for this situation. Like the GoBiotix Postnatal Vitamin, some postnatal vitamins also work to promote lactation, which can be helpful if you plan to breastfeed your baby.

That said, when it comes to what time of day you should be taking your prenatal vitamins, you should start by reading the label on your vitamin to check if any information regarding this is offered. If there is a recommended time of day to take the vitamin, follow these guidelines.

All of this being said, it is best to start taking your prenatal vitamins when you are conceiving before you know if you are pregnant, but you can also start taking them immediately when you find out.

Read Also: How Much Vitamin C Should I Take To Lighten Skin

What Is In A Prenatal Vitamin

Goodness for mom and baby! New Chapters Perfect Prenatal supplement contains Folate , Iron, Iodine, Calcium, and other important vitamins and minerals. These help nurture your body while providing a healthy environment for your baby to grow and develop. For example, Calcium is helpful for both mom and baby to support bone growth. Iron also supports both mom and baby by helping carry oxygen through the blood.

How Do I Find The Right Prenatal Vitamin Supplement

You get what you pay for. Consider the last time you made a big purchase. You probably took some time to research that car, house, or a new phone. Do the same with your prenatal vitamin supplement. Youll want to ensure that it is high quality, provides the right amount of balanced nutrients, and will be safe for both you and your baby.

Also, consider where you buy your prenatal vitamins. When buying from big online companies you, unfortunately, cant be sure you are getting what you order nor that it was stored in the proper setting to ensure efficacy.

Don’t Miss: What Can I Get Vitamin C From