The Posts with the Most: The 8 Best Postnatal Vitamins of 2022

What are postnatal vitamins and why are they important?

Postnatal vitamins are a type of multivitamin specifically designed to meet the needs of postpartum and/or breastfeeding peeps.

Like prenatal vitamins, which support your bod during pregnancy and make sure all your nutritional needs are covered (esp in a time of out-of-left-field food aversions), postnatal vitamins are there to support you *after* pregnancy — when your nutritional needs still aren’t quite back to “normal” as you recover from childbirth, produce breast milk, tackle sleep deprivation, and adjust to life with a very needy +1 (or +2 or +3 *gulp*).

Postnatal vs. prenatal vitamins

So, we’re gonna let you in on a little secret. Whatever prenatal vitamin you took during your pregnancy is probably gonna be a great choice for a postnatal, too.

In fact, specific postnatal formulas really aren’t a huge thing. That’s why you’ll see several prenatal vitamins on this list.

How to choose the best postnatal vitamin for you

We picked the brains of two perinatal dietitians — Eleana Kaidanian, RD, CDN, CPT-WFS, owner of Long Island Nutritionist, as well as Aubrey Phelps, MS, RDN, CLC, owner of Matrescence Nutrition — to distill the most important factors you should consider when shopping for a postnatal supp:

Price

Postnatals can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you’re comfortable with. No matter your budget, you’ll find an option that will provide what you need.

If you’re on a limited budget, Nature Made vitamins are OK — and in fact carry the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal, which is one of the most prestigious third-party vitamin standards.

On the other hand, more expensive vitamins are more likely to contain ingredient forms that are easier to absorb and higher in quality.

Form

Hate swallowing pills? Not a problem. You can get a postnatal in liquid, gummy, chewable, or powder form to make it a part of your daily routine that you don’t have to dread.

Purpose

If you have a specific concern related to your postpartum needs, you may be able to find a vitamin that can help address that issue specifically. For example, you may want to support a healthy breastmilk supply, help promote c-section recovery, shake the baby blues, or prevent postpartum hair loss.

Nutrients included

Here are the key nutrients that you should look for in a postpartum vitamin:

• Omega-3/DHA. Kaidanian says that many of her clients don’t get enough omega-3 fats in their diet, but that they’re essential for the baby’s proper brain and eye development. For this reason, it’s important to find a postnatal that includes DHA (especially if you don’t like fatty fish like salmon, which is one of the richest food sources of omega-3/DHA). One thing to note, though: often, omega-3 must be included separately — so you won’t find it in most prenatals unless they’re formulated as a liquid softgel.
• Choline. Kaidanian and Phelps agree that choline is a really important consideration — especially if you’re breastfeeding. “This nutrient is essential,” explains Kaidanian, “but the body cannot make it on its own. It must come from food or supplementation. And when mom’s milk is baby’s sole nutrition through exclusive breastfeeding, supplementation in the form of prenatal is a good backup plan.”
• Vitamin D. Phelps explains that “pregnancy demands higher vitamin D,” so a postnatal with vitamin D can help restore your vitamin D status and provide vitamin D to your baby if you’re nursing or pumping.
• B vitamins. According to Phelps, childbirth can deplete B vitamins. B vitamins also play a key role in transforming food into energy your body can actually use, and uhh… do we even need to say that you need as much energy as you can possibly get rn?
• Others. “Mom’s body has just been through one of the most stressful experiences a body can undergo,” Phelps says, adding, “Stress depletes magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, and selenium.” So these are other nutrients you may want to look for in your postnatal.