Should Women Continue to Take Prenatal After Give

Recovering from birth is serious business and can leave many new mothers depleted in vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. It's essential to take a prenatal vitamins in postpartum – and here's why.

Between blood loss, physical healing, the nutrients baby has taken from you over nine months, and the energy required for lactation (if you are nursing), your body needs some extra support and nourishment as you replenish your nutritional stores during postpartum.

Keep reading to learn more about taking vitamins after birth and discover our top pick for the best postpartum prenatal vitamins.

Psst! Save 20% on your first order with the exclusive Needed prenatal discount code found at the bottom of this post.

postpartum woman holding prenatal vitamins

How long should I take prenatal vitamins after birth?
I'm not breastfeeding. Do I still need a prenatal?
What should my prenatal contain for postpartum?
What other vitamins do I need after birth?
Best prenatal vitamin postpartum: Needed
Needed prenatal options
Our Needed picks for postpartum
Needed prenatal discount code

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How long should I take prenatal vitamins after giving birth?

There are varying beliefs from the WHO, AGOG, and other organizations on how long new mothers should take a prenatal vitamin during postpartum. Your doctor might even have a different opinion.

In general, it's agreed that new mothers should take a prenatal vitamin for at least six months postpartum. If you're nursing, pumping, or combo-feeding, continue to take your prenatal for as long as you're producing milk, but a minimum of six months.

I'm not breastfeeding. Do I still need a prenatal?

Yes! As briefly mentioned above, every postpartum person should take their prenatal for a minimum of six months after birth.

So, suppose you're not breastfeeding or producing milk for your baby. In that case, you should continue to take your prenatal vitamin to help replenish your nutrient and mineral stores that can become depleted from pregnancy, labor, and birth.

Of course, please consult your doctor or care provider before stopping or starting any new supplementation program.

What nutrients should my prenatal have for postpartum recovery?

According to Needed – a female-founded and owned company committed to upgrading your prenatal – here are the topmost essential nutrients your prenatal should have for both pregnancy and postpartum.

Vitamin A
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Choline
Vitamin D
Vitamin K12
Magnesium

Keep in mind; the above is not an extensive list of every nutrient you should take during postpartum – continue reading for more detailed information.

What other vitamins do you need postpartum?

In addition to the recommended list above, postpartum mothers are often deficient other key nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that can play a critical role in physical and mental recovery from birth.

Iron
DHA
Glycine
Vitamin E

You can read more about why these nutrients are important in postpartum, specifically Iron and DHA.

Read Next: The Top Nutrients Postpartum Women Need

Best prenatal vitamin postpartum: Needed

If you're ready to upgrade your prenatal vitamin to nourish your postpartum self better, it's time to meet Needed.

Needed believes that most women taking prenatal supplements – whether pregnant or postpartum – are not absorbing what they need, and thus, set out to design a better, more bioavailable prenatal.

Their prenatal is available in various forms – including powders and capsules – and Needed offers additional add-on supplements based on expecting and new mothers' most significant nutrient needs.

We love Needed because their prenatal supplements are naturally derived (no synthetic ingredients or fillers here!) and clinically tested to be as effective as they state they are. Read more about the Needed product standards.

Explore the Needed prenatal vitamin options

Not only do we love the quality of ingredients found in Needed's prenatal supplements (and beyond!), we especially like the different options for consumption.

If you head to the Needed website and navigate to the shop tab, you'll see three different prenatal options offered.

Prenatal Multi Powder
Prenatal Multi Capsules
Prenatal Multi Essentials

Let's take a closer look at the three prenatal options so you can better determine which fits your postpartum recovery needs.

	Multi Powder	Multi Capsules	Multi Essentials
# of Nutrients	24	24	23
Capsules/Day	1 scoop	8	3
Choline	550 mg	400 mg	150 mg
Magnesium	400 mg	200 mg	100 mg
Calcium	400 mg	200 mg	100 mg
Vitamin C	500 mg	300 mg	75 mg
Cost	$59.99	$49.99	$34.99

A side-by-side comparison of Needed's Prenatal options

1. Prenatal Multi Powder

Because you can easily add this to a nutrient-dense smoothie, the Prenatal Multi Powder option is excellent for those who need a little extra nourishment in their postpartum healing.

The powder is vanilla flavored, so you can also incorporate it into:

A latte
Oat bowl
Chia seed pudding
A smoothie

postpartum prenatal vitamins with water glass

We've found that Needed's prenatal is significantly more potent than other brands we've tried, so we suggest starting with a 1/4 scoop and working your way up to a full scoop over time.

Also, if you opt for the powdered form, make sure to eat it alongside a meal (like any other supplement) and not on its own in water or milk.

2. Prenatal Multi Capsules

One reviewer says, "This prenatal was exactly what I was looking for in terms of the % of the daily value for each nutrient. So much better than the generic prenatal."

The Prenatal Multi Capsules from Needed contain 24 vitamins, minerals, and botanicals that postpartum mothers need ensuring that they can better replenish their mineral stores after birth and during postpartum healing.

You won't find any of the below in their multi:

Unnecessary fillers
Poor nutrient forms like Folic Acid
Uunsustainably-sourced ingredients (like Vegan D3)
High heavy metal loads
Nutrients better taken separately (such as Omega-3 and Iron)

3. Prenatal Multi Essentials

The Prenatal Multi Essentials is the pared-down version of the capsules above.

Taken in just three capsules a day, this version of Needed's prenatal ensures that you receive the nutrients you need – no more, no less.

We think this would be a great option to take after the first six or so weeks of postpartum recovery once you've started to replenish your nutrient stores.

Still not sure what prenatal you need?
Take the Needed prenatal quiz now.

Our Needed prenatal vitamin picks for postpartum

If we were to craft a plan for the best prenatal vitamins in postpartum from Needed, here's what we'd suggest.

Prenatal Multi Powder
Pre + Probiotic
Vitamin D
Omega-3+
Iron (if your care provider has determined you need it)

Why these are these vitamins important for postpartum?

It's no secret that mothers go through an intense period of loss and recovery after giving birth. Often, she is not properly nourished back to her pre-pregnancy levels, and that can affect her mental and physical health, as well as her babies.

For more information on this, you can read a study on the impact of Vitamin D and DHA on a baby's brain development after birth.

Also, check out this study on iron depletion and its correlation with postpartum depression in new mothers.

Of course, every mother's needs are different depending on pregnancy, labor, birth, and whether or not she is breastfeeding. It's best to always talk to your doctor and request postpartum blood work to understand your status better.

Needed Prenatal discount codes and savings

Interested in trying out Needed for your postpartum recovery? Save some money by using our exclusive discount codes below.

HELLOPOSTPARTUM for 20% off your first order. Shop now.
HELLOPOSTPARTUM50 for $50 off your first month ofthe Complete Plan.
HELLOPOSTPARTUMSAMPLE to save $10 onsample packs.