Every year, there are around 140 million births on the planet! If you’re currently pregnant, then you’re probably excited about your baby being one of the millions of bundles of joy to come into this world.
You’re currently taking your prenatal vitamins diligently, learning all about what each component does to help your baby develop. But once your infant makes their debut, do you need to take prenatals after birth? And if so, how long should you keep taking them?
Here’s what you should know about taking prenatal vitamins after birth.
Should You Take Prenatal Vitamins After Birth?
Before your baby arrived, you were taking prenatal vitamins to ensure your little one developed healthy and strong. But now that they’ve arrived (or are arriving soon), you might be wondering, “should I keep taking prenatal vitamins after birth?” Pre and natal mean “before birth” after all!
The truth is, you should keep taking these vitamins after your baby’s born, especially if you’re breastfeeding! Your body’s been through a lot to create a life, and you want to stay healthy so you can pass on those nutrients to your infant. Not to mention, you’ll also want to have enough energy to look after both yourself and your infant.
How Long to Take Prenatal Vitamins After Birth?
Now that you’ve learned that you should keep taking prenatal vitamins after birth, here’s the next question: how long should you do so?
There’s no single consensus from medical professionals. However, there’s still a general guideline for this.
You should at least take prenatal vitamins for 6 weeks postpartum. This will help you build back your strength, energy, and health, especially since carrying a little human and giving birth to it has taken quite a toll on your body.
And if you’re breastfeeding, you should keep taking prenatal vitamins for the entire duration. This will ensure that the vitamins you’re taking are passed onto your little one!
What Vitamins Should I Be Taking?
Good-quality products (such as Natafort prenatal vitamins) will be chockful of nutrients that’ll help both mom and baby. But not all prenatal vitamins are created equally!
Here are some vitamins you should definitely get in your diet.
Iron
Many women suffer from anemia right after giving birth, especially if they had significant blood loss. Without the right level of iron in your body, you can feel exhausted very easily. So make sure the prenatal vitamin you’re taking has iron in it.
If your anemia is quite serious, you’ll want to talk to your doctor about it. They might put you on a specific iron supplement to help you get back on your feet.
Omega DHA
This is one of the most important vitamins you can consume for your infant and yourself!
Omega DHA will help your little one develop their immune and nervous systems. It’s a huge neurological booster!
Not only that, but this vitamin will improve your mood. It might even help reduce the symptoms of postpartum depression, which can be tough.
Vitamin B
Do you always feel exhausted? Iron might help with the fatigue that comes with anemia, but often, it’s not enough.
Having vitamin B in your prenatal vitamins can really help with your energy levels. Plus, it can help your little one sleep!
Vitamin C
We’ve all grown up hearing that we need to drink plenty of orange juice since it has vitamin C in it. Well, as an adult, you should still get plenty of this vitamin!
For one, we don’t naturally produce vitamin C, which means we need to get it from an outside source. Otherwise, we’ll get scurvy, which is a vitamin C deficiency.
Also, this vitamin makes our immune system strong. It’s also involved in repairing damaged tissue and helping existing tissue grow.
Vitamin D
You’ll need to build back your body’s strength, and vitamin D is great for that. It’ll make your bones strong and healthy, as well as your baby’s!
Vitamin D is also great for boosting your immune system and reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.
Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet Too
In addition to taking your prenatal vitamins, you should also be eating a healthy, balanced diet.
We understand that the early days of motherhood can be tiring and hectic. So it might be tempting to order fast food and munch on candy and junk food to keep yourself sustained. However, that’s only detrimental in the long run.
If you have to order food, try to go for leafy greens and proteins. Otherwise, you can try and meal prep ahead of time (or have your partner do it!) so all you have to do is heat up your food. Some loved ones might be willing to do a food train as well, so don’t hesitate to take them up on their offer!
And as for snacks, go for something healthier, like granola bars or trail mixes. You’ll satisfy your cravings for sugar and fuel your body at the same time!
Keep Your Baby Healthy With the Right Vitamins
Taking prenatal vitamins after birth can be very beneficial to both you and your little one. So if you still have a bottle or two left, keep taking these nutrient-packed pills! And if you’re running out, consider getting a few more bottles to keep your little family healthy.
If/when you choose to stop taking prenatal vitamins, you’ll still have to keep up with proper nutrition. By eating the right things, you’ll help your baby develop and keep yourself from running on empty.
If you want to keep learning about how to keep your infant healthy, read our other blog articles now!