Your nutrition after the birth of your child is just as important as when you were pregnant, particularly if you breastfeed. Your body will need nutrients, as it always has, but crash dieting and developing unhealthy eating habits after delivery can send your energy levels right into the ground. It’s important to get plenty of vitamins after childbirth to help your body repair and maintain itself; get your doctor's guidance, and never take supplements of any kind without her approval.
Types
Your doctor may have you continue taking your prenatal vitamins if you’re going to breastfeed. The American Pregnancy Association notes that physicians and lactation consultants typically recommend that nursing mothers continue with prenatal vitamins to help keep up their vitamin levels to meet the demands of their growing infant. If you’re not breastfeeding, your doctor may recommend a women’s multivitamin that’s formulated to meet your nutritional needs.
B Vitamins
B vitamins, particularly vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate, may be linked to depression, Mayo Clinic psychiatrisy Dr. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin warns. Though having a baby is typically a joyous experience, some women nevertheless experience postpartum depression. Low levels of certain vitamins — especially B vitamins — can affect chemicals are produced by your brain. Consuming a diet rich in B vitamins or taking a B vitamin supplement, with doctor's approval, can help decrease the risk of depression.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is necessary for strong bones and teeth and is also recommended after childbirth. Drugs.com explains that your caregiver may recommend a vitamin-D supplement to help increase your milk supply if you nurse your baby. Breast milk does contain some vitamin D; however, the level of vitamin D found in breast milk is usually not enough. If there’s not enough vitamin D in your breast milk, your baby may need to take vitamin D supplements. If your pediatrician concludes that your infant needs vitamin D supplements, you should begin administering them during the first two months of life and continue until his first birthday, when he can drink vitamin D-fortified milk. Babies who drink formula and do not consume breast milk typically do not need additional vitamin D since formula has all the vitamin D that infants need.
Other Nutrients
Your body also needs plenty of vitamin C and iron after you have your baby. Vitamin C helps repair tissues, skin, blood vessels and cartilage — very important after labor and delivery. Vitamin C helps heal wounds, such as an episiotomy or cesarean section, and it helps form scar tissue. Vitamin C also supports a healthy immune system. Iron, meanwhile, is essential after you have your baby because it helps produce red blood cells. You may lose quite a bit of blood during labor and delivery and during lochia — the medical term for the period of time women bleed after giving childbirth, which typically lasts four to six weeks, longer if you’ve had a C-section.
References
- American Pregnancy Association: What's in Breast Milk?
- Drugs.com: How to Increase Your Milk Supply
- MayoClinic.com: Vitamin B-12 and Depression: Are They Related?
- WomensHealth.gov: Depression During and After Pregnancy Fact Sheet
- KidsHealth: Feeding Your Newborn
- Drugs.com: Ferrous Sulfate During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin C
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