The twelve weeks after giving birth - also known as the fourth trimester - can be both a joyous and overwhelming time, full of emotional and physical change as you adjust to life as a parent and baby learns to live outside the womb.
Research by the UK Health Security Agency reveals that during this period, almost 68 per cent of new mothers look to start breastfeeding, with almost half continuing beyond the six to eight weeks mark, so the role of balanced nutrition is critical.
How can breastfeeding mums benefit from a supplement?
“Being a new mum can be tiring,” says Boots’ Nutritionist, Vicky Pennington. “While you’re busy looking after the baby, it is important to keep looking after yourself too. A healthy diet is a great way to support breastfeeding and you and your baby’s nutritional needs, but it can be challenging to eat well all of the time”.
A daily breastfeeding multivitamin can provide nutritional support for those less-than-perfect days. Except for vitamin D, most vitamins, minerals and omega-3s should come from eating a healthy, balanced diet. But if you are struggling to get the right foods, a supplement is a great way to help source optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals when food can be a challenge for new mothers who may struggle with time or have specific dietary requirements.”
What’s the best way to choose a supplement for the breastfeeding months?
Producing breast milk consumes up to 25 per cent of your body's energy, while in comparison, the brain uses only 20 per cent. Breastfeeding alone also requires around 500 extra calories daily. So a carefully and expertly balanced supplement is ideal for supporting the health and nutrition of breastfeeding mothers as well as the development of their babies.
“When choosing a multivitamin, always check the label to ensure it is tailored for new mums, particularly if you're breastfeeding and if you’re not sure, ask a healthcare professional for advice,” recommends Pennington. “It’s particularly important to get enough vitamin D while you are breastfeeding. As a minimum, consider taking 10mcg daily during the autumn and winter months [when there is less sunshine to stimulate the body’s own natural production of it]. You should check that your breastfeeding supplement provides this amount and ideally continue taking it straight after your pregnancy supplement.”
What are the key nutrients that will support breastfeeding?
Pennington advises looking for these beneficial nutrients in your diet or via supplements when needed:
- Calcium is important for bones and teeth.
- Vitamin D helps maintain bones, muscles and teeth, plus supports the immune system.
- Omega-3s are crucial for growth and development in babies and support maternal health.
- Iron contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Iodine is essential for thyroid function and is known for its role in baby development.
- Choline is present in breast milk and is important for brain and spinal cord development as well as supporting a mother’s nervous and immune systems.
Read on for our pick of the best supplements to help support new mothers and babies during the breastfeeding months.
Zita West Revital Essence, Postnatal & Breastfeeding Supplement
Gluten and dairy-free as well as vegan, post-natal recovery and wellbeing are the focus for these supplements from leading pregnancy and fertility expert Zita West, helping to take some of the nutritional pressure from new mums who are also beginning to breastfeed. During this period the body has undergone the physical demands of childbirth and may need extra support for wound healing after a C-section or perineal tearing. You may also need help strengthening skin, hair and nails if they are depleted and to help fight fatigue and tiredness due to the extra energy required for breastfeeding. Enter: Revital Essence.
The supplement contains the optimum nutrients; vitamin K, which aids with blood clotting and supports bone health, plus vitamin C to encourage collagen production, skin health and healing. Zinc also helps with wounds as well as plays a key part in the immune system, while iron and vitamin B12 balance energy levels and choline nurtures brain function - essential as you adopt the role of motherhood. Easy to take, the two daily capsules can be swallowed with a cold drink and either separately during the day or together.
Buy now £32.95, Zita West
Ross Barr Pregnancy & Postpartum Formula
This formula will helpfully take you right through from the start of pregnancy to breastfeeding without the need for switching supplements along the journey. Two capsules per day will provide key nutrients and are suitable for vegetarians. As the ingredients are derived from plant sources, these supplements are packed with what are known as food state nutrients, meaning that the body recognises them and digests them as though they are food.
The capsules contain a well-thought-through blend of fifteen vitamins, ten minerals, crucial antioxidants, plus the most beneficial amino acids and bioflavonoids, supporting all of mother and baby’s needs. These include vitamin E to strengthen mum’s response to infection while breastfeeding and zinc to help bolster the immune system of both mother and baby. Meanwhile, B6 assists in producing energy and converting iron into haemoglobin, reducing fatigue – both are a boost for tired new mothers.
Buy now £33.00, Victoria Health
Boots Breastfeeding Essential Vitamins + Omega 3
Specifically created to support mothers during the postnatal period when they begin breastfeeding, this daily duo contains a month’s supply of omega-3 capsules plus vitamin and mineral tablets. Taken together, these nutritional essentials will help to support the health of new mums as well as aid in the production and supply of breast milk for baby.
The omega 3 capsule is formulated with 300mg of DHA - a specific type of omega commonly found in oily fish - to provide ample the amount needed for beneficially aiding brain and eye development in babies, while the postnatal tablet is packed with a combination of B vitamins to help depleted mums maintain their energy levels while combating tiredness and zinc to encourage healthy hair and skin. Importantly, vitamin D which is crucial for healthy bones and advised as a supplement during breastfeeding in particular, is added at the Department of Health’s recommended daily dose.
Buy now £15.00, Boots
Together Health Pregnancy Wholefood Multivitamin
Although it’s labelled for pregnancy, this supplement contains the same crucial nutrients needed for new mums during breastfeeding, so you’ll handily only need to buy one during your complete conception, pregnancy and post-natal journey. Formulated using ingredients from whole foods, so vegan as well as gentle on the stomach, all of the vitamins and minerals provided are needed to support a healthy mum. And because a baby's diet consists primarily of mother's milk - the primary source of most of these nutrients - she needs good levels of all of these in her diet.
Key to these are iodine for brain development plus calcium for strong teeth and bones, as well as zinc to help support the immune system and healthy cell growth. Vitamins are plentiful too, with C added for collagen production and an extra kick to the immune system, D for bone health, B12 for nerve function and A to aid vision development.
Buy now £15.99, Amazon
Vitabiotics Pregnacare Breast-feeding
Formulated to be taken for six to nine months after baby is born and while breastfeeding, this pairing of two tablets plus one capsule per day can be taken easily with water or a cold drink, rather than waiting for a mealtime break in your routine. With nutrients carefully selected to best bolster your diet when needed to replace those that can be depleted during this demanding time, this expert formula is a balanced blend of essential vitamins, minerals and DHA, a beneficial type of omega.
Supporting important aspects of the health, well-being and vitality of new mothers, the tablet supplement utilises the recommended daily amount of vitamin D, iron that contributes to normal energy release, as well as vitamin K and magnesium, all helping to contribute to the maintenance of normal bones. Brain and eye development for the feeding baby, meanwhile, is aided via 300mg of DHA in each omega 3 capsule.
Buy now £15.95, Vitabiotics
Wild Nutrition Food-Grown Breastfeeding Support
A blend of carefully chosen vitamins, minerals, herb and plant extracts grown in a paste made from whole foods to ensure they are as nutritious as possible and recognised by the digestive system as if they were a fruit or vegetable. Together, they provide support to breastfeeding mothers in their supply and quality of breast milk.
Suggested to be taken from the time you give birth, the formula helps reinforce the immune and nervous systems, reduces tiredness and fatigue, encourages healthy bones, nails and teeth and ensures ample iron levels. Alongside nutrients including calcium, selenium and zinc, added stinging nettle and fenugreek extracts have been used in traditional medicine for centuries to help with natural milk production. The carotenoid lutein, which is found in breastmilk and aids with a baby’s brain and eye development, is supplied via the three capsules per day.
Buy now £33.50, Wild Nutrition
Novomins Calcium & Vitamin D Gummies
If you feel your daily diet only needs to be boosted by a couple of the most important nutrients, these soft, peachy-flavoured chews provide those that the NHS says play a critical part in supporting the health and development of both mother and baby during the fourth trimester and beyond. Encouraging the development of strong bones and teeth requires calcium. But as mums may use calcium from their own bones to feed the baby during breastfeeding, a rich supply is essential to help prevent any loss in bone density and in the longer term, osteoporosis.
Calcium also has a role in helping with express breastmilk and these gummies provide 50 per cent of the daily recommendation. Working in synergy with calcium, vitamin D helps with its absorption and supports the immune system to help protect both mother and baby from infections. Added vitamin K also contributes to healthy bones and both vitamins can be found in abundance here.
Buy now £19.99, Holland & Barrett
PROCEIVE Breastfeeding
Recommended to be taken after eating breakfast so they are best absorbed and set you up for the day ahead, this vegan supplement combines 24 vitamins and minerals at optimum levels to support new mothers as they begin and continue the duration of baby’s breastfeeding regime. Each daily duo of capsules provides the boost of important nutrients needed to help aid in aspects of this demanding period, from energy production to aid with focus and concentration.
Iron, magnesium and vitamin B12 all help to reduce the fatigue and tiredness that can accompany new motherhood, while vitamin B1 assists in stabilising energy levels. To support normal cognitive function, zinc, which is known to boost mental performance is included, while vitamins C and D help to strengthen an immune system that may be under stress. The addition of calcium, selenium and biotin, meanwhile, encourages bones, teeth and hair to stay healthy.
Buy now £19.95, PROCEIVE
Nutri Advanced Multi Essentials For Pregnancy
Another cleverly crafted supplement that will cover you for the entire pregnancy period, from prenatal to breastfeeding, this easily absorbed, one-and-done tablet is packed with 26 high-strength vitamins and minerals, the result of being developed over ten years to ensure the best quality and efficacy for all the trimesters.
It provides a boost in iron levels (taken from iron bisglycinate which is gentle on sensitive stomachs) to help counteract the exhaustion that new mothers often feel, as well as the recommended amount of iodine to take during breastfeeding, which supports a boost in thyroid and cognitive function and the process of energising the body’s cell metabolism. Also included are vitamin D for better immune health, which works in conjunction with vitamin K2 to aid the absorption of calcium and direct it to the bones.
Buy now £19.96, Nutri Advanced
Holland & Barrett Breastfeeding Support Tablets & Capsules
The combination of one multi-nutrient tablet and one omega 3 soft gel capsule (which online reviewers have praised for being smaller and so easier to swallow than others) is ideal for providing the body with a comprehensive range of essential vitamins and minerals that it needs during the demanding post-birth period and whilst breastfeeding.
The omega capsule will deliver 500mg of fish oil, over half of which is made up of the omega fatty acids that contribute to the healthy development of the baby's eyes and brain. Found in the tablet supplement are a variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, which can reduce the stress hormone adrenaline and help the body relax, encouraging the supply of breast milk. The B vitamins added will help support baby’s brain and nerve development, while also balancing energy levels for mum, alongside iron.
Buy now £14.49, Holland & Barrett
Verdict
Adopting a hugely supportive approach that focuses on shoring up the health and well-being of new mothers after the rigours of childbirth, the expertly-crafted Zita West Revital Essence, Postnatal & Breastfeeding Supplement is a carefully curated cocktail of crucial nutrients that will help put mums in the optimum position to feed baby.
Its long list of benefits includes encouraging wound healing and blood clotting plus healthy skin and nails via collagen production, assisting bone health and brain function, whilst supporting energy levels during this demanding time through feeding the body with an extra supply of vitamins and minerals. These are all essential components of keeping mothers and therefore their babies healthy.
The supplements also provide an easy, adaptable way to get key nutrients into a healing body by allowing the two capsules to be taken together or individually during the day and with or without food, taking pressure away from remembering at mealtimes.
