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I get questions all the time about “what should I be taking to stay healthy?” or “what do I need if I have ‘xyz’ symptoms” or “what do you think about this brand of ‘xyz’” and I just wanted to have a resource dedicated to all those questions and answers to make things as helpful and comprehensive as possible!
So today we’re getting into not just the what, but the how and the why. It would be really easy (and frankly really inconsiderate) of me to just make a bunch of blanket statements of “this is what you need” followed by a brand that I earn affiliate income from, so instead I’m going to focus on the principles.
How do you decide if you need supplements? How do you decide which supplements are right for you? How do you make an educated purchase on a brand? I think that these principles and concepts are way more important and way more valuable to you than just letting me spoonfeed you everything.
Because you are a unique individual, and what you need or what works for you might not be the same as what the next mama needs, right?
Don’t worry though, I’ll still be sharing brands I trust and any discount codes I have, but it will come after sharing the process of the how so you are empowered to make your own decisions from here on out. Deal?
Alright mama, let’s jump in.
First, before we talk about supplements, we need to know what exactly is going on with our body after having a baby. If you understand the physiology and the chain reactions that take place for certain processes in the body, it makes navigating your nutrition and supplementation so much easier and straightforward.
Don’t worry though, you won’t need a medical degree to understand this stuff, just some mental acuity and critical thinking skills.
I’m also going to break down postpartum into two phases: the acute healing phase and the long term recovery phase. It’s important to recognize that these are two unique phases that have different needs and concerns, and treating all of postpartum the exact same does you a disservice.
Ok, the acute healing phase. This is the first 6-8 weeks of recovery immediately after child birth. Your pregnancy and birth experience have a dramatic impact on what this recovery phase looks like and what your unique needs are, but for today’s purposes, we’re going to assume you had a low-risk pregnancy, a few interventions during child birth, and a vaginal delivery with mild tearing. I know this isn’t the case for every mama, but this will give you a baseline of where to start, because you can always do more if there were more complications or factors in your experience.
In this situation, you’re going to have a few nutritional deficiencies, blood loss, internal and external wounds that need to close, and rebalancing of hormones. Long story short, you need the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and macro nutrients and there’s a lot of physical reconstruction going on as you heal.
I hope you can tell that there’s a lot more going on, both in quantity and severity, than just recovering from the flu. This means your FIRST priority should be your healing and recovery. Not chores, not exercise, not playing with the kids every minute. YOUR recovery.
If you’re thinking “oh my goodness there’s no way I can just stop everything else” don’t worry, that’s not what I’m saying. I know first hand that’s not possible. I do, however, believe there’s ways to do as little as possible, even if you don’t have a lot of help.
I recommend checking out episode 7 about how I prepared for postpartum, knowing my husband was deploying very soon after delivery, and the free checklist I created to help you get organized and prepared for postpartum as well.
I also have a blog post about the 5-5-5 rule and my thoughts on it if that’s something you want my advice on too. Both episode 7 and that blog post will be linked in the shownotes.
Just like during pregnancy, there’s not a lot of research around what is truly safe and not safe during postpartum, especially if you’re breastfeeding, so this is kind of a tricky area. The default is “consult with your doctor” or “not safe” because they don’t want the liability of anything bad happening to you. And frankly, neither do I.
That being said, there are some principles that can guide you to knowing if supplementation is going to help you and how to choose a brand that you can trust.
First is knowing that you can’t out-supplement a bad diet. If the basic foundational principles of a healthy diet are not in place, you should not be looking at supplements.
For example, if you’re skipping breakfast, snacking constantly, or eating more processed foods than whole foods, supplements are not going to help fix your low energy, cravings, or poor sleep. If you’re having gut health problems like bloating, gas, constipation, or food sensitivities, probiotics are not going to solve the problem.
And if you’re not sure where to start with your postpartum diet, I highly recommend grabbing my postpartum recovery cookbook, even if you are more than 3 months postpartum. My cookbook is primarily a healing protocol, so it’s extremely useful if you’re having tummy problems, recurring illness, or just want to do a little reset with your body. It also gives you exactly what your postpartum body needs to feel good from the inside out. I’ll link that in the shownotes if you want to check it out!
So that’s the first thing is making sure your basic nutrition habits are in place and consistent. The next principle is knowing the difference between a need-to-have and a nice-to-have for your health. There are some things that you actually might need, and other things are just a bonus if you can afford it or want the extra thing in your routine.
Two great examples of a nice-to-have supplement is bovine colostrum and greens powders. Absolutely not necessary to be healthy. I don’t take either of them. I don’t openly say you should be taking them. If your health is in a good place and you don’t have any major signs or symptoms that need addressing first, then those two supplements are just a bonus thing to optimize your health just a bit more and nothing more. They won’t make or break your health.
Now, some of the need-to-haves, in my opinion, are:
(I’ll go through each one so you know why I’m putting those on my need-to-have list.)
First, the prenatal vitamin. I know technically it’s a “pre” natal but in my professional opinion you should be taking a prenatal for the entirety of your sexually active childbearing years, which is about 18-45 years old, even if you’re not trying to get pregnant.
This is because a prenatal vitamin has a different, more specific and heightened dose formula of certain nutrients for a menstruating woman who is capable of conceiving. Your cycle determines your overall health, and your fertility is based on your cycle, which means supporting your cycle nutritionally is the foundation, and fertility is second to it.
There are lots of great brands out there that I recommend, but my favorite is Needed because their formula is based on the optimal dosages of 23 essential nutrients for mama according to recent research, not outdated research. I have a discount code for Needed if you want to check them out, and now is a great time to start because they’re having their black friday sale this week! I’ll link all of that in the shownotes.
Next one I mentioned is minerals. This can mean a couple different things, but for my mamas at least, “minerals” includes a high quality electrolyte supplement and adrenal smoothies. Regardless of whether or not you’re breastfeeding, your body burned through minerals during pregnancy and child birth and needs to be repleted. In addition, many common postpartum symptoms like headaches, low energy, brain fog, and cravings are actually an indication that you’re low in electrolytes.
I have a whole blog post that shares my favorite brands, so if you want more info, check out the shownotes. As for the adrenal smoothie, this is my take on the viral “adrenal mocktail.” The idea is targeted nutrition to support your adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing cortisol, regulating your nervous system, and thereby affecting your overall energy levels.
I don’t love adrenal mocktails just because they’re high in sugar, which means if you don’t intentionally have it with a meal, you’re spiking your glucose levels and not really helping your body much. So what I did instead is I took all the elements of the mocktail and turned it into a smoothie. This way you’re getting all the nutrients you need to support your adrenals, but you’re also getting protein, fiber, and healthy fats to support your blood sugar levels and metabolism. The recipe is on my website and I’ll link it in the shownotes.
Last is protein. I know each dietitian/nutritionist/health coach is going to have a different opinion about protein supplements, so just know that this is my professional opinion and I’d rather you hear the nuance of it here rather than guess what I mean in an Instagram post.
Protein is critical for more than just building muscle. It’s also a key player in your metabolism, your neurotransmitters that support your mood, rebuilding your entire body after pregnancy and child birth, regulating your hunger/fullness cues, and supporting your immune system.
The current daily recommendations for an adult woman for protein are out of date and incredibly low. Like it makes me angry how low they are. In fact, the protein RDI for adult women was based on an 18 year old male’s needs. In case you weren’t aware, you are not a small man. You are a woman, and that is very different biologically.
Anyway, I digress. I encourage all my mamas to shoot for at least 120 grams of protein day for optimal health. This is going to be a stretch for some, I know, but this is what I believe the bare minimum should be if you want to feel great. (And if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, the number is actually higher!)
From my own experience, even as someone who regularly gets at least 120 grams of protein a day, it’s really hard to hit that number without spending hours in the kitchen, eating tons of meat, or having the luxury of eating your meals uninterrupted. So basically if you’re a busy mom, it’s really hard to do.
This is why I consider a protein supplement a need-to-have. It is there to fill in those last dozen grams of protein or so after you’ve done your best with your diet to make sure that you’re getting at least the bare minimum. It’s especially important if you don’t love meat, have dietary restrictions, or a small budget.
There are two protein supplements I love that I have on hand at all times. Number one is a high quality protein powder. I personally use Just Ingredients because it doesn’t hurt my stomach, it is a complete protein source, and it has tons of micronutrients in it as well. It’s also safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding, so can use it in any phase of motherhood.
There are lots of great brands out there, though, so if you want to see all my recommendations, check out the blog post I linked in the shownotes.
The other protein supplement I love is powdered bone broth. Just Ingredients has two amazing flavors, the lemon herb and the tomato basil, and I use them for sipping in the morning, mixing into rice or soups, and even flavoring my meat. The powdered bone broth is so versatile and easily adds an extra 9 or 18 grams of protein, depending on how many scoops you use. I’ll link it in the shownotes.
Last one I mentioned is magnesium. Magnesium is a non negotiable for me because it is involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions in the body and helps regulate my sleep, mood, and digestion. Not all forms of magnesium are created equal, and not all brands of magnesium are good quality brands, so to keep things simple for you, I recommend either Just Ingredients or BiOptimizers. The latter brand is linked in my Amazon storefront, which I put in the shownotes for you.
Other than these four things, I don’t think there’s much else you really need to have to feel good postpartum. However, if symptoms do arise and you want some extra support, there’s room for that too. I’ll give some examples:
Now, I want to remind you that blindly supplementing isn’t very effective in treating symptoms, even if it’s a holistic option, and you also want to make sure that your cocktail of supplements isn’t going to cancel each other out or cause more problems because of cross-reactivity. If you’re considering adding one or more supplements to your routine outside of the four that I mentioned, I highly recommend speaking with a professional like myself before doing so to make sure that you’re doing it the right way for the right reasons.
When it comes to choosing a brand you can trust, you want to look for brands that are third party tested and independently certified, you want the brand to use as little ingredients as possible, and you want those ingredients to be as natural as possible. It’s also helpful to go to their website and see who is behind the formula of the product or brand. If it’s a major drugstore brand, chances are you probably won’t find a who, which tells me there’s a better option out there.
You can also reach out to experts like myself and see what we think about specific brands. I have my favorites, but I’m always doing research to learn about other options and new companies that join the market, as well as new research about health and nutrition so my advice is as accurate and up to date as possible.
Lastly, I didn’t get into any specific recommendations for breastfeeding moms, so I’ll clarify that here. All four of the need-to-haves that I mentioned are safe and recommended for breastfeeding moms, so you’ve got the green light on those. If you are curious about lactation supplements or foods specifically, I have some blog posts about that and you can always DM me any additional questions!
Right off the bat, you should 100% be avoiding anything that is marketed as a weight loss solution, whether that’s a powder, a processed food, or even a drug. There’s a reason a majority of moms struggle to lose weight postpartum and that’s because your body DOES NOT WANT TO. There are too many other important things on your body’s priority list.
Does this mean weight loss is not possible? No! It just means we have to be smart, safe, and strategic about how we do it.
I’m hosting a masterclass all about this topic in January and you can get your ticket now by heading to the link in the shownotes. Spots are limited, so if postpartum weight loss is something you want all the details on, you need to join!
The next one I would caution against is sleep medication, and this includes natural things like melatonin and the Just Ingredients nighttime relax. It’s not that they’re not safe, it’s just that it’s a slippery slope I don’t even want you to start on. If you’re having problems sleeping, there are SO many reasons why and one or two supplements are not going to find or fix those reasons.
I’d love to chat with you 1:1 if you need sleep support so we can figure out exactly what is going on so you can actually get better, not just feel better. P.S. my 1:1 coaching is going on major sale for Black Friday so if you’ve got any questions about things we’ve talked about today, I highly recommend jumping on the sale! If you’re listening to this episode later and still want 1:1 support, I’ll link the sign up in the shownotes so we can connect and help you out, mama.
The last for sure “pass” on my supplements list, especially if you’re breastfeeding, is adaptogens. This is because there are so many complicated things going on with your body postpartum, there’s not a lot of scientific evidence behind them for postpartum moms, and if you think you need an adaptogen, I can guarantee there’s more than one thing you need to fix with your diet and/or lifestyle. And I’d be happy to help with that on a call!
Alright, we’ve talked about a lot of supplements today, but I know you’ve probably got questions anyway. Maybe there’s a brand you want to ask me about, maybe there’s a specific supplement you want advice on that I didn’t mention today. Remember the principles we talked about, remember that less is more, and remember that I’m only one DM or email away. You can always reach out if you have any questions!
I hope this episode was helpful. I made sure to include the full transcript on my website for your reference in case you ever need to come back and check something out. The transcript and the shownotes are linked in the podcast description in your podcast player or you can head to “www.thewellnouishedmama.com/podcast/61 .”
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, happy Black Friday shopping (especially if you want in on my BF sales!), and I’ll see you next week mama.
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