This page contains affiliate links and are asterisked as they appear.
There are so many nutrients mothers need during postpartum to prevent depletion and promote balance and healing. It can be especially tricky to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need while you’re trying to take care of a newborn, maybe with other kids running around, dealing with sleep deprivation, and any other responsibilities you might have.
We hear so much lately about the fourth trimester but it can still be tough to find that practical information and support we actually need while recovering from pregnancy and childbirth, so let’s dig into that! A balanced diet is important, but even that can be inadequate to replete nutrient levels and get you back to a place of balance. To promote healing and restore balance, focus on including the following nutrients into your meals and supplements:
-
Fat Soluble Vitamins A,D, E and K
-
The Bs! B6, B12, folate, niacin and thiamine
-
Minerals like iron, zinc and magnesium
-
Choline and long chain omega 3s!
These nutrients are critical during pregnancy for everything from brain and nerve development, to supporting DNA synthesis. They are just as important postpartum for healing and continuing the development of your baby via nutrient-rich breast milk, if that’s your plan.
Preparing your meals, supplements, and environment to make it easy for you to get these nutrients will help you heal faster and prevent further depletion. To find out if you’re depleted in any nutrients, check in with your doctor about testing your levels to get a baseline and create a plan. Your primary care provider is your go-to for finding out what will work best for you.
I am very intentional about including nourishing meals and supplements postpartum, knowing that my body has been working for 9 months to grow a baby from scratch and is still working hard to feed and care for that baby while also healing from labor and delivery. Your own routine may look a little different than mine, but focusing on including and repleting the nutrients I mentioned above will support your body in the amazing work it’s doing each day.
Here are the 4 things I add to my daily routine postpartum to increase my nutrient load:
-
Vital Proteins* beef liver capsules: grass fed New Zealand liver. Rich in the vitamin A and B12 for energy production. If you’re down to buy/make/eat liver that’s great too!
-
The vitamin A from beef liver is non-synthetic/preformed - I stress this because very few foods contain or have enough of this vitamin A and it’s why I take beef liver capsules!! It’s different from beta-carotene which is what most vitamins/prenatals use.
-
-
Daily bone broth provides collagen and minerals like zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium. FOND, Kettle & Fire*, The Osso Good Company* are some of my go-tos.
-
Prenatal + Omega 3: Don’t stop taking your prenatal and omega-3‘s especially if you’re breast-feeding...take it the whole time! I share all my favorite prenatals, the proper forms of vitamins and amounts you should be getting, and recommendations for pregnancy nutrition in my Fab 4 Pregnancy course!
-
The prenatals I use and highly recommend are WeNatal* (receive a FREE 30-day supply of WeNatal’s Omega DHA+ fish oil ($34.95 value) with purchase of any prenatal subscription through my link!), Perelel Health*, Seeking Health*, and Full Circle*.
-
-
Protein rich soups and stews: These are easy to eat and reheat and you can even drink them out of a mug if needed. It’s hard to eat with a baby - too often we end up snacking on foods that aren’t satisfying. Protein is the most satisfying macronutrient and provides the most nutrient dense bite per ounce, so including it in meals and regularly throughout the day is a must for your healing, your satisfaction level, and your blood sugar and hormone (aka feeling like a normal human) balance! In the first few weeks, I rely heavily on red meat because it offers a complete protein rich in iron, B vitamins, fat soluble vitamins and minerals. In my opinion (and that of the scientific literature actually) nothing else compares ....unless you're making liver soup!
Getting yourself the nutrients you need for healing postpartum is just one more element of self care. Remember, self care isn’t selfish. Think of the oxygen masks on an airplane - you put on your own mask first so you are then able to take care of the people around you. So support yourself during this critical time and you’ll have the energy you need to love and care for your family well.
