Postpartum Vitamins and Supplements I Actually Used

Yo! I’m back with another blog that will only be remotely interesting to pregnant or birthing people. Today, I’ll just be focusing on vitamins, supplements, and teas I used postpartum. (If you missed my last post about products I actually used during pregnancy, peep it here.) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but I’m not here to tell you how or where to shop. Just want to show you what I used - you do you! And make sure to consult with your doctor before taking any of this shizzzz cause I am by no means a medical professional. I am by no means any kind of professional, for that matter.

Postpartum Vitamins and Supplements I Actually Used

Daily Prenatal / Postpartum Vitamin
If you recall from my last blog, I used both SmartyPants Prenatal Formula Daily Gummies and Solimo Prenatal Vitamins & DHA Gummies throughout pregnancy. I’m still taking the Smarty Pants during this postpartum stage since the others are unavailable. I’ll probably continue to take these until around the six month postpartum mark.

Lactation Supplements
Trying to up your lactation supply is a mindf*ck. My flow was pretty much no-go in the beginning, and it’s nothing to write home about now, but I chalk it up as a win that I have been able to keep up with my growing gal as we enter into her third month. She’s a thirsty little B. Here are some teas and supplements I’ve been taking to help me out. It should be noted that I never take more than 2-3 of any pill per day no matter what the directions state because I think anything more than that in a supplement is a ploy to get me to run out of said supplement and buy more. I realize this may not be the best way to go about taking supplements, but money doesn’t grow on trees. I have no idea which of the below are helping and which ones aren’t, but down the hatch it all goes every morning:

• Mother’s Milk Tea - My acupuncturist told me to drink three bags to a cup for optimal results. I mix it with honey to temper the bitter taste.
• Moringa - This supposedly helps with arthritis, too, so I’ll probably just go ahead and take it til I die.
• Brewer’s Yeast and Sunflower Lecithin - My friend gifted me with some of the supplements that she took while nursing, including these two. I was already in a sleep-deprived, postpartum stupor at this point and did absolutely no research on what they are or how they help. She could’ve handed me dirt capsules, and I would have taken them because I trust her. I’m not telling you that’s the greatest way to make choices, but if you trust me, you can at least look into these two as options.

Dietary Supplements
​These products aren't necessarily postpartum specific, but I feel I should mention them because they seem even more crucial to my diet than ever. Protein is so important for women, especially when nursing, but if you're like me and can't ever seem to get the recommended amount, I recommend this Orgain Powder for fruit smoothies. I also gotta give a shout out to Chia Seeds - those tiny little suckers are not only good for you, but they really help fill you up, and they taste pretty good (or at least fine) in pretty much anything from water to smoothies to oatmeal. 

Digestion
Something people don’t talk about enough is how freaking terrifying and painful it can be to pee and poop after vaginal births. Doctors usually prescribe a stool softener upon discharge so the hospital door doesn’t hit you in the hemorrhoids on the way out, but my poop problems lasted long after those were finished, so I kept taking an over-the-counter stool softener until everything felt a bit more regular.

Because I had a gnarly perineal tear, peeing was basically a horror show for the first few weeks. Since there was so much going on down there, I took a cranberry supplement in hopes of preventing a UTI from showing up uninvited. Not sure if it was the reason I didn’t have a UTI, but I guess it was not not the reason. *shrug shoulder emoji* ​

Joint Pain Relief
After giving birth, I developed some not-so-fun arthritis symptoms. All those years in a corporate office, and I never experienced carpal tunnel. Six days into breastfeeding, and I could barely move my wrists. Go figure. There was also lots of joint pain in my ankles and back, so I added these big ol’ Kirkland Glucosomine pills to the mix. ​

General Pain and Anxiety Relief
I took prescription vicodin and xanax as needed. Pretty sure they don’t sell that on Amazon, soooo you’re on your own there…

Pill Storage
Trust me when I say you don’t want to be asking your sleep-deprived self if you remembered to take your meds at three in the morning while your fussy baby is hanging off your boob. With this big fat pill box, you can throw in everything you’ll need seven days at a time, and even sort by time of day if necessary. It seemed like silly, superfluous buy at first, but it really did free up some much needed extra time in my day and extra space in my new mom brain. If you’re taking multiple meds and supplements, I can’t recommend this enough.

Okie doke, that wraps this one up. Check back soon for additional recommendations for postpartum parents!