Listen to yourself: vitamins for non-breastfeeding mothers

A panacea or…?

Vitamins – a set of necessary for life micronutrients, unbalanced which is fraught with health problems. Pregnancy and childbirth required their increased consumption – about 2-4 times, the same can be said about lactation, especially prolonged. You want to fill up the deficit as soon as possible, but you should not rush to buy bright boxes with an enticing list. There are several reasons for this.

Not always all of the above components of a multivitamin complex needed for a woman. First you need to determine what vitamins after childbirth for non-feeding is not enough in the body.
In multivitamins numerous elements, as a rule, are present in a preventive dosage, that is, will not make up for the deficiency, if it is present. A therapeutic dose of multivitamins will not cover it.
Synthetic vitamins are not always well absorbed by the body – for a person it is more natural to get them from food. Therefore, adjusting the diet is more important than taking vitamins after childbirth for non-feeding mothers or those who have completed the process.
Deficiencies of specific substances can not always be identified independently – a doctor’s consultation and examination will be required. He will also choose the appropriate therapeutic dosage.

If you want to start taking vitamins sooner after giving birth, you can continue to take vitamin complexes for pregnant women without any risk.

How to understand which vitamins for non-feeding mothers are needed after childbirth?

You should listen to your body – it is useful not only for women who have given birth, but for all people. Symptoms of a lack of various vitamins can be similar: fatigue, depression, deterioration of the skin, hair and nails, a drop in immunity. In controversial cases, the specifics of avitaminosis should be clarified with the help of tests.

In the table we will list the most common vitamin deficiencies for women after childbirth and lactation, as well as examinations with which to confirm this and calculate the right dose. It will also be helpful to know what foods contain these micronutrients – most vitamins after childbirth for non-feeding moms can be obtained from the daily diet. In this regard, it is easier for them than for breastfeeding mothers – they do not have to think about the impact of what they eat on the baby.

№	Micronutrient deficiency	Daily allowance for non-breastfeeding mothers	Symptoms and screening	Foods high in
1	Vitamin C	70-75 mg	Blood test for vitamin levels	Rosehip drinks, citrus fruits, leafy greens, sauerkraut, fresh bell peppers
2	B vitamins	B1 – 1.5 mg B 2- 1.8 mg B6 – 2 mg B9 (folic acid) – 1 mg B12 – 4 mg	Symptoms of depression, anemia – determined by the doctor based on the clinical signs; can be confirmed by a special test.	Eggs, mushrooms, butter, leafy greens, nuts, meat, hard pasta, potatoes, rye bread 3.
3.	Vitamin D	8 µg	Directly affects immunity, deficient in most people living in temperate climates. Confirmed by test. Need medication – one diet and sun exposure alone does not cover the deficiency.	Oil or aqueous solution of vitamin D – the dosage will determine the doctor on the test results. Food: seafood, butter, fermented milk.
4.	Vitamin A	600 mgq	Teeth, nails and bone problems, hair texture disorders, may affect visual acuity	Liver, fish oil, cream, butter, egg yolks
5.	Iron	18-25 mg	Crude hemoglobin test may not reflect iron deficiency – even if anemia is severe and HB is normal, ferritin and serum iron levels need to be tested	Red meat, liver, green apples, pomegranates, buckwheat

Hypervitaminosis is as dangerous as vitamin deficiency, so you should not take medications thoughtlessly and uncontrollably. From natural products the body absorbs exactly as much as necessary – you don’t have to worry about overdose, you should only think about possible overeating or allergic reactions. But not always with a pronounced deficit, adjusting the diet will be sufficient.

What are the best vitamins after childbirth for non-feeding? The ones that are really lacking. You can also read about vitamins for breastfeeding moms.