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Vitamins You Need In The Postnatal Phase

The mother's body goes through a lot stress and trauma during pregnancy and even after it. That is, women feel week after the delivery and are advised to rest well. Many women become victims of postnatal malnutrition due to an improper nutrition and lack of sufficient rest. This also happens when a healthy diet is not followed after the baby is born.

However, even if you eat well, you need a supplement of certain postnatal vitamins in the form of pills or injections. Pregnancy and childbirth basically depletes the reserves of vitamins in a woman's body. That is why, it is always advisable to be on a course of postnatal vitamins as long as you are breastfeeding.

Postnatal Vitamins

These are the most vital vitamins that women need after childbirth.

Vitamin B9: This postnatal vitamin is also called folic acid. Usually, women take folate tablets through out their pregnancy for the development of the baby's nervous system. However, do not stop taking this important vitamin after your child is born. You still need folic acid to ward of the shadows of post-partum depression.

Vitamin A: Severe amounts of hair loss is common among women after they deliver a baby. Most women lose hair and this increases their post-partpum depression to a greater extent. You need to have lots vitamin A to have healthy hair and skin after pregnancy.

Vitamin C: This vitamin found in citrus fruits is essential for breastfeeding mothers. This because, vitamin C helps develop immunity. So, this postnatal vitamin will help strengthen the mother's immune system and also pass on the benefits of it to the child.

Vitamin D: We all know that calcium is an essential mineral for bone health and women are prone to have deficiency of calcium. Especially after childbirth, the body loses a lot of calcium. Now even if you get a lot of calcium from your food, the body cannot absorb calcium without the presence of vitamin D. And vitamin D is very rarely available in food items. It is good to take this postnatal vitamin in the form of pills to avoid any calcium deficiency.

Vitamin E: This vitamin is essential for women to put them back on their feet. Vitamin E is basically an antioxidant that helps repair cell damage and expel toxins from the body. It helps you get over fatigue and trauma of childbirth.

Ask your doctor for the exact composition of these postnatal vitamins after your pregnancy. The specific needs of your body will determine how of much of these vitamins you need.

Story first published: Monday, January 21, 2013, 15:23 [IST]
Read more about: postnatal pregnancy breastfeeding