The 6 Best Postnatal Vitamins, Tested by a Postpartum Mom

TheraNatal Lactation Complete postnatal vitamins are a definite winner. Their nourishing formulation—which includes all key nutrients recommended by our experts—scored high across all testing categories. And on top of hitting all the marks for postpartum essentials, these mighty vitamins are the first on the market to provide 6,400 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 per day. According to Theralogix’s experts (and backed by research) this provides an alternative to supplemental vitamin D drops for breastfed babies. This completely won me over because, let’s be real, remembering to give baby their vitamin D drops each day is a real struggle.

The daily line-up includes two standard pills and one softgel. Honestly, at first, I was a little bummed I had to take three pills compared to just one. But when I popped them in my mouth and took a drink of water, they all sort of clumped together nicely and went down super smooth with no aftertaste. I will note that this brand only gives you the option of buying a 13-week supply, which makes their initial price of $90 a significant upfront cost. However diving deeper, it equals out to about a dollar a day, which is pretty standard for postnatal vitamins, about in the middle price range of the options we tested. For me, the quality of ingredients you get for the price you pay made these a no-brainer to support myself and my baby.

Number of servings: 91 | Serving size: 2 tablets and 1 softgel | Key nutrients: Calcium, choline, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 (DHA)

I don’t think there’s another postnatal on the market that’s more affordable than NatureMade’s Postnatal Multivitamin while still providing the same quality benefits. These vitamins meet the recommended daily intake of most of the essential postpartum nutrients our experts suggest. Zooming in on folate specifically, these vitamins have one of the highest microgram amounts compared to competitors, which Sarah Jordan, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in Fort Worth, Texas, says is a very important component in a postnatal vitamin. Add in the fact that you get a total of 60 pills lasting two months, that’s only about 50 cents a day for your postnatal vitamin needs—the lowest cost of any option we tested.

Parents love that you only need to take just one pill per day (and so do I!). The one capsule was very easy to swallow, even though it’s on the medium-to-larger side. They do have a very slight fishy smell when first opening the bottle, thanks to the beneficial omega-3s. But when taking one, I got an initial sweet taste before swallowing it down, so I didn’t mind it at all. Bottom line, these vitamins are much higher quality than the price suggests.

Number of servings: 60 | Serving size: 1 softgel | Key nutrients: Calcium, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 (DHA)

The impressive milk-boosting aspect of Naturelo postnatal vitamins is something to talk about. Their formulation includes galactagogues like fenugreek, thistle, fennel extract, nettle and alfalfa—substances that have been shown to help boost breast milk supply. That said, the evidence on whether these herbs truly increase milk supply is a bit unclear as results from scientific studies are mixed. Some studies show that herbs like fenugreek increase breast milk production, while others showed little evidence. Barrett's expert advice? “If you’re considering supplements with galactagogues, talk to your healthcare provider to make sure they’re the right choice for you and your baby.”

No other vitamins we tested included these milk-boosting ingredients, but as a breastfeeding mom myself, I appreciate anything that can help increase supply. I also love the fact that these vitamins have very minimal additives: no preservatives, no flavorings, nothing. With many parents (including me) prioritizing clean products, these are for sure a hit. You also won’t find any GMOs, soy or gluten in Naturelo’s postnatal vitamins either. The one thing I will note is that these vitamins do not include DHA–an essential nutrient Jordan says passes through breastmilk and plays a key role in baby’s brain and eye development. So if you decide to purchase this brand, make sure you’re also getting enough DHA through other sources in your diet each day.

Number of servings: 60 | Serving size: 3 capsules | Key nutrients: Calcium, choline, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D

Anything that makes postpartum life simple and effortless gets major points in my book. These vitamins accomplish just that. You can take Ritual’s Postnatal Multivitamins with or without food—perfect for busy moms. And the fact that these capsules are small and have a smooth outside coating makes them that much easier to swallow. The coolest thing about them, though, is their double delayed-release design. Each pill has an additional capsule floating inside of it, full of all the goodie vitamins and minerals. This intentional design helps curb nausea if you take your vitamins on an empty stomach—which really isn’t out of the question because you’re often busy feeding baby in one hand and rushing to get ready for the day with the other.

And did I mention its clean ingredients? With no sugars or artificial colors, the non-vitamin ingredients are pretty slim. They’re also gluten-free and vegan. The one thing I will say is that it’s a bummer these vitamins don’t include calcium. But I appreciate that Ritual states they focus on calcium-helper nutrients like vitamin D3, vitamin K2, magnesium and boron instead. I personally thought it was great they are transparent and explain this on their website.

Before you buy these postnatal vitamins, know this: these have a very minty flavor to them, and it might surprise you. The peppermint flavor even tingled my tongue. I will say though, it did give me a nice fresh breath feeling for the aftertaste, which could be a potential bonus—I really didn’t mind it at all. If you don’t like minty flavors, Rital does offer this postnatal in a citrus flavor, too. But if you have a sensitive palette, you might want to opt for a different brand.

Bonus: Get 25 percent off your first month with the exclusive code BUMP2528.

Number of servings: 30 | Serving size: 2 capsules | Key ingredients: Choline, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 (DHA)

Choline is an essential nutrient passed through breast milk. And getting enough of it directly affects baby’s brain development by supporting cell formation, producing neurotransmitters and increasing cognitive function, explains Barrett. “Breastfeeding mothers should aim for 550 milligrams of choline daily,” she adds. MegaFood Baby & Me 2 Postnatal Multi contained the highest level of choline out of any option tested, giving moms 36 percent of their daily choline value.

I also like that this brand focuses on extracting its ingredients from whole-food sources rather than relying on synthetic vitamins and minerals. This a big plus for me, since studies show natural whole foods are nutritionally superior to synthetics. The real kicker here is the additional real food blend of oranges, carrots, cabbage and broccoli. Simply put, no other postnatal vitamins prioritize nutrients from real foods as this brand does. You take two pills—not as easy as one, but not the worst I tested—and the flavor was slightly herby, in a pleasant way, with no aftertaste.

These vitamins also earned just about a perfect score in the packaging department. They come in a nice, dense glass bottle, further enhancing the quality feeling you get when taking them, and they shipped my vitamins without excessive plastic packaging—just a simple cardboard box with paper padding inside. Compared to all the wasteful plastic packaging you usually get from competitor brands, this one was a nice relief—planet Earth and I thank you!

Number of servings: 30 | Serving size: 2 tablets | Key ingredients: Choline, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D

Perelel’s Mom Multi Support Pack has the highest amount of iron compared to any other vitamin we tested. Jordan tells us that postpartum moms should try and get at least 27 milligrams of iron daily—thankfully, these vitamins give you more than half of this daily value in just one dose. It’s not that uncommon for moms to be anemic in the postpartum period following blood loss from birth. Your body goes through a lot during this time. But as Jordan tells us, “iron in postnatal vitamins can prevent anemia and help with postpartum recovery,”

Here’s something else that blew me away about this postnatal vitamin: It’s not just a multivitamin. You get additional pills in your daily pack that supports your mood, heart and brain health, beauty (hair, skin and nails) and a stress balancer filled with antioxidants and ashwagandha to help improve your mood. These five vitamins work together to give you a holistic 360-degree postpartum recovery experience. And before you cringe at taking five pills daily, it really helps that these are smaller and portioned out into individual daily packets. That means they are already grouped and ready to take without you thinking about them too much.

My favorite part is that these postnatal vitamins come with a scannable QR code telling you more about each of the five vitamins, what they do and how to take them—that was super valuable, in my opinion! With so much going on in this package, it’s great that they provided an additional resource for understanding their product.

Number of servings: 30 | Serving size: 4 capsules and 1 softgel | Key nutrients: Choline, folate, iodine, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 (DHA)