The Ultimate Guide to a Healthy Postpartum Diet: What to Eat After Pregnancy

This guide is not intended to be medical advice; always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet. 

Referred to as the “fourth trimester,” the postpartum stage encompasses the first 12 weeks after giving birth. Just like those other 3 trimesters, nutrition can greatly impact your and your baby’s health during this time—as well as your postpartum recovery.

Here’s the thing about postpartum nutrition and healthy eating: balanced meals built for this stage aren’t typically much different from ones you’d have in any other period of life. That said, it’s helpful to know which foods can restore nutrients that are depleted during pregnancy and may help your little one meet their first major milestones in life.

Below, find out what to eat postpartum so you can start this new chapter confidently.

#1 Your Prenatal Vitamin

Before you restock the contents of your fridge, it may be time to refill one non-food dietary item: your prenatal vitamin.

To help your body transition into postpartum, it’s recommended you keep taking your doctor-approved prenatal vitamin for prenatal women for at least 6 weeks after giving birth. Doing so can help ensure you keep meeting recommended levels of folate or folic acid, a key nutrient that supports babies’ healthy brain and spine development.

If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll want to meet the recommended benchmark of 0.5 mg per day. You can also add more to your diet by eating edamame, bananas, and eggs.

#2 Fatty Fish

Fatty fish are excellent sources of healthy fats, as well as two nutrients that are key for postpartum well-being:

• Omega-3 fatty acids – If you’re a new mom breastfeeding, you can pass fats to your baby, and healthy fats are crucial for ensuring both you and your baby can absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, and K. Omega-3s, in particular, also aid in infant brain and eye development, but your body can’t make adequate reserves of them on its own. If you don’t eat fish, you can also get omega-3s from sources like edamame and walnuts.
• Vitamin D – Vitamin D levels in the body tend to decrease during pregnancy, so be sure to keep an eye on yours after your baby arrives. Vitamin D is crucial for proper infant bone development, and some studies indicate a link between low vitamin D levels and postpartum depression. Keeping your levels up during postpartum recovery could help if you’re struggling with low mood after giving birth.

If you’re breastfeeding, note that breast milk can’t always provide adequate amounts of vitamin D to infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that even breastfed or partially breastfed babies receive 400 IU of vitamin D daily right after they’re born. All parents are recommended to consult with their healthcare providers about whether they or their newborn should receive vitamin D supplementation.

That said, it’s worth integrating the following vitamin D and omega-3-rich sources into your diet:

• Wild-caught salmon
• Mackerel
• Anchovies
• Herring
• Sardines

#3 Dairy

One of the most important nutrients for infants is calcium, which newborns can get through breast milk. You can work more calcium into your diet by eating foods like:

• Yogurt
• Greek yogurt
• Milk
• Whole-milk ricotta
• Cottage cheese

Many adult Americans are lacking in calcium as dairy consumption declines due to lactose intolerance and plant-based lifestyles. If you don’t eat dairy, be sure to include lots of dark, leafy greens (like collards or bok choy), legumes, or calcium-fortified orange juice in your diet.

Bear in mind that calcium and vitamin D work together to promote bone health in both you and your baby. Ideally, newborns should be getting around 200mg of calcium and 400mg of vitamin D daily. If you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s and lactating, aim for 1,000mg of calcium and 600mg of vitamin D per day.

#4 Eggs

You don’t hear much about choline, but the micronutrient is integral for infants both during and after pregnancy. Choline aids brain and metabolic development, as well as overall cellular health—and eating more whole eggs is one of the best ways to work it into your diet.

Like vitamin D, your body can only make choline in limited amounts, so it’s essential to get yours through food. Other excellent sources of choline include:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Pork
• Fish
• Cow’s milk

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it may be more difficult to get sufficient choline through food. However, plant-based sources of choline include nuts, legumes, wheat germ, and cruciferous vegetables.

Bear in mind that few prenatal vitamins contain choline, and only around 10% of pregnant individuals are estimated to meet their daily needs during pregnancy. If you’re breastfeeding, it’s recommended you get 550 mg of choline daily.

#5 Vitamin B12-Rich Foods

Vitamin B12 is a crucial nutrient for infant brain development, and newborns who don’t get enough could be at risk of irreversible brain damage. Fortunately, babies can derive B Vitamins from formula or breast milk (nursing parents are recommended to aim for at least 2.8 mcg per day).

Vitamin B12 isn’t always easy to keep up with, as its primary sources aren’t standard in American diets. Some of the best vitamin B12 sources include:

• Animal liver
• Animal kidneys
• Clams

Vitamin B12 is present in smaller amounts in beef, sardines, tuna, and certain fortified cereals. At least for the postpartum period, it may be best to consult with a doctor about healthy eating and supplementation (especially if you adhere to a vegetarian or vegan diet).

#6 Zinc-Rich Foods

Zinc is a mineral that’s crucial for overall cellular health, immune function, DNA synthesis, and other functions. However, research indicates that, around the world, breastfeeding parents tend to be deficient in zinc (as well as postpartum essentials vitamin D and calcium).

Zinc can be a tricky mineral to keep up with. Like other nutrients in this article, its presence in your body can be affected by factors like:

• Alcohol intake
• Not eating enough
• Being sick with an infection
• Digestive conditions

However, both during and after pregnancy, your body needs more zinc than usual to support your reproductive functions. In fact, your zinc needs are heightened for up to two months after giving birth, so it’s a wise idea to work it into your diet during this period.

Fully cooked oysters are among the best sources of zinc in the world, but they may not be ideal in the postpartum stages (or as a part of your regular diet). Instead, you might try eating more foods like:

• Beef
• Blue crab
• Oatmeal
• Pumpkin seeds
• Fortified cereal

While it’s not clear whether upping your zinc intake will enhance a nursing newborn’s zinc levels, newborns only need 2mg daily (if you’re concerned about helping them reach it, it’s best to consult with your doctor).

#7 Iodized Table Salt

Cinnamon and garam masala are all well and good, but one of the best spices to use during pregnancy is among the humblest.

Iodized table salt is one of the best sources of iodine in your pantry, and the single most important element when it comes to human thyroid health. Your thyroid relies on iodine to create hormones, T3 and T4, and your new baby needs it to support infant neurological development and overall growth.

According to the CDC, aiming for 290 µg per day is sufficient for both you and your little one if you’re breastfeeding. However, it’s always best to consult with your healthcare provider about your optimal salt intake volume. It’s also important to note that you and your baby may be at risk for deficiency if:

• You smoke tobacco
• You don’t eat dairy or seafood products
• You don’t use iodized salt (many salts are non-iodized, so be sure to check the labels)

In rarer cases, eating large amounts of foods containing goitrogens can interfere with iodine absorption. If you’re eating lots of cruciferous vegetables to boost your choline intake (like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and others), bear in mind that these can inhibit thyroid hormone production in some people.

Caring for your thyroid health may also help prevent mood dysregulation in the postpartum stage. Your thyroid is one of the main organs involved in balancing hormones, so its well-being could underwrite emotional and physical wellness as a new parent.

Guidelines for Building a Postpartum Diet

It’s normal to struggle to find your footing in early parenthood, whether your inner perfectionist has been unleashed or you’re grappling with emotional resilience. But when it comes to postpartum nutrition and diet, it’s all about finding balance.

With that, keeping the following guidelines in mind can help you design an emotionally and physically supportive diet that works for you:

• Balance your macros – Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are three non-negotiable nutrients your body relies on to survive. In the postpartum period, it’s important to avoid cutting down too much in any of these categories—even if you’re used to a low-fat or other type of diet (unless otherwise prescribed by a healthcare provider).
• Embrace carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are your body’s easiest-access energy source and crucial for supporting lactation postpartum. They may also assist with stabilizing serotonin levels if you’re struggling with a low or erratic mood after giving birth. Save the low-carb diets for later in life—ideally, in your fourth trimester, between 45 and 65% of your diet will be carbohydrates.
• Eat more (in moderation) – While it’s not always necessary to eat more after giving birth, some people are recommended to eat slightly more while breastfeeding—between 300 and 400 extra calories daily—though this can depend on your age, body composition, and level of activity. That said, if your baby is struggling to gain weight, it’s important to reach out to your doctor to discuss your diet, as well as your baby’s feeding habits.
• Prioritize nourishment over postpartum weight loss – Some parents can feel pressured to get back to their old size or shape after pregnancy. But remember that some postpartum weight loss—typically between 18 and 28 pounds—occurs naturally with the shedding of the placenta and fluids (and your baby!) during labor.

On average, new parents lose half their pregnancy weight just 6 weeks after giving birth. By resuming their usual eating patterns on a sensible diet, most typically return to their pre-pregnancy weight 6 months after delivery. With that, try your best to avoid dieting and instead, enjoy this tender, beautiful period with your little one.

As you navigate this new chapter with your newborn, it’s not uncommon to start thinking about the future of your family, including the possibility of a second child. Understanding the journey to expanding your family, including the average time it might take to get pregnant with a second child, can be part of your broader postpartum planning and wellness strategy.

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Priscilla Jeng

Priscilla Jeng is an accomplished digital marketing expert, currently leading as the Associate Director of Digital Marketing at Gateway Genomics, the parent company of SneakPeek. With over four years at Gateway Genomics, Priscilla has played a pivotal role in amplifying the company's mission to develop innovative genetic tests. Her proficiency in digital marketing and her comprehensive understanding of the genomics industry position her as a key contributor to SneakPeek's marketing endeavors.

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