What is the best vitamin for breastfeeding mothers?
The best vitamin for breastfeeding mothers is typically a high-quality postnatal multivitamin and multimineral that includes essential nutrients like choline, folate, iron, calcium, and vitamin D.
When you're nursing, your body works hard to nourish your baby while maintaining your own health. A thoughtfully formulated postnatal supplement can help support those increased nutritional needs. As always, consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement.
What is choline?
Choline is an essential nutrient that supports multiple functions in the body, including:
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Brain development and memory
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Cell structure and communication
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Hormone and neurotransmitter synthesis
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Liver and muscle function
During breastfeeding, choline is passed through breast milk to support your baby’s brain and nervous system development. Research shows that adequate choline intake may help support infant cognition and memory.
You can find choline in eggs, poultry, fish, and certain vegetables—or take it through a supplement, such as a postnatal multivitamin.
Why is choline essential for breastfeeding?
Choline is essential for breastfeeding mothers because it is a key component of breastmilk and is essential for developing the infant's brain and nervous system. Adequate choline intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding has been shown to support infant cognitive development and memory function.
Choline can be found in various foods, including eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and some vegetables. It can also be taken as a dietary supplement, as a single-ingredient supplement, or in a prenatal or postnatal multivitamin, or in a prenatal or postnatal multimineral.
Some evidence suggests that choline intake may be related to milk supply in breastfeeding mothers.
Choline needs increase during pregnancy and lactation
Unfortunately, most prenatal vitamins contain little to no choline—and even fewer contain the recommended daily amount.
That’s where Mama Bird Mineral Complex comes in.
✅ Delivers 550 mg of choline (the full daily amount for lactation)
✅ Includes 350 mg of magnesium to support calm and better sleep
✅ Provides calcium and vitamin D3 for strong bones and immunity
✅ Features inositol for nervous system and hormone support
Mama Bird Mineral Complex is an easy way to fill the nutritional gap—designed to complement your postnatal multivitamin and support both you and your baby.
Does choline support babies' brains?
Emerging evidence suggests that choline plays a direct role in cognition and memory, particularly in the hippocampus (3). The hippocampus is a region of the brain that is involved in memory and spatial navigation. The hippocampus is important for forming new memories and retrieving old ones, and it is also involved in spatial orientation and navigation.
Research has shown that choline plays a role in the development and function of the hippocampus. In animal studies, choline supplementation during gestation and lactation has been shown to support spatial memory and increase the number of new neurons in the hippocampus (4).
In humans, inadequate choline intake during pregnancy has been linked to decreased hippocampal volume and impaired memory function in the offspring. However, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between choline and the hippocampus in humans (5).
More on choline, learning, and memory
Choline is an essential nutrient that is involved in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Neurotransmitters are chemicals released by nerve cells (neurons) to transmit signals to other cells, such as other neurons or muscle cells. Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter that is involved in a wide range of functions, including muscle control, memory, and learning.
In the body, choline is converted into acetylcholine by an enzyme called choline acetyltransferase. This process occurs in the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Acetylcholine is then released by neurons and binds to receptors on other cells, transmitting signals and enabling communication between cells.
Adequate choline intake supports acetylcholine synthesis and maintains healthy nervous system function.
Choline is needed to convert folate into its active form
Some evidence suggests that choline and folate may interact in the body and influence each other's metabolism and function. For example, choline is required to convert folate to its active form, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), in the liver. This conversion is necessary for folate to be used by the body for essential functions.
Folate is particularly important during pregnancy and lactation because the developing fetus and breastfeeding infant require folate for proper growth and development. Adequate folate intake during pregnancy has been shown to prevent neural tube defects and to support healthy fetal development. Adequate folate intake during lactation has been shown to support infant cognitive development and memory function.
Additionally, folate deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of choline deficiency, and vice versa. However, more research is needed to fully understand the interaction between choline and folate and the potential clinical implications of this interaction. It is important to ensure adequate intake of both choline and folate to support optimal health and function.
Choline deficiency
90% of pregnant and breastfeeding mamas aren’t getting enough choline, and most don’t even know it. Experts call it the “forgotten nutrient” – because it’s easy to forget that it exists – yet it plays a critical role in memory, mood, and the repair of your cells.
Most prenatal vitamins contain less than 10% of the RDA. That’s because choline is a bulky, chalky nutrient – making it nearly impossible to add optimal amounts to a tiny prenatal tablet or capsule.
Fortunately, now there’s an easy way to make sure you’re getting enough choline in your daily diet: Mama Bird Mineral Complex includes 550 mg of brain-boosting choline in every scoop. It also contains 350 mg of magnesium to support feelings of calm and relaxation + better sleep, calcium to fortify bone health and strength, vitamin D3 for stronger immunity and supported mood, and inositol to support the nervous system and encourage optimal hormone balance. It’s the perfect addition to your prenatal or postnatal multivitamin.
