The Importance of Probiotics for Postpartum

Here I will share the importance of probiotics for postpartum. Probiotics are essential in supporting your and your baby’s microbiome and overall health. I will share practical ways of how to incorporate probiotic-rich foods into your meals.

Studies have shown that when a mother ingests probiotics, whether through diet or supplementation, that it has many positive benefits for her baby while breastfeeding (study).

If your baby has been birthed via the birth canal, then she is already getting a good dose of beneficial bacteria. Additionally if you are breastfeeding your baby, this continues to inoculate her. However, if you are eating probiotic-rich food or consuming a high quality probiotic supplement, then it can more than double the level of immunoprotective compounds in your milk (study).

While probiotic consumption is beneficial for your baby, it is also beneficial for a mother during pregnancy and postpartum, especially if your immunity has been suppressed or if you have take antibiotics.

I did not know about the benefits of probiotics during my first two postpartum seasons. I was induced with my first two babies and was administered antibiotics at one time or another with those babies. Not surprisingly (and while genetics are a factor), both of my daughters share a wide range of allergies, eczema and asthma between them.

It was not until my third pregnancy with my son, that I took eating fermented food and taking probiotic supplementation seriously. To this day, my son does not suffer from any allergies, asthma or eczema.

I share this story because I believe in the power of probiotics for immunity protection and health for babies from as early as they were conceived.

It is so easy to incorporate fermented foods into your diet. If you are not used to the sour flavour of kimchi or sauerkraut, it does not take long before you enjoy it, like I eventually grew to.

What I will cover in The Importance of Probiotics for Postpartum

Benefits of probiotics for mother and baby
Which mothers will benefit from probiotics the most
How to incorporate probiotics into your diet
Probiotic supplements I recommend

Benefits of probiotics for mother and baby

Benefits for the mother:

Promotes healthy digestion, especially as a mother’s digestive system is often compromised after birth.
Strengthens the immune system.
Reduces the risk of the occurrence of mastitis (read more about this here).

Benefits for baby:

Encourages a robust immune system and protection against autoimmune diseases (study).
Reduces risk of yeast overgrowth or thrush in mouth.
Reduces risk of allergies and asthma (study).
Helps to improve digestion.

Which mothers will benefit from probiotics the most

All new mothers will benefit from probiotics, whether through diet of fermented foods or high quality supplementation. However, there are some mothers that will need it more than others.

These are the type of mothers I recommend taking probiotic supplementation:

Mothers who do not eat sufficient dietary sources of probiotic-rich food (fermented food to be precise).
Mothers who have a compromised digestion and need extra support.
Mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy or labour, or if regularly taken before falling pregnant.
Mothers who were Group B Strep positive during labour, experienced thrush or yeast infections while pregnant.
Mothers who birthed via Caesarean Section.

A study found that babies born vaginally were colonised predominantly with Lactobacillus. In comparison, babies who were born via Caesarean Section (c-section) were colonised predominantly by a combination of skin flora and bacteria found in hospitals. Hence, why I recommend mothers who give birth via c-section to take a probiotic supplement.

Women who have been administered antibiotics, prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy or while breastfeeding should definitely supplement with a high quality probiotic. This is because the levels of beneficial bacteria in the breastmilk of these women are significantly lower than a woman who did not take antibiotics during pregnancy or labour.

If you were GBS positive or had a c-section, you were likely administered antibiotics during labour, so probiotic supplementation is important to reintroduce good bacteria in your gut microbiome. This is also important because bacteria in your breastmilk (if you choose to breastfeed) influences your baby’s overall health (study).

Research about the birth and bacteria connection is still fairly recent. One study found that the mode of a baby being delivered was associated with differences in intestinal microbes 7 years post-delivery (study). This just proves how amazing the woman’s body is in supporting her baby’s overall health, simply through the bacteria in her birth canal.

How to incorporate probiotics into your diet

Personally, I was never really introduced to fermented foods until I studied holistic nutrition.

I was slightly hesitant at first. Sauerkraut sounded gross and kefir sounded too fancy. I might as well have just stuck to plain yoghurt.

However, once I began incorporating these foods into my lunches and dinners, I realised how much I loved the spice and tangy flavours that complemented the other flavours in my dish.

For example, I would mix kimchi into my burrito bowls and eat sauerkraut in a toasted sandwich with ham and cheese (much like a Reuben sandwich).

Here are some delicious ways you can incorporate probiotic-rich foods into your diet:

1. Coconut kefir pudding (recipe here)

2. Miso soup (recipe here)

3. Sauerkraut in a Reuben sandwich (there are a lot of unhealthy Reuben sandwich recipes out there. I would make it with ham or pastrami, swiss cheese, sauerkraut and butter on sourdough bread – easy!)

4. Scrambled eggs on toasted sourdough bread

5. Garden salad with pickles

6. Marinated tempeh bites (recipe here)

7. Plain yoghurt with nuts and berries

8. Kimchi in a burrito or nourish bowl

9. Milk kefir popsicles (recipe here)

10. Sauerkraut in a burrito or nourish bowl

There are plenty of ways you can eat fermented foods, but here are just a few examples.

Of course if you don’t prefer to eat fermented food, then I would recommend a high quality probiotic supplement to take during your pregnancy and throughout postpartum.