The Benefits of Probiotics While Breastfeeding
October 17, 2014
Bacteria are infamous for causing disease, so the idea of ingesting them for your benefit may be counter intuitive. In fact, bacteria are naturally occurring in our bodies. Your mouth, gums, tongue, throat and stomach house over 500 different types of bacteria.1 So contrary to what you may think, not all bacteria are bad.
In a healthy person there is a balance of good and bad bacteria. But things like stress, poor nutrition antibiotics and different pathogens can compromise the good bacteria in your gut. But the good news is that taking a probiotic daily can help keep the bacteria in your gut balanced. Plus, recent research indicates that taking a daily probiotic may benefit you in a variety of other ways.
Benefits of Probiotics to Mom & Baby
The full extent of the benefit of probiotics is not yet known. Although research is ongoing, there have been studies to indicate a daily probiotic may have the following benefits:
- Promote digestive health and regulate the movement of food through the intestines2
- Improved immune system2
- Promotes a strengthened and more resilient stomach lining2
- Deter the growth of bad bacteria from in the gut lining2
- Produce B vitamins necessary for metabolizing food, warding off anemia and maintaining healthy skin and nervous system2
How Does Baby Acquire Probiotics
It all starts at birth. During the birthing process, babies are exposed to their mothers’ bacteria. After birth breastfeeding provides additional exposure to the mothers’ beneficial bacteria. The bacteria from mother transfers to baby during the feeding process.
Choosing the Right Probiotic
Managing your digestive health and nutritional intake is important for everyone. But the importance is amplified when you are eating for two. Prenate® Restore is a postpartum dietary supplement designed for the needs of breastfeeding moms and nursing infants.. It’s the first and only postnatal vitamin with probiotics, DHA and 13 other vitamins and minerals.3-7 Finding the best postnatal vitamins is crucial to ensure you and your baby are getting proper nutrient intake. The Prenate® Vitamin Family is the gold standard of prenatal vitamins. Click here to learn more about Prenate® Restore.