Did you know that the health of your gut can actually influence your baby’s health, even through breast milk? As a new parent, you juggle so many decisions about what’s best for your little one. Adding a probiotic into your routine feels like one more complex choice. You want to support your body, maybe ease digestion, or even help your baby with colic, but the sheer number of brands and strains available is overwhelming.
Choosing a probiotic while breastfeeding comes with extra worries. Is it safe? Will it pass through to my baby? Finding clear, trustworthy information can feel like a full-time job! We understand that you need simple, reliable guidance to feel confident in your daily choices.
This post cuts through the confusion. We will clearly explain what probiotics are, why they matter during this special time, and how to select a high-quality supplement that supports both you and your nursing infant safely. Keep reading to discover the best ways to boost your wellness while you nourish your baby!
Top Probiotic While Breastfeeding Recommendations
- Breastfeeding Essentials: Pink Stork Total Lactation Probiotic Supplement supports gut health, digestive wellness, and immune health for nursing and pumping moms — and benefits may pass on to your breastfed baby! Probiotics play an important role alongside other lactation products by helping support nutrient absorption and digestive balance, which can be especially important during the postpartum and breastfeeding season. Including our probiotics for breastfeeding women in your daily postnatal ritual is easy, with just 1 capsule daily. Pair with any Pink Stork Postnatal Vitamins for women and lactation support products to help support your overall breastfeeding wellness routine.
- Why Probiotics? Probiotics help balance the good and bad bacteria in your body, which supports digestion, postpartum constipation, gut health, vaginal pH balance, immune health, and overall wellness. Postpartum hormones can be linked to gut health - and the bacteria in your gut may create up to 90% of your body's supply of serotonin!
- For Mom + Baby: Not any ordinary lactation supplements for breastfeeding moms, probiotic benefits can be passed through breast milk to support your baby's developing immune system and gut health. Use throughout your breastfeeding journey.
- Clean: Pink Stork Lactation Probiotics do not contain gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, or GMOs. Third-party tested and breastfeeding-friendly for nursing and pumping moms. Just 1 easy-to-swallow capsule daily, best with food. 1 month supply. No refrigeration needed.
- Women-Owned, Women-Run! Our founder and CEO, Amy Suzanne, is a mom of 6 children and knows how important it is to give new moms products you can trust. Over 80% of our employees are women, and we create clean, trusted, and effective products for every stage of your journey. We are on a mission to provide women with hope and positively impact everyone that comes in contact with Pink Stork.
- Prenatal Probiotic for Pregnant Women – Designed to support pregnancy, postnatal, and postpartum wellness by promoting hormonal balance, urinary and vaginal health, and a healthy gut microbiome.
- Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Support – Helps ease morning sickness, supports healthy digestion, and may reduce common discomforts like nausea, heartburn, and bloating during pregnancy.
- Lactation & Postnatal Recovery – Supports milk flow and immune function for breastfeeding mothers while helping reduce the risk of mastitis. Also promotes your baby’s early microbiome development.
- Clean, Vegan, and Allergen-Free – This non-GMO, gluten-free, and additive-free formula is safe for long-term use during and after pregnancy, and ideal for sensitive stomachs.
- Trusted Quality & Safety – Made in the USA in a GMP-certified facility and third-party tested for potency and purity. Comes with a 100% unconditional money-back policy. your satisfaction is our priority.
- Postpartum Essentials – Specially formulated for new moms, Lovebug Postnatal women's probiotic supports a balanced microbiome, aiding breastfeeding, digestion, immunity, mood and emotional well-being*
- 20 Billion CFUs – These natural probiotics for women digestive health include 7 clinically studied strains – Bifidobacterium infantis, B. bifidum, Lactobacillus reuteri, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, L. fermentum, and L. acidophilus
- Proprietary Lactation Supplement – Enriched with Fenugreek Seed, Milk Thistle, and Fennel Seed, this unique blend naturally supports breast milk production while helping to ease digestive discomfort like acid reflux, constipation, and bloating*
- Nourishing Moms & Babies – This post pregnancy probiotic for women nurtures a mother's gut health, helping to shape her baby's developing microbiome and laying the foundation for lifelong digestive and immune health*
- 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐒 – Support a healthy balance of breast bacteria and promote overall breast health with Lacta-Biotic by Legendairy Milk.
- 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 – Latching issues? Ill-fitting breast shields? We get it, breastfeeding can come with some discomfort. The targeted probiotic strain in Lacta-Biotic is clinically shown to help ease breastfeeding discomfort and support healthy lactation.*
- 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 – 1 capsule delivers 3 billion CFUs of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716, the first probiotic strain isolated from human breast milk.
- 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄-𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘 – Lacta-Biotic probiotic can be taken at the end of pregnancy and during all stages of life, but as with any dietary supplement, please consult with a skilled lactation professional and/or your physician before using this product especially if you are pregnant, nursing, experiencing nipple or breast pain or otherwise under medical supervision.
- 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 - Trusted and used by breastfeeding moms around the world, Legendairy Milk is an industry leader in herbal lactation supplements. Lacta-Biotic breastfeeding probiotic is formulated by a mom and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist.
- PRENATAL DIETARY SUPPLEMENT: Garden of Life Once Daily Prenatal offers daily probiotic support during pregnancy and lactation*
- DIGESTIVE & IMMUNE SUPPORT: This prenatal dietary supplement offers a prenatal probiotic blend to support gut health and immune system function*
- QUALITY WOMEN'S HEALTH SUPPORT: Our probiotics for expecting mothers include 20 billion CFU from 16 strains; this supplement also contains an organic prebiotic fiber blend
- CLEAN DIETARY SUPPLEMENT: Garden of Life's daily probiotic support supplement is non-GMO and vegetarian; it's also free from gluten
- EMPOWERING EXTRAORDINARY HEALTH: Garden of Life empowers you with the tools necessary to achieve extraordinary health
- If you are looking for a probiotic as a breastfeeding mom or simply to support your postnatal needs, our Probiotic Postnatal+ capsules may be for you!
- In addition to probiotics, these capsules contain iron, selenium, choline, ashwagandha, and ginger.
- Our iron comes from bioavailable Ferrochel, otherwise known as ferrous bisglycinate chelate, a unique form of iron that may have higher absorption rates and increased tolerability than Iron salts.
- Another essential mineral, selenium has been shown in preliminary studies to positively impact thyroid modulation in new mothers with adequate intake.
- Choline is an essential nutrient for mom’s brain that breastfeeding mothers should ensure to consume in adequate amounts.
- Breastfeeding Essentials: Pink Stork Total Lactation Probiotic Supplement supports gut health, digestive wellness, and immune health for nursing and pumping moms -- and benefits may pass on to your breastfed baby! Including our probiotics for breastfeeding women in your daily postnatal ritual is easy, with 1 capsule daily. Pair with any Pink Stork Postnatal Vitamins for women and lactation support products for optimal results.
- Why Probiotics? Probiotics help balance the good and bad bacteria in your body, which supports digestion, postpartum constipation, gut health, vaginal pH balance, immune health, and overall wellness. Postpartum hormones can be linked to gut health - and the bacteria in your gut may create up to 90% of your body's supply of serotonin!
- Breastfeeding Essentials: Not any ordinary lactation supplements for breastfeeding moms, probiotic benefits can be passed through breast milk to support your baby's developing immune system and gut health.
- Clean: Pink Stork Lactation Probiotics do not contain gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, or GMOs. Third-party tested and breastfeeding-friendly for nursing and pumping moms.
- Women-Owned, Women-Run! Our founder and CEO, Amy Suzanne, is a mom of 6 children and knows how important it is to give new moms products you can trust. Over 80% of our employees are women, and we create clean, trusted, and effective products for every stage of your journey. We are on a mission to provide women with hope and positively impact everyone that comes in contact with Pink Stork.
- MILK PRODUCTION SUPPORT: Mommy's Bliss Postnatal Lactation capsules are one of our breastfeeding essentials; containing fenugreek, blessed thistle, and milk thistle to help support your milk production/supply
- LACTATION SPECIALIST FORMULATED: Our concentrated formula helps you get the benefits of fenugreek in fewer capsules per day
- POSTPARTUM ESSENTIAL: As moms we understand that with the struggle to keep up your milk supply, we tend to push our own needs to the side. Our concentrated formula has added LactoSpore blend of probiotics to help support your immunity and digestive health while nursing
- QUALITY INGREDIENTS: A vegan & vegetarian herbal dietary supplement for nursing moms without dairy, gluten or soy; no artificial flavors and colors.
- Contains 60 small, easy-to-swallow capsules.; take 1 - 2 capsules with food; do not exceed 7 capsules per day
Choosing the Best Probiotic While Breastfeeding: A Parent’s Guide
Welcoming a new baby is wonderful, but it can bring little challenges too. Many new mothers explore probiotics to support their health and their baby’s. Finding the right one takes a little homework. This guide helps you choose a safe and effective probiotic supplement while you are breastfeeding.
Key Features to Look For
When shopping for a probiotic for nursing mothers, several features matter most. These features ensure you get the best support for both you and your baby.
Strain Specificity and Diversity
- Targeted Strains: Look for probiotics that list specific strains, like Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or Bifidobacterium lactis. These strains are well-studied for gut health and infant benefits.
- Strain Diversity: A good probiotic has multiple different strains working together. More strains often mean broader support for your digestive system.
CFU Count (Colony Forming Units)
CFU tells you how many live, active bacteria are in each dose. For breastfeeding support, aim for products with at least 5 to 10 billion CFUs. Higher numbers are not always better; consistency in the listed amount is key.
Delivery Method
Some probiotics come in capsules, while others are liquids. Liquid drops are often very easy to use when breastfeeding, as you can place a few drops directly onto your nipple before feeding, or mix them into a small amount of water or milk.
Important Materials and Ingredients
What’s inside the capsule or bottle matters just as much as the bacteria count.
Probiotic Strains (The Good Bacteria)
Always check the label to ensure the strains listed are recognized as safe for use during lactation. Reputable brands use strains that have passed safety reviews for mothers and infants.
Prebiotics (Food for the Bacteria)
Some formulas include prebiotics, like inulin or FOS (fructooligosaccharides). Prebiotics act as food, helping the good bacteria thrive in your gut. This feature often improves the overall effectiveness of the supplement.
Avoid Unnecessary Fillers
Check the “Other Ingredients” list. High-quality probiotics keep things simple. Try to avoid unnecessary artificial colors, flavors, or excessive binders. If you have allergies, check carefully for common allergens like soy or dairy, even if the probiotic is listed as dairy-free.
Factors That Improve or Reduce Quality
The quality of a probiotic depends on how well the bacteria survive until they reach your gut.
Survivability and Shelf Life
The best probiotics guarantee the stated CFU count until the expiration date, not just when they are made. Some require refrigeration. If a product doesn’t need refrigeration, it means the strains used are naturally more resilient. Always follow the storage instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Third-Party Testing
High-quality supplements undergo testing by independent labs. This testing confirms that what the label says is actually in the bottle. Look for seals or statements confirming third-party verification.
User Experience and Use Cases
How you use the product affects your success with it.
Consistency is Key
Probiotics work best when taken daily. Set a reminder on your phone. Most experts suggest taking them at the same time each day, often with a meal, unless the label specifically says otherwise.
Common Use Cases
Mothers often use probiotics for a few main reasons:
- Digestive Comfort: To help ease common postpartum bloating or irregular bowel movements.
- Immune Support: To support a strong immune system during a time when the body is recovering.
- Baby’s Health: Some studies suggest maternal probiotics may positively influence the baby’s gut health, especially regarding common infant gas or fussiness. (Always discuss major health concerns with your pediatrician.)
10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Probiotics While Breastfeeding
Q: Are probiotics safe to take while I am breastfeeding?
A: Yes, most reputable, well-researched probiotic strains are considered safe for nursing mothers. Always check with your doctor or lactation consultant before starting any new supplement.
Q: Will taking a probiotic help my baby’s gas or colic?
A: Some research suggests that maternal probiotics might help reduce the incidence of colic or fussiness in breastfed babies. It is not a guaranteed cure, but many mothers report positive results.
Q: When should I take my probiotic—with food or on an empty stomach?
A: This depends on the product. Some strains survive stomach acid better when taken with food, while others work best on an empty stomach. Follow the specific directions on your chosen bottle.
Q: Can I take my prenatal vitamin and a probiotic at the same time?
A: Generally, yes. However, if you notice digestive upset, try separating them by a few hours. For example, take your prenatal in the morning and your probiotic in the evening.
Q: What is the difference between a probiotic and a prebiotic?
A: Probiotics are the live, beneficial bacteria. Prebiotics are the non-digestible fibers that feed those bacteria, helping them grow stronger in your gut.
Q: How long does it take to notice a difference?
A: Some women notice changes in digestion within a week. For immune or long-term gut balance, it might take four to six weeks of consistent use to feel the full benefits.
Q: What CFU count should I look for?
A: Aim for a product that offers at least 5 billion CFUs, but look for quality strains over just a very high number.
Q: Do I need a refrigerated probiotic?
A: Not necessarily. Many high-quality, shelf-stable probiotics use robust strains that do not require refrigeration, making them easier to keep on hand.
Q: Should I choose a formula that includes both strains for me and strains for my baby?
A: If you are concerned about transferring benefits to your baby, look for products that list strains known to pass into breast milk or that have specific infant-targeted versions available.
Q: What should I do if I experience side effects like mild bloating?
A: Mild initial side effects like gas or bloating can happen as your gut adjusts. Try reducing the dose for a few days, then slowly increase it again. If discomfort continues, stop use and ask your healthcare provider.