How much folic acid do you need while breastfeeding? A guide to postpartum nutrition

October 21, 2025 •

3 min read

Folic acid, a B vitamin, plays a critical role in maternal health and infant development during the breastfeeding period. Ensuring adequate intake supports a mother's recovery and provides essential nutrients to her nursing child.

Quick Summary

Adequate folic acid intake is important for women who are breastfeeding to support their health and provide necessary nutrients for their infants. This B vitamin aids in recovery and development.

Key Points

Daily Recommendation: Breastfeeding women have increased nutritional needs, including for folic acid.
Maternal Benefits: Adequate folic acid helps replenish nutrient stores, supports postpartum healing, and prevents folate deficiency anemia, which can cause fatigue.
Infant Development: Folic acid is passed to the baby through breast milk, where it supports rapid cell growth, DNA synthesis, and the production of healthy blood cells.
Balanced Approach: Folic acid needs can be met through a combination of folate-rich foods like leafy greens and legumes, fortified grains, and often a postnatal vitamin.
Folate vs. Folic Acid: The synthetic form, folic acid, found in supplements and fortified foods, is more bioavailable and easily absorbed than the natural folate in whole foods.
Genetic Considerations: Individuals with an MTHFR gene variant may have difficulty converting folic acid and should consult a doctor about taking a pre-activated form, such as methylfolate.
Professional Guidance: It is always best to consult with a healthcare provider to determine the right form of folic acid for your specific needs.

The Importance of Folic Acid During Lactation

Breastfeeding women have increased nutritional needs to support both milk production and their own postpartum recovery. Folic acid contributes to these increased demands.

Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE) are used because the body better absorbs synthetic folic acid from supplements and fortified foods than natural folate. A combination of diet and supplements can help achieve recommended daily levels.

Why Folic Acid is Important While Breastfeeding

Folic acid is essential for various bodily functions in both the mother and infant during the postpartum period.

For the Mother

Replenishes stores: Folic acid helps rebuild nutrient reserves depleted during pregnancy and lactation.
Prevents anemia: It prevents folate deficiency anemia, which can cause fatigue and weakness, common concerns for new mothers.
Supports healing: Folic acid aids in new cell growth and tissue repair, assisting the body's recovery from childbirth.
Mental well-being: Some research suggests a link between adequate folate intake and a lower risk of perinatal depression, particularly in women with a specific genetic variation.

For the Infant

Growth and development: Breast milk provides folic acid vital for the baby's rapid cell growth and development.
Blood cell production: Folic acid supports the creation of red and white blood cells crucial for oxygen transport and immune function.
DNA synthesis: It is necessary for synthesizing DNA and genetic material as the infant's cells divide and grow.

Dietary and Supplemental Sources

Meeting daily folic acid needs can be achieved through nutrient-rich foods and continuing a postnatal vitamin.

Natural Food Folate

Foods high in natural folate include legumes, leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, citrus fruits, avocados, and liver.

Considerations for Food Sources

Cooking: Folate is sensitive to heat and water, so steaming or quick cooking methods help retain more of the vitamin compared to boiling.
Processing: Levels of folate may be lower in canned foods compared to fresh or frozen options.

Fortified Foods and Supplements

Many grain products like bread, pasta, rice, and breakfast cereals are fortified with folic acid. Healthcare providers often recommend a postnatal vitamin containing folic acid to help ensure daily needs are met, as diet alone can be insufficient.

Comparison: Folate vs. Folic Acid

These terms refer to different forms of the same vitamin with distinct characteristics.


Feature	Folate (Natural)	Folic Acid (Synthetic)
Source	Found naturally in foods like leafy greens and beans.	Added to supplements and fortified foods like cereals and bread.
Absorption	Less bioavailable; not as easily absorbed by the body.	Highly bioavailable; absorbed more efficiently than food folate.
Function	Required for cellular processes, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell formation.	Helps the body perform the same functions as folate.
Stability	Sensitive to heat, light, and oxidation during cooking and storage.	Generally more stable in supplements and fortified foods.

What If You Have an MTHFR Gene Variant?

Individuals with a common MTHFR gene variant may have reduced ability to convert synthetic folic acid into its active form, methylfolate. A doctor may recommend a supplement with pre-activated methylfolate instead of standard folic acid. If you have this variant or a history of high homocysteine levels, consult your healthcare provider for personalized advice.

Conclusion

Maintaining adequate folic acid levels daily while breastfeeding is crucial for the health of both mother and baby. While a diet rich in natural folate and fortified foods is beneficial, continuing a postnatal vitamin can help ensure adequate intake. Always consult with your doctor or a dietitian about your specific nutritional needs and supplementation during lactation.

For more information on folate and its health benefits, you can visit the Office of Dietary Supplements website at the National Institutes of Health.(https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-Consumer/)

Frequently Asked Questions

A breastfeeding woman has increased needs for folic acid per day. This amount can be achieved through dietary sources like leafy greens and legumes, as well as supplements.

Yes, it is generally considered safe and often recommended to continue taking a prenatal or postnatal vitamin while breastfeeding. Most of these supplements contain folic acid to help meet your daily needs.

Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 found in foods, while folic acid is the synthetic, more easily absorbed form used in supplements and fortified foods. Both contribute to the body's folate levels.

Yes, it benefits the baby. Folic acid passes into breast milk, providing the infant with this crucial nutrient for cell growth, DNA synthesis, and the development of healthy blood cells.

While it is possible to get enough folate from a diet rich in leafy greens, legumes, and fortified grains, many experts recommend taking a daily supplement to help ensure consistent and adequate intake. This is because folic acid from supplements is more efficiently absorbed.

When taken at recommended levels, folic acid is considered safe. However, excessive intake is not recommended unless prescribed by a doctor, as it can mask signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Excellent food sources of folate include leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, legumes such as lentils and beans, avocado, asparagus, and citrus fruits like oranges.

Symptoms of folate deficiency can include fatigue, weakness, mouth sores, and headache. These symptoms can overlap with other postpartum issues, so it is important to consult a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and blood tests.