This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to my patients and have personally used for years. I only share sponsored content from brands I trust and use in my own home.
If you’re trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or navigating postpartum or breastfeeding, this post is for you. I’m sharing why maternal depletion is so common–and what I look for in a prenatal as a registered dietitian and mom.
Pregnancy is one of the most demanding experiences the human body can undergo. It never ceases to amaze me all of the processes that go into creating a new life. It requires women to be well nourished, ideally six to twelve months before conception. Supplementation often plays a critical role in meeting these needs, helping ensure there are enough nutrients to go around. After all, mama and baby are pulling from the same pool of resources.
Maternal Depletion Is More Common Than We Think
It’s becoming less and less of a secret: women are often undernourished during their most critical life stages–pregnancy, postpartum, lactation, and beyond. This is often referred to as maternal depletion–the progressive loss of key nutrients without adequate time, support, or resources to restore them.
This depletion often manifests as occasional fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, mood changes, and more. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often dismissed as “normal.”
When I Realized Depletion Wasn’t Just “Part of Motherhood”
It happened to me. Being a registered dietitian didn’t shield me from the shortcomings of the current maternal healthcare system, and that says a lot.
After my second child, I was a stay-at-home mom to two kids under two, breastfeeding while navigating toddler meltdowns largely on my own during the day. I distinctly remember looking at an imaginary camera–breaking the fourth wall like I was on The Office. There were no witnesses to the insanity I was experiencing, of course, but my brain needed to pretend someone could see me, so I wouldn’t go fully insane.
There I was, juggling opposing nap schedules on zero sleep, eating whatever I could find that didn’t require preparation (Halloween candy from last year that I just found? Yum!), and scrounging whatever scraps my toddler left on his plate like Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings.
I was alone. A lot. Even with a supportive husband and incredible church community, no one was coming to make sure I fed myself, drank water, or even considered my own needs during the day. Alone with the impossible demands of young motherhood, I drowned.
Paired with postpartum mood changes that threw me for a loop (despite experiencing them the first time, too), I forgot to eat entirely. I’d look up, and it was three o’clock in the afternoon, and I hadn’t eaten, drunk water, or changed out of my pajamas (and they were very likely the same ones I’d worn the day before).
Mothers everywhere can relate to this vicious cycle: caring for everyone else while becoming increasingly depleted ourselves.
The Biggest Shift In My Journey: Survival to Thriving
Regardless of your village (or lack thereof), something isn’t adding up when it comes to nutrition during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding (or formula feeding–it’s still hard to eat while you bottle feed every few hours).
That’s where supplementation changed my story from survival to thriving.
It wasn’t just supplements. It was also diet and lifestyle changes, counseling, medication, and my kids getting older and more independent. But without supplements, it would have been practically impossible to bridge the gaps that kept me trapped in burnout and exhaustion.
I worked with a functional practitioner who started me on an herbal supplement regimen that gave my body many of the tools it needed to begin to heal. As a dietitian, I also knew that the best way to bridge nutrient gaps was through a high-quality multivitamin. I was still nursing at the time, so I went with a prenatal, and it made all the difference.
All Prenatals Are Not Created Equal
As you can imagine, I am incredibly picky when it comes to supplements. With data showing that up to 95% of women experience nutritional depletion, even while taking a prenatal, I needed a high-quality supplement that really packed a punch. I wasn’t messing around. I was tired of being tired and wanted to be the mom, wife, and homemaker that I knew I could be if I wasn’t so worn out.
What I Look for in a Prenatal as a Dietitian
Being discerning is worth it when it comes to supplements of any kind. Here are a few key things I always look for in a prenatal as a dietitian:
- Key vitamins and minerals in optimal forms and dosages (A, D, folate, choline, B6, zinc)
- Third-party testing for quality and purity
- Easy-to-take form (capsules or powder) that fits your preferences
- Leaves out iron and omega-3s so you can personalize based on lab work and your practitioner’s recommendations
- Formulated with folate (5-MTHF) instead of folic acid1
While this is not an exhaustive list, these are the things I consider non-negotiables when I’m comparing brands.
What Makes Needed Prenatal Multi Stand Out
Most prenatals are formulated to meet outdated RDAs that define minimums to avoid deficiency, not levels for optimal health during pregnancy. In other words, they don’t factor in mom’s needs.4 In fact, pregnant and breastfeeding women were excluded from 83% of the studies informing DRIs/RDAs. My ideal prenatal provides optimal nourishment for both mom and baby.
When patients ask me what prenatal I recommend as a dietitian, Needed Prenatal Multi is consistently at the top of my list. Needed formulates their products for nutrient repletion and optimization, not just adequacy. Their supplements are third-party tested, which is a non-negotiable for me.
Needed offers their prenatal in both capsules and powder. The powder blends beautifully into smoothies (and tastes delicious), which is a lifesaver during the first trimester when swallowing capsules is difficult. Capsules are often preferred later in pregnancy or postpartum when nausea has passed.
Some reasons I trust Needed Prenatal Multi:
- 8x more nutrition than leading prenatals* to meet women’s real fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum needs
- Clinically studied dosing to fight against nutritional depletion
- Twice the nutrients of the leading prenatal
- Optimal doses of nutrients often left out or underdosed in other prenatals: Choline, Vitamin A, B12, Selenium, and Vitamin D
*Based on the total daily dosage of nutrients provided compared to leading prenatals as determined by IRI sales data as of December 2025.
Needed knocks it out of the park on all of the things I look for in a prenatal, and that’s why I genuinely feel great about recommending their products to my patients and anyone else who asks my opinion on prenatals.
You can click here to explore their prenatal options and read more about how they are raising the standard for women’s health during the childbearing years and beyond.
A Final Word for Moms Who Feel Depleted
Unfortunately, so many women can relate to my story. Friends, family members, patients–nearly every woman I know has experienced feeling undernourished due to the weight of motherhood’s demands.
If you’re feeling exhausted, depleted, or “off,” I hope this reminds you that it’s not a personal failure. This isn’t something you’re meant to just push through.
Supplements are only one piece of the puzzle, but they can be a powerful step toward healing and thriving in your motherhood. Women deserve to feel nourished, supported, and whole–not drown in depletion and have their symptoms dismissed as “normal.”
That belief is why Needed exists, and why I do the work I do as an RD. I’m so thankful they partnered with me on this post to share their crucial work with you.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources & Further Reading
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9380836/
- Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE, author of Real Food for Pregnancy book, read to learn more about how current RDAs are outdated
- Needed’s About Page
- https://thisisneeded.com/blogs/the-science-of-nutrition/study
