Why Your Probiotic Strain Matters During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

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Why Your Probiotic Strain Matters During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
MN

Written by Melanie Nolan

BHSc Naturopathy

Melanie is a degree-qualified naturopath, mother of four, and the founder of Naternal Vitamins. She formulated the Naternal range after years of clinical experience helping women through preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum - and after her own frustration with what was available on the supplement shelf. Every article is grounded in clinical research and real-world experience.

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Why Your Probiotic Strain Matters During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

A lot of women are already taking a probiotic during pregnancy.

Maybe their midwife recommended one. Maybe a friend suggested it. Or perhaps they found it in an article during one of those late-night searches when sleep felt impossible.

But here’s the problem: many of the probiotics women are taking are general gut and immune formulas picked up from the chemist. They aren’t necessarily designed for the specific needs of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Not all probiotic strains are the same

Probiotic research is strain-specific—not simply species-specific.

When a label lists Lactobacillus rhamnosus alongside an impressive CFU count, it may sound reassuring. But without the strain name, it tells you very little about the research behind that probiotic.

Two probiotics can contain the same species while using entirely different strains. One strain may have more than a decade of published research behind it, while another may have very little research at all.

Same species name. Completely different stories.

This is part of the reason I could never confidently point to a probiotic on the shelf and say, “Yes, that’s the one.”

Your needs change after your baby arrives

There’s something else most general probiotics don’t account for: your body isn’t asking for the same support throughout every stage.

During pregnancy, you may be looking for support that helps maintain:

  • Healthy immune system function

  • Healthy vaginal flora

  • Urinary tract health

  • Intestinal health

Once your baby arrives and you begin breastfeeding, your needs change. Breast health becomes part of the picture, and symptoms of mild mastitis can become a real concern.

Your baby may also need different support, particularly when there is a family history of eczema.

These are different jobs that require carefully selected, researched strains. Yet many women simply continue taking the same general probiotic without knowing whether it offers the right support for either stage.

Meet MotherBloom

MotherBloom contains four carefully selected probiotic strains, each chosen for a specific purpose and dosed in line with the research behind it.

One capsule a day provides targeted support throughout both pregnancy and breastfeeding, so you don’t need to search for a new probiotic once your baby arrives.

During pregnancy, MotherBloom helps maintain healthy vaginal flora, urinary tract and intestinal health, and healthy immune system function.

During breastfeeding, it can also help relieve symptoms of mild mastitis and reduce the occurrence of mild eczema symptoms in breastfed babies.

Every strain is clearly named on the label, so you know exactly what you’re taking and why it has been included.

The probiotic I wish I’d had

I truly wish I’d had MotherBloom the first time around.

With a family history of eczema on both sides and my own experience with recurring mastitis, this is the probiotic I had been searching for, but could never find.

So, in many ways, MotherBloom was quite literally built for me.

And now, I cannot wait to share it with you.

MotherBloom launches 6 October 2026.