Pregnancy Essential Nutrients Bundle

The Essential Pregnancy Nutrients Bundle is designed for women who are trying to conceive or pregnant – first, second or third trimester, who also need help maintaining their iron and calcium status.

Taking a prenatal vitamin for at least 1-3 months prior to conceiving and throughout pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding is essential to meet your increased nutrient demands for key nutrients like folate, iodine and DHA to support you and your baby’s health and development during this time of rapid growth and change!

However, no prenatal vitamin can provide you 100% of all your requirements in one or two capsules!

The iron content of your pregnancy multi-vitamin can vary a lot, some pregnancy multi-vitamins contain little or no iron and others contain more. However, iron is a tricky mineral, it can impact the absorption of other critical minerals like zinc, calcium and magnesium which are also commonly found in pregnancy multi-vitamins.

So, to get the most out of your pregnancy multi-vitamin and your iron supplement, it is best to take them as separate products for maximum absorption! Plus, if your health care provider has advised you need extra iron you want to be getting enough in too!

People who are vegetarian or vegan are at particular risk of iron deficiency, particularly during pregnancy where your requirements inflate by a whopping 50%! And from the latest Australian data, very few (about 1%) pregnant women are able to meet their iron requirements through diet alone whether they were vegetarian or not (Slater et al., 2020).

Similarly, calcium can be a tricky mineral to get enough of at the best of times to help support healthy bones, after all, about 99% of all calcium in the body is stored here. Calcium also plays an important role in muscle and heart function.

Interestingly, you don’t need more calcium during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding compared to pre-conception. This means the requirements of 1000 mg per day stays the same from pre-conception through to post-partum. This is because it is understood that absorption of calcium from foods during pregnancy is enhanced compared to when you are not pregnant.

Requirements may be higher for some individuals, speak to your health care provider about your calcium needs.

The calcium content of your pregnancy multi-vitamin can vary a lot, most pregnancy multi-vitamins contain little or no calcium. However, much like iron, calcium is a tricky mineral, it can impact the absorption of other critical minerals like iron and zinc which are also commonly found in pregnancy multi-vitamins.

So, to get the most out of your pregnancy multi-vitamin and your calcium supplement, it is best to take them as separate products for maximum absorption! Plus, if your health care provider has advised you need calcium to fill in a dietary gap that you have, you want to be getting enough!

Iron is an essential mineral that is found in the centre of red blood cells (called haemoglobin). Its primary role is to pick up oxygen from your lungs and transport it to all the various tissues around your body – pretty important, and particularly during pregnancy!

During pregnancy, especially in trimester 2 & 3, iron requirements skyrocket due to rapid expansion of blood volume (which is why you’re probably feeling breathless and a bit warmer than usual!). In fact, they inflate by a whopping 50% (compared to pre-conception).

Achieving optimal iron intake and levels is needed to feel your best – think energy levels, vitality, mood and concentration during pregnancy and parenthood too!

Plus, achieving adequate iron stores during pregnancy supports baby’s developing brain and supports sufficient iron stores in your newborn, so make sure you’re getting this monitored regularly with your health care provider during pregnancy.

Whilst you don’t need additional calcium during pregnancy, mostly because your body can absorb more from your food during pregnancy. However, staggeringly around 70% of Australian women of reproductive age are not meeting their calcium requirements from diet alone according to the latest health data (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2015).

We require 1000 mg of calcium every day (pregnant or non-pregnant), and the best sources are dairy foods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, bony fish and calcium-fortified tofu.

Many women are moving away from dairy foods in favour of non-dairy alternatives that are often not calcium-fortified (have calcium added back in to help match the amounts we would get from milk). Some women simple are not eating enough foods from this food group and that leaves a significant gap in calcium intake which may compromise bone health in the long-term.

Research has also shown that reaching your calcium targets can help reduce your risk of developing pre-eclampsia, a serious health concern in pregnancy characterised by high blood pressure but can have a significant impact on the kidneys and liver and can pose a serious risk to both your own health and your babies if not managed quickly and appropriately by your obstetrician or medical team.

There are certainly benefits to ensuring your iron and calcium status is optimised before, during and after pregnancy to feel your best and to support you and your baby’s health throughout the path to parenthood.

Yes! All of the Perdays products in the Essential Pregnancy Nutrients Bundle contain small and easy-to-swallow capsules for maximum comfort.

Perdays Key Essentials & DHA features our NutriSEAL capsule technology for a targeted release of nutrients for maximum absorption, and are easy-to-swallow.

Perdays Pregnancy Iron & Vitamin C features a small, easy to swallow and odourless tablet. The diameter is around the size of a 5 cent coin and is about half a centimetre in thickness.

Perdays Pregnancy Calcium & Vitamin D mini-capsules are small and easy to swallow. Compared to a regular calcium supplement, Perdays Pregnancy Calcium & Vitamin D has been designed to be more compact, making it easier for anyone that has difficulty swallowing large pills.

Please note: We do not recommend crushing or cutting tablets.

It is best to space out your iron, calcium and prenatal vitamin throughout the day to support maximum absorption and reduce interactions between the different minerals. Please consult your health care provider for advice, however, here is a sample day of timing your supplements if you are taking all the supplements in our Essential Pregnancy Nutrients Bundle.

Perdays Key Essentials & DHA – take 1 capsule daily with breakfast and dinner (total 2 capsules daily)

Perdays Pregnancy Iron & Vitamin C – take 1 tablet daily 1 hour after dinner (total 1 tablet daily)

Perdays Pregnancy Calcium & Vitamin D – take 2 capsules 2 hours after breakfast, take 2 capsules with lunch and take 2 capsules 2 hours after dinner (total 6 capsules daily, you may need less than this dependent on your needs, consult with your health care provider).

Learn more about ideal supplement timing here: https://perdays.com.au/2022/04/04/why-you-need-to-be-nailing-the-timing-of-your-pregnancy-supplements/

No. Pregnancy Key Essentials & DHA and Pregnancy Iron & Vitamin C are both suitable for vegetarian and vegan dietary needs. However Pregnancy Calcium & Vitamin D is not.