Understanding your perinatal nutrition needs during and after pregnancy can be confusing. Between choosing the right prenatal vitamins to managing the nausea that comes with swallowing those giant pills, and remembering the basics like staying nourished and hydrated postpartum, there’s a lot to think about. Plus, with so many prenatal and postnatal supplements available, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the options. But, is there a significant difference between prenatal and postnatal nutrition? And do women really need two completely different supplements?

We’re going to discuss how a mother’s nutritional needs don’t actually change much between pregnancy and postpartum. We’ll also highlight the subtle differences in energy and key nutrients that are important during both stages, and share how Nunona’s perinatal real food supplement is designed to support your nutritional needs throughout your motherhood journey, from conception through your baby’s first two years of life.

Prenatal and postpartum nutrition needs 

A woman’s perinatal nutrition is important because it supports:

• Conception
• Healthy fetal growth and development
• A healthy pregnancy
• Postpartum healing and recovery
• Lactation 
• Nutritional programming¹

Throughout pregnancy and postpartum, mothers require many of the same nutrients in similar amounts to support both their health and their baby’s growth and development. Here's a breakdown of a woman's daily energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient needs during pregnancy and lactation. 

Calories

Your body requires extra calories to support a growing baby and milk production during lactation.

Pregnancy: An extra 340 calories per day in the second trimester, and an extra 450 calories per day in the third trimester². 

Lactation: An extra 450 to 500 calories per day during lactation. 

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 250 to 270 calories 

Protein

During pregnancy, a mother needs protein to support the expansion of blood volume, growth of maternal tissues, development of the fetus, and the formation of the placenta³. In lactation, protein helps produce breast milk and helps create breast milk protein⁴. 

Pregnancy: 71 grams⁵

Lactation: 71 grams⁵

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 6 to 9 grams (8.5-12.7% Daily Value) 

Carbs

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy, regardless of life stage.

Pregnancy: 175 grams⁵

Lactation: 210 grams⁵

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 25 to 31 grams (14.3-17.7% Daily Value for pregnant mothers and 11.9-14.8% Daily Value for lactating mothers) 

Fat

Fatty acids are important for the development of the fetus, supplying energy and building the placenta and other organs. DHA fatty acids support brain development during pregnancy and breastfeeding,and it may also prevent symptoms of postpartum depression in mothers. 

Pregnancy: 20-35% of daily calories⁶

Lactation: 20-35% of daily calories⁶

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 14 to 18 grams

Folate

Folate supports optimal growth and prevents neural tube defects, severe birth defects that impact the brain and spine ⁷. 

Pregnancy: 600 micrograms⁸

Lactation: 500 micrograms⁸

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 575 micrograms from organic spinach (95.8% Daily Value for pregnant mothers and 115% Daily Value for lactating mothers)

Omega 3 DHA

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential building block for an infant’s brain and retinal tissue and supports cognitive development. 

Pregnancy: 200 milligrams to 300 milligrams⁹

Lactation: 200 milligrams to 300 milligrams ¹⁰

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 200 milligrams from non-GMO microalgae

Iron

Iron is responsible for optimal growth, brain development, energy production, and plays a role in a healthy immune system.

Pregnancy: 27 milligrams¹¹

Lactation: 9 milligrams ¹¹

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 26 milligrams from organic spinach (96.3% Daily Value for pregnant mothers and 288.9% Daily Value for lactating mothers)

Vitamin D

Vitamin D builds strong bones and teeth, supports the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and plays a role in the immune system.

Pregnancy: 15 micrograms or 600 IU⁸

Postpartum: 15 micrograms or 600 IU⁸

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 28.6 micrograms or 1,144 IU from Maitake mushroom (190.7% Daily Value)

Choline

Choline supports brain and spinal cord development.

Pregnancy: 450 milligrams¹²

Postpartum: 550 milligrams⁸

Nunona Pre+Postnatal Mama Bites: 160 milligrams from organic sunflower seeds (35.6% Daily Value for pregnant mothers and 29.1% for lactating mothers)

Nunona is your complete perinatal supplement

Research shows that there isn’t a significant difference between a mother’s nutrient needs during pregnancy and lactation. So, why are millions of women consuming synthetic pills that are marketed to target specific needs at every stage, from conception to postpartum? In reality, perinatal nutrition is not this complicated.  

It's important for mothers to supplement their diet during pregnancy and postpartum, yet up until now, synthetic pills have been the default choice. But these mass-produced pills come with their own concerns like pill aversion, nausea and worries about contaminants and preservatives. 

Nunona’s pre+postnatal supplement bridges the nutritional gaps in your diet with real, organic food that your body needs during the perinatal period. The scientifically-backed formula contains 100% more nutrients than the leading synthetic prenatal supplement on the market. Wherever  you are in your motherhood journey, you have a whole-food supplement that meets all of your nutrient supplementation needs to support your child’s lifetime health.

References

1. Schwarzenberg, Sarah Jane, and Michael K. Georgieff. “Advocacy for Improving Nutrition in the First 1000 Days to Support Childhood Development and Adult Health.” Pediatrics, vol. 141, no. 2, 22 Jan. 2018, p. e20173716, pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/141/2/e20173716, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3716.
2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Nutrition during Pregnancy.” Www.acog.org, 2022, www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy.
3. Lactation, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy and. Protein and Amino Acids. Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Academies Press (US), 1990, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK235221/.
4. Wati, Linda, et al. “The Role of Protein Intake on the Total Milk Protein in Lead-Exposed Lactating Mothers.” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 11, 31 May 2023, pp. 2584–2584, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10255346/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112584.
5. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies, et al. “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Total Water and Macronutrients.” Nih.gov, National Academies Press (US), 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56068/table/summarytables.t4/?report=objectonly.
6. USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 -2025 . USDA, Dec. 2020.
7. CDC. “Neural Tube Defects.” Birth Defects, 22 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/about/neural-tube-defects.html.
8. Ross, A. Catharine, et al. “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Vitamins.” Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56068/table/summarytables.t2/?report=objectonly.
9. Zhang, Zhiying, et al. “Dietary Intakes of EPA and DHA Omega-3 Fatty Acids among US Childbearing-Age and Pregnant Women: An Analysis of NHANES 2001–2014.” Nutrients, vol. 10, no. 4, 28 Mar. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5946201/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040416.
10. American Academy of Pediatrics. “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk.” PEDIATRICS, vol. 129, no. 3, 27 Feb. 2012, pp. e827–e841, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3552.
11. Oria, Maria, et al. “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Elements.” Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 5 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545442/table/appJ_tab3/?report=objectonly.
12. National Institutes of Health. “Office of Dietary Supplements - Choline.” Nih.gov, 2017, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-Consumer/.