Pregnancy and Postpartum Dietitian Nutritionist in the St. Louis Area, Missouri, and Illinois -

When someone gets pregnant, the experts emerge! Everyone has advice – even that well-meaning stranger behind you in the grocery store. There are literally millions of articles on pregnancy, not to mention your great-great aunt’s folk remedies for everything. We do not recommend you get your pregnancy advice from Google, Tik-Tok, Instagram, your great great aunt, or that stranger in the grocery store.

A prenatal dietitian on our team will provide you with online or in-person nutrition therapy, in one of our St. Louis area offices. We provide evidence-based nutrition support to help ensure you and your developing baby get the nutrients and care you need. (Close that browser!)

Here are the key roles a dietitian plays during a woman’s pregnancy:

 

• Nutritional Assessment: We evaluate the mother's dietary habits, nutritional status, and any specific needs or deficiencies.

• Customized Meal Plans: We can help develop tailored meal plans to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients like folic acid, iron, calcium, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.

• Managing Morning Sickness: Uff. Pregnancy can be rough, and getting nutrients while dealing with morning sickness is a challenge. We can suggest dietary strategies to alleviate nausea and vomiting, such as eating small, frequent meals and identifying foods that are easier to tolerate.

• Addressing Food Aversions and Cravings: Our bodies can crave (or reject) the strangest things during pregnancy. We can provide pregnant women with healthy alternatives and solutions to manage common food aversions and cravings during pregnancy.

• Special Dietary Needs: We will advise women with dietary modifications with specific conditions such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, or anemia.

• Hydration Guidance: Adequate hydration during pregnancy is key to both mom and her developing baby’s well being. We can help mothers-to-be stay hydrated with strategies to meet daily water needs.

• Supplement Recommendations: We provide all pregnant women with recommendations appropriate prenatal vitamins and supplements to fill any nutritional gaps.

• Education on Food Safety: We will help educate expecting parents about food safety practices to avoid foodborne illnesses, which are particularly risky during pregnancy.

• Postpartum Nutrition: Pregnancy, technically, extends into those first few months postpartum. A postnatal nutritionist on our team will provide support for postpartum nutrition, focusing on recovery, breastfeeding support, and managing any postpartum conditions such as baby blues or depression.

• Ongoing Support and Monitoring: A prenatal dietitian on our team will provide all patients with continuous support and monitoring throughout the pregnancy, making adjustments to the diet as needed to accommodate changing nutritional requirements.

A dietitian can help monitor intake, ensure proper nutrient intake, work around diet modifications if there are complications such a gestational diabetes or anemia so the mom can feel confident in feeding not only herself but her baby too.

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