North Carolina Pregnancy Certified Nutritionist: How to Optimize Prenatal Nutrition

Optimal fetal development in the modern world requires a comprehensive plan that ideally begins well before pregnancy.  As pregnancy nutritionists, we recommend that you start your pregnancy diet plan 3-12 months before conception.

This also includes Dad!  Yes, nutrition plays an important role in sperm quality as well, and male-driven infertility is increasingly common.

Important Nutrients for Prenatal Nutrition

A critical component of a prenatal wellness plan is nutrition. Naturally, nutrition is incredibly powerful when it comes to prenatal development. Nutrients like choline, iodine, EPA and DHEA omega-3 fats, folate, and iron have been shown to significantly impact fetal and child development. These differences persist even into school age. For example, language development and cognition in children are both impacted by nutrition before birth. Thus, nutrients are important for avoiding birth defects and promoting both cognitive and verbal development.

Consequently, many women fall short on these important fetal-development nutrients.

When it comes to providing optimal nutrition for a developing baby, many women are given the false impression that a prenatal vitamin is sufficient. However, most prenatal vitamins don’t contain the correct forms and dosing of nutrients that are needed.

Prenatal Nutrition Components

Your baby’s development may be impacted by other health factors, most of which can be controlled and improved with prenatal dietary interventions. For example, this includes your:

• Blood sugar balance
• Microbiome, also known a gut health
• Essential fatty acid status, such as omega-3s
• Natural detoxification pathways
• Toxic load (common environmental exposures)
• Inflammatory triggers
• Diet and lifestyle
• Antioxidant status

All of these factors can profoundly impact each step of your child’s journey, from pre-conception through postpartum. Optimal fetal development depends on the successful integration of hormones, shifts in the gut microbiome, and immune system.  Also, it is critical that these changes occur in synchrony with one another.

Yet, many women are already experiencing dysfunction in one or more of these systems before they conceive.  The various shifts throughout the body during pregnancy and postpartum cause even greater breakdowns.

Prenatal Nutrition Professionals

By working with a certified pregnancy nutritionist, you get a customized plan that optimizes your pre-conception, prenatal, and postnatal wellness. As clinical nutrition experts, we are trained to look at the whole picture when developing your nutrition plan. For instance, we start with a full diet and environment assessment. You’ll also have the option of getting a full micronutrient panel (link to testing page), so that you know exactly what nutrients you may be low in.

Then, we’ll advise you on how to implement a specific, realistic, and healthful dietary approach that optimizes your nutritional status for your baby. You’ll have access to meal plans, recipes, and support from us, so that implementing your diet plan is stress-free.

Also, we don’t just give you a plan and send you out the door. Expect thorough support throughout your conception, pregnancy, and postpartum journey!

Prefer to go self-paced? Check out our Empowered Pregnancy Course HERE!

Take our Pregnancy Nutrition Planning Quiz!

Here’s an Overview of Our Results-Driven Process

With our process, you’ll have the confidence in knowing that you’re doing all you can to support your baby’s healthy growth. And we’ll support you every step of the way!

Remember, the ideal time to start your prenatal nutrition plan is 3-12 months before conception.  And don’t forget, his includes Dad!

Set up a call with us to discuss how we can help you with a plan to optimize your prenatal nutrition.

Prenatal Nutrition Online Course

Would you love to get help with your prenatal nutrition, but self-paced and for much less expense than our cash pay packages?

Jump into our prenatal nutrition course! We’ve laid out the specific path that will get you through a nourished pregnancy and post-partum period. This course is great self-paced OR in combo with 1:1 RD consultation!

The Empowered Pregnancy course has been intentionally designed for mamas who are seeking knowledge and direction in regards to nutrition. The way you nourish yourself during pregnancy will shape the health of your baby not only in infancy but lifelong as well.

By the end of this course, you will have the tools you need to plan + enjoy meals that meet all of your nutrition needs while also satisfying your cravings!

Here’s what you can expect:

• 6 lessons that will allow you to optimize your diet for a healthy pregnancy & baby
• Downloadable slides for each lesson
• Meal plans
• Handout listing the most important nutrients and their food sources
• How to soothe nausea and food aversions
• Coupon codes for trusted supplement brands
• Postnatal/breastfeeding tips & tricks