BUMP
TO
BABY
Pregnancy Nutrition
Are you looking for a healthy pregnancy diet?
Pregnancy can seem like the ideal time to make changes to your diet. After all, there is an increasing amount of science suggesting that pregnancy nutrition can have a lasting impact on the future health of your child.
The thought of this can cause a huge amount of pressure and feel overwhelming. All at a time when you are encouraged to relax and start calm.
Working with a pregnancy nutritionist can provide you with reassurance and confidence in choosing which foods to eat when pregnant, to nourish you and your baby.
"Make food choices that honour your health and taste buds while making you feel good"
Everyone is an individual, and no one approach to food will suit all - never is this more true than during pregnancy.
As a pregnancy nutritionist, by first listening to you and exploring your relationship with food, I will combine evidence-based pregnancy nutrition advice with health coaching support to help you to navigate the next 9 months confidently.
Following the right diet during pregnancy
It can feel like there are a lot of food rules for mums-to-be, especially with which foods to avoid in pregnancy. If you don't find out you are pregnant until quite late on, this can cause worry about what you've eaten already - can you eat feta when pregnant, or what about those prawns you had last week?
Have a read of my Foods to Avoid When Pregnancy blog
or my check out my blog Can I Eat Cheese During Pregnancy?
If you're struggling with nausea and sickness, you might find yourself struggling to eat the foods you think your baby needs or even to eat enough food at all. How do you cope if you've lost your appetite or are struggling to take pregnancy supplements?
Your eating habits are likely to change whilst you are pregnant: hormonal changes, pregnancy cravings, morning sickness, pregnancy supplements, hunger, avoiding alcohol. Many of these changes won't happen out of choice, but as a result of external cues or rules around what is best for your baby during pregnancy.
Working with a pregnancy nutritionist can help you to navigate this complex world and decide which changes are important, and relevant for you and your body.
Staying safe with foods during pregnancy
We are told that there are lots of foods to avoid during early pregnancy, for risk of food poisoning or causing harm to our baby, and when eating out it can be hard to know which foods are 'safe'. You might find yourself avoiding eating out at restaurants, or sticking to a limited range of foods that you feel safe with.
Maybe you are busy searching online to see if it is safe to eat sushi in pregnancy or what the rules are on unpasteurised cheese. This level of intense focus on certain foods can cause so much worry and anxiety.
As a pregnancy nutritionist, I work with you to take that away, instead focusing on how you can safely enjoy the foods that you love, both at home and when eating out.
You don't need to feel restricted whilst you are pregnant. Eating and drinking should continue to be a pleasure.
Love your body and weight gain during pregnancy
Social media and the people around you can create a lot of noise about what your body should look like during pregnancy: is the size of your bump is too big, or too small; have you gained enough, but not too much, weight. Listening to these unwanted opinions can detract from you spending time getting to know the changes happening in your body.
Read my thoughts on weight loss during pregnancy and whether it is safe
Your body is doing an incredible job growing a new human, and pregnancy is an ideal time to learn to love and respect your body for the power it has. Pregnancy weight gain is necessary and important - your baby needs to grow well and your body provides the perfect conditions for this.
Read my blog on Pregnancy Weight Gain to see what's normal
By taking a non-diet approach to pregnancy nutrition, I can help you to focus on the positive aspects of your changing body and stop focusing on the numbers on the scale.
What is important is the health of you and your baby.
Would you like to feel free to enjoy choosing foods to eat during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an ideal time to shift your mindset around how you eat, and become in tune with your body's needs, setting the foundations for a healthier relationship with food beyond your pregnancy.
I take a non-diet, gentle approach to pregnancy nutrition.
I believe it is a unique opportunity to pause and reflect on why we choose to eat certain foods, and to listen to our bodies telling us what we need in this moment. At no other time in your life will you be able to feel the changes in your body, the same as when your baby is growing inside of you. It is a life-changing experience.
As a pregnancy nutritionist, I support you in navigating this incredible journey of getting to know yourself as you become a mother, taking away the stress and worry of food, leaving you free to enjoy your pregnancy to its fullest.
Work with me - take charge of your healthy pregnancy today
Pregnancy nutrition isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, and neither is working with a nutritionist. It's important that you feel comfortable with the kind of support I am offering - I won't give you generic pregnancy meal plans to follow. Instead, you will build healthy habits that will work through every stage of your pregnancy. And you can focus on the ones that are most meaningful to you right now.
I work on nutrition support to cover every stage of pregnancy, from managing morning sickness, through to preparing for labour, and into the fourth trimester after the birth of your baby. But it is all led by you - you, and only you, are the expert of your body. I can't give you a magic meal plan to make your pregnancy easier. There are plenty of pregnancy nutritionists out there who can and do offer that - it's just not me. Which means working with me will not be for everyone, and that's ok!
You'll have support from me throughout your pregnancy, to help you feel confident and happy with the food choices you make. I can help you make sense of that advice you've read elsewhere, of what the midwife has told you about your weight, and more importantly I will be there to support you when things are challenging and the way you wish you could eat, is just not possible right now. There is no perfect approach and you won't have failed if your diet doesn't always look like the guidebooks!
A supportive programme for your healthy pregnancy
CONNECT
Using the principles of intuitive eating to tune into your body, recognise your cues, and show love to your body
NOURISH
Choose foods that nourish you and your baby, knowing when to supplement and what to avoid
ENJOY
Enjoy the foods you choose to eat, and find ways to bring joy into eating throughout your pregnancy
SUPPORT
Ongoing support from a pregnancy nutritionist throughout your entire pregnancy, to put the tools into practice every day