What You Need To Know About Maternal Nutrition with Kerry Jones, MDH, RDN, LDN
One of what I believe is the most overlooked parts of maternal care before, during and after pregnancy is proper nutrition. If you do a Google search for “pregnancy diet” or “what to eat during pregnancy”, you’ll likely come up with a basic list of typical healthful foods, as well as the classic list of “what to avoid”, things like cold cut meats, raw fish, and unpasteurized cheeses. While these lists contain some valid suggestions, getting proper nutrition through what you eat is one of the most important things a woman can do to take care of her body as she grows a baby, but also as she takes care of her fertility and nourishes her body in the postpartum period. One way that women can be sure they’re getting all of the nutrients their body needs is by making an appointment with a registered dietician.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with registered dietician Kerry Jones, owner of Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition in Cary, North Carolina to chat about her experience working with women and children to help them establish an evidence-based and personalized nutrition care plan that will meet their needs in whatever season of life they may be in right now. Throughout pursuing her bachelor’s and then master’s degree, she discovered a passion for seeing the woman and the child as individuals instead of just another “patient” in the healthcare system, which led her to start digging deeper into research on her own time, and also by connecting with women and learning what their needs and desires were for their own health and the health of their family. This blossomed into a desire to help women with personal fertility, all the way through pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.
Why should women see a dietician?
When some people hear the word dietician, they automatically associate it with “diet”, which in our culture translates as something restrictive and binding, however “diet” in general refers to your habitual eating patterns or a regimen you follow to gain proper nutrients so your body can function optimally. A more recognized professional title may be that of a “nutritionist”, however women seeking nutrition counseling with a goal in mind may be better suited to work with a registered dietician. According to Kerry, a registered dietician is someone who went to school for dietetics (the science of how nutrition and the food we eat is affecting our overall health and wellbeing), logged a thousand hours (or more) of internship work, and can order supplements or prescribe a particular plan. At Kerry’s practice in particular, her passion for maternal and pediatric health supplements her educational training and helps her engage compassionately with the individual needs of others, while also being able to offer them evidence-based and practical care for their bodies in the stage of life they’re currently in. She does this by creating individualized plans by listening to women’s lifestyle, health needs, and nutrition goals and running nutrient analyses, to evaluate a person’s current diet and eating habits and to figure out where and how to “fill the gaps” where their level of certain vitamins, minerals and nutrients might be lacking. Proper nutrition is important to women in all walks of their fertility and pregnancy journey, and even through postpartum and lactation. According to Kerry, the goal is to “go beyond prenatal vitamins and food avoidance; women deserve support in nourishing themselves during this time.”
How is the personalized care plan developed?
There are a number of issues, concerns or other reasons why women may seek out Kerry’s help, but she told me that some of the most common concerns women approach her with in regards to their health and nutrition are PCOS, postpartum weight loss and infertility. In order to figure out how to support the body in the best way, Kerry typically recommends her nutrient analysis, sometimes a comprehensive hormone test such as the DUTCH test, looking at personal health history and sometimes additional testing if an obvious vitamin deficiency is present. According to Kerry, there is no “one-size-fits-all” care plan for every single woman, it’s largely based on her individual needs and what’s currently happening inside her body. Creating a personalized care plan works like building blocks on top of one another, instead of just prescribing a pre-made plan.
One thing that Kerry recommends for every single woman is a high quality prenatal vitamin - “high quality is the key word”, she says. She explained to me prenatal supplements are not regulated by any governing body, so unfortunately that makes it too easy for companies to fluff-up the claims on the label or make blatantly false statements about the ingredients, for example. She recommends finding a prenatal supplement in a form that is going to be easily absorbed by the body, and one that also contains the right amount of nutrients, taking into consideration your normal eating habits and current “diet” - and like with anything, too much of a good thing can be bad, even toxic for your body and your baby. You can read more about finding a high quality prenatal in this article that Kerry wrote for the Motherfigure blog.
Is there a connection between postnatal depletion and postpartum mood disorders?
What is postnatal depletion and why does it happen? “Giving birth and delivering a baby takes a lot out of you, fluids, electrolytes, nutrients, blood,” Kerry commented, when asked about postnatal depletion. There is a lot of things that need to be given back to the body after delivery, and meeting up with a registered dietician to come up with a care plan to replete the body after that experience can help you get your body back - but not in the way you’re thinking. Repleting the body after delivery can help get your body back to optimal health and functioning properly. Healing and nourishment encompasses more than just the postpartum woman’s physical body: there needs to be space held for mental and emotional healing from a birth experience as well, as well as giving moms the care they need to recover in every aspect. According to Kerry,
“Research has found that eating a well-balanced diet with emphasis on plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and legumes has been shown to reduce the incidence of developing postpartum depression and experiencing perinatal anxiety. This is likely due to the fact that pregnancy and breastfeeding require a lot of nutrients, which can cause moms to have nutrient depletion (also due to the act of labor & delivery as well), and moms seldom get the proper rest and recovery they need in the fourth trimester. Some nutrients, such as choline, B vitamins, iron, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, and DHA, have been shown to be extremely important in the postpartum period.”*
There are a lot of things to be stressed about as a new mom, even as a second, third, fourth (or more) time mom, and getting proper nutrients to support your recovering body shouldn’t be one of them. Not only can seeing a registered dietician help with your physical recovery, but establishing a diet that give you the nutrients you need can have an effect on your mental health as well.
What’s the bottom line?
Mothers, parents and parents-to-be hear a lot about “self-care” as if it’s a special occasion; bubble baths, spa treatments, manicures and pedicures, all are wonderful and enjoyable but the type of “self-care” that should be normalized is far less glamorous. New parents and women especially need to prioritize getting enough rest, getting enough of the proper nutrients, replenishing fluids and electrolytes, drinking water, and accepting help offered to you, such as having a partner or spouse bring you food while you’re nursing or sitting down rocking the baby. Getting proper nutrition shouldn’t be considered a luxury, it’s a basic human need. When your body is not functioning optimally, you feel the consequences, whether they’re as simple as being too tired or sluggish all day to things like improper/delayed recovery, low milk supply (if dehydrated), or nutrient deficiencies. As a mother, not only does good nutrition impact your body and recovery, but it also impacts the health and development of your growing baby. Seeking help from a registered dietician and creating a plan for maternal nourishment through your pregnancy and beyond is one of the greatest things you could do for the health of you and your baby.
Kerry Jones, MDH, RDN, LDN is a registered dietician and owner of Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition, located in Cary, North Carolina. Her education includes a Masters degree in Public Health and Nutrition from UNC, and a Bachelors degree in Science and Human Biology from NC State. Visit her website milestonesnutrition.com or visit her on Instagram or Facebook.