Nutrition in Pregnancy

Nutrition in pregnancy is dietary assessment and advice given by an obstetric team and dietitian before conception, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It covers what to eat, which supplements are proven, which foods to avoid and how much weight gain is healthy for your starting weight.

Good nutrition lowers the risk of neural tube defects, anaemia, gestational diabetes and both small and overly large babies. It cannot prevent every complication, and eating for two is a myth: energy needs rise only modestly, by about 200 to 450 calories a day in the later months.

Conditions this service looks after

• Severe pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum
• Iron deficiency anaemia
• Gestational diabetes and pre-existing diabetes
• Underweight, obesity or excessive weight gain in pregnancy
• Pregnancy after bariatric surgery
• Vegetarian and vegan pregnancies
• Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and food allergies
• Twin pregnancy
• Previous baby with a neural tube defect

Tests you may be offered

• Full blood count and ferritin: Detect anaemia and low iron stores early.
• Vitamin D, B12 and folate: Checked in women at risk, such as those with restricted diets, darker skin with little sun exposure or previous weight loss surgery.
• Oral glucose tolerance test: Screens for gestational diabetes at 24 to 28 weeks, or earlier with risk factors.
• Thyroid function: Iodine and thyroid status matter for the baby's brain development.
• Weight and BMI tracking: Compared with recommended gain ranges for your starting BMI.

Treatments available

• Folic acid: 400 micrograms daily from before conception to 12 weeks; 5 mg for women at higher risk, on medical advice.
• Iron, vitamin D and iodine: Supplemented according to blood results and national guidance.
• Individual meal planning: Balanced plans built around your culture and preferences; carbohydrate distribution for gestational diabetes.
• Management of sickness: Small frequent meals, safe anti-sickness medicines and, in hyperemesis, fluids and thiamine in hospital.
• Food safety advice: Avoid unpasteurised dairy, raw or undercooked meat, eggs and fish, liver, high-mercury fish and alcohol; limit caffeine to about 200 mg a day.
• Post-bariatric protocols: Additional B12, iron, calcium and fat-soluble vitamin monitoring each trimester.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• You are planning a pregnancy and have a BMI under 18.5 or over 30
• You have diabetes, coeliac disease, a previous bariatric operation or an eating disorder
• Vomiting prevents you keeping down fluids or you are losing weight
• You have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or anaemia
• You follow a vegan or very restricted diet

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

This is not a service to travel for. Dietary care in pregnancy works through repeated short contacts across nine months and should sit with your own maternity team. If you happen to be in Istanbul while pregnant, or are having fertility treatment there, a single dietitian consultation with a written plan is useful and can be continued by video. Blood tests and glucose screening should be done where your antenatal care takes place, so results reach the people responsible for your delivery.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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