Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (Coursera)

We will also look at the nutritient recommendations for a healthy pregnancy to ensure optimal maternal and fetal outcomes as well as focus on the most common nutrition-related pregnancy complications; obesity and gestational diabetes. The learner will have the opportunity to delve into the cutting-edge world of epigenetic and metabolomic research and appreciate the enormous role that these programming effects have in long-term health and disease outcomes. Finally, we offer real life, everyday situations and questions from pregnant women to aid healthcare professionals in the nutrition-based counselling of pregnant women and their families.

In addition to the English original, subtitles in Portugese language are available now!

Syllabus

WEEK 1

A Healthy Pregnancy Starts Before Conception

In this Unit we detail what nutrition and lifestyle changes should be considered and already implemented prior to conception and emphasis the important role that a healthy BMI and sufficient folate status play in providing the unborn child with the best start possible.

WEEK 2

Nutrition and Lifestyle for a Healthy Pregnancy

The learner will gain an insight into the current nutrition-related recommendations for healthy pregnancies. We will look at the maternal physiological and metabolic adaptions that occur during pregnancy and what these play in supporting pregnancy and altering nutrient requirements. We will then focus on the changing macro- and micro-nutrient requirements during pregnancy and what outcomes these can have on both the mother and unborn child. Finally, we will focus on food-bourne illnesses and what foods and beverages or lifestyle activities to avoid during pregnancy.

WEEK 3

Nutrition-Related Pregnancy Outcomes

The focus of this unit is the two most common nutrition-related pregnancy complications: obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus. Based on the latest scientific findings the learner will gain an in-depth knowledge of the risk factors, outcomes and recommendations associated with these pregnancy complications to better manage and counsel pregnant women and improve infant outcomes.

WEEK 4

Practical Advice for a Healthy Pregnancy

Learners will apply the knowledge gained in the previous lessons to real-life clinical scenarios. Pregnant women pose common questions related to nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy and experts in the area of early nutrition offer comprehensive, scientific-based answers to aid healthcare professionals in their day-to-day interactions with pregnant women and those wishing to become pregnant.