Hello!
I'm Jessica
A Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Certified Bariatric Educator, pre & postnatal fitness, yoga instructor and—most importantly—a mom of 3!
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I help pregnant women have fit and healthy pregnancies with:
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lower risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia
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healthy weight gain for mom and healthy birth weight for baby
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easier and faster labors
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healthy babies optimizing their long-term health
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I help postpartum moms get back to a body they love and feel great in!
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postpartum weight loss
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diastasis recti healing
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healthy nutrition and fitness
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behavior therapy and psychotherapy for long-term results and never feeling deprived
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I also work with physicians and healthcare professionals who want to provide evidenced-based actionable resources to their pregnant and postpartum patients to reduce risk of Gestational Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity.
For the past 14 years I’ve supported and educated pregnant and postpartum moms in a variety of settings. I began teaching pre & postnatal yoga in 2004. In 2009, I started educating as a Registered Dietitian in a diabetes and gestational diabetes clinic. In the last few years I've had the opportunity to work with the top obesity specialist physicians across the country and educate both healthcare professionals and clients on effective and cutting-edge obesity treatments.
With chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity reaching epidemic proportions and rates on the rise, I’ve seen the damaging effects on the body and heartache that it causes clients. In a healthcare system that only has healthcare dollars for disease treatment once a patient is already sick, I’m on a mission of PREVENTION and the best place to start is pregnancy.
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My goal is to help:
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prevent gestational diabetes (reducing lifelong complications for both mom and baby)
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prevent excess weight gain and obesity that often starts in pregnancy
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prevent type 2 diabetes for the both the mom and the baby in the future
A recent study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology shows that pregnancy itself is leading to obesity. Dr. Loraine Endres, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago states a large number of women are gaining too much weight in pregnancy and the more you gain the harder it is to lose.
Endres L, et al. Postpartum Weight Retention Risk Factors and Relationship to Obesity at 1 Year. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2014.
Experiences that have shaped the direction of my mission:
First, working in the gestational diabetes clinic I not only saw the immediate risks of having a large baby:
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a difficult labor with increased risk of intervention and c-section
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low blood sugars for the baby after delivery
The current research also shows that large babies at birth are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life.
Luckily, there are steps that women can take prior to and during their pregnancy to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and larger babies.
Secondly, as a bariatric educator in medical weight management, I saw again and again how women struggle with extra weight that often began in pregnancy.
Pregnancy itself is a risk factor for obesity and extra weight. I’ve seen the heartache and the frustration of women trying to lose weight later in life (when they have time for themselves again).
Due to the complexity of weight and set-point theory, which may even include scarring in the hypothalamus, it’s very frustrating and difficult to lose weight later in life.
Pregnancy and postpartum are the ideal time to take action.