Food As Medicine: Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum

Although nutrition plays a significant role in maternal and fetal health before and throughout pregnancy, its role is often marginalized.

This course explores the importance of nutrition in preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum health for the mother, child, and family.  Participants will learn how nutrition maybe be linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, low birth weight, and preterm deliveries. We will also discuss the relationship between nutrition and the developmental origins of health and disease.

We also share clinical tools and resources to you support your patients in improving their nutrition status before conception, during pregnancy, and after childbirth.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Review current nutrition therapy practices for preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Describe evidence for nutrition therapy during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Apply nutrition guidelines during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
Cmebanner Preconception 100

“As an RN, IBCLC the information in this course is very relevant to my clients’ needs. Most pregnant moms don’t understand “healthy and nutritious” eating and postpartum moms are too busy to think about what they are eating.”

-Angela Plunkett, RN, IBLCC

Accreditation Statement: In support of improving patient care, Rush University Medical Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. This activity is being presented without bias and without commercial support. 

For Medicine: Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.0  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.    

For Nursing: Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.0 nursing contact hour(s).    

For Pharmacy: Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 3.0 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.    

For Psychologists: Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 3.0 CE credits in psychology.   

For Dieticians: This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for 3.0 CPEUs.   

For Social Work: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 3.0 general continuing education credits.    

For Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy: Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.  Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 3.0 continuing education credits.   

For ABIM MOC: Successful completion of this activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 3.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.   

For AAFP Prescribed Credits: The AAFP has reviewed Food as Medicine: Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum and deemed it acceptable for up to 3.0 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 04/11/2023 to 04/11/2024. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.  

For ABLM MOC: The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 3.0 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.   

For NBC-HWCs: The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) has approved 3.0 continuing education credits for this learning activity: CEA-000043-1. 

As a provider of continuing education, Rush University Medical Center asks everyone who has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose information about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months.  There is no minimum financial threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies.  Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education.  Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest prior to the start of the activity.  All information disclosed must be shared with the participants/learners prior to the start of the educational activity. 

Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices:  In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices.  Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information. 

Individuals in control of content for this activity have stated they have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 

Course Format
This course consists of 3 presentations

Duration
3 hours of CME/CE content

Specifications 
This course can be viewed on desktop, tablet or mobile device. Speakers or headphones are required for this course

Term of Approval
April 11, 2022 – April 11, 2025

Enrollment
Access to online material is granted through the term of approval which ends April 11, 2025.

Module Topics & Course Outline

Preconception Nutrition | Nancy Eriksen MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Review the role of current preconception nutrition in health care
  • Discuss the evidence-based need for preconception nutrition
  • Discuss preconception nutrition guidelines
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception

Pregnancy & Nutrition | Nancy Eriksen MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Review the role of pregnancy nutrition currently in the healthcare system
  • Review the evidence for a focus on nutrition in pregnancy
  • Describe the current nutritional status of pregnant women
  • Review nutrition guidelines for pregnancy

Postpartum Nutrition | Kristi R. VanWinden, MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss postpartum nutritional needs and barriers to optimal postpartum nutrition
  • Review the limited published recommendations for postpartum nutrition
  • Discuss infant nutrition recommendations and the role of maternal nutrition during lactation
  • Examine the potential benefits of a healthy postpartum dietary pattern
  • Review how postpartum nutrition can be used to address women with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes
  • Compile recommendations for postpartum dietary choices

Access to more resources and a network of women’s health specialists through ACLM Connect.  Log in or sign up for free. Imagine patient facing tools, discussion threads, and webinars focused on women and pediatric health.