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Perinatal Nutrition

Dr. Leslie Stone, MD, IFMCP, an OB-GYN with more than 5,000 deliveries, discusses the landmark research showing how trimester-by-trimester nutritional exposures shape a child’s health and lifelong risk of chronic disease. She explains key nutrient deficiencies and lifestyle factors that influence pregnancy outcomes and makes the case for personalized, collaborative care starting before conception. She shares insights into her GrowBaby model, demonstrating over a decade of improved pregnancy and birth outcomes in a Medicaid setting. If you believe nutrition matters in pregnancy but haven't had the clinical framework to act on it, this is a conversation you need to hear.

continuing education credit details

RDs Earn 1.0 CPEUs

Valid through 12/01/28

NDs Earn 1.0 CEs

Valid through 3/15/27

RNs Earn 1.0 CEs

Valid through 1/31/2028

Provider Details

Meet the expert

Dr. Leslie Stone, MD, IFMCP

Link to the Expert's Instagram in a separate page. Link to the Expert's website in a separate page.

Dr. Leslie Stone, MD, is a Board Certified Family Practice Obstetrician with fellowship training in Surgical Obstetrics, a published researcher, and an internationally recognized lecturer. She is highly regarded for integrating functional medicine principles into evidence-based, insurance-reimbursed obstetric care. She is a primary author on multiple peer-reviewed publications in maternal and perinatal health and a co-founder of a clinically validated, integrated perinatal OB–nutrition care model designed to improve pregnancy and intergenerational health outcomes.

Dr. Stone also owned a family practice clinic serving diverse patient populations across two rural settings, bringing deep experience in rural and community-based care delivery. Since 2011, she and Emily Stone Rydbom have implemented the GrowBaby model in a high-Medicaid obstetric setting, demonstrating over a decade of improved pregnancy and birth outcomes across four states and four delivery systems. She has served as principal investigator on multiple GrowBaby studies and is the principal investigator of the ROOT Study, a 500 mother-baby dyad study launching in North Carolina (2026). 

Disclosures:

Metagenics | co-designer Plus One prenatal vitamin

DNALife.com | co-designer GrowBaby gene variant panel

Needed advisor and has an equity interest in the company

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Episode Highlights

  • The science behind Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
  • Why the "first 1,000 days" matters
  • The critical nutrient deficiencies affecting pregnant women
  • How genetics impacts prenatal nutrition
  • The importance of underappreciated nutrients like carnitine
  • Why a collaborative care model is essential for optimal outcomes
  • How to make evidence-based nutrition accessible to all socioeconomic levels

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this continuing education activity, practitioners will be able to:

Explain the concept of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and its significance for transgenerational health outcomes

Evaluate the relationship between specific nutrient deficiencies and birth outcomes

Take the quiz
References

Barker DJP et al. Weight in infancy and death from ischaemic heart disease. Lancet. 1989;2(8663):577–580. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90710-1

Gluckman PD et al. Effect of in utero and early-life conditions on adult health and disease. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(1):61–73. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0708473 

Mercer JG Neurologic Development, in Nutrition and Development: short and long-term consequences for health. Hoboken NJ. Wiley-Blackwell; 2013:97-115

Koletzko B et al. Dietary fat intakes for pregnant and lactating women. Br J Nutr. 2007;98(5):873–877. doi:10.1017/S000711450776474. 

Hollis BW & Wagner CL. New insights into the vitamin D requirements during pregnancy. Bone Res. 2017;5:17030. doi:10.1038/boneres.2017.30 

Zimmermann MB. The effects of iodine deficiency in pregnancy and infants. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2012;26 Suppl 1:108–117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2012.01275

Okoth K et al. Association between the reproductive health of young women and cardiovascular disease in later life: umbrella review. BMJ. 2020;371:m3502. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3502

Scholl TO & Reilly T. Anemia, iron and pregnancy outcome. J Nutr. 2000;130(2S Suppl):443S–447S. doi:10.1093/jn/130.2.443S

Venkatesh KK et al. Gestational diabetes and long-term cardiometabolic health. JAMA. 2023;330(9):870–871. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14997

Maric-Bilkan C et al. Research recommendations from the National Institutes of Health Workshop on Predicting, Preventing, and Treating Preeclampsia. Hypertension. 2019;73(4):757–766. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11644