Pregnancy Dietitian London: Preconception to Weaning

A Personalised Clinical Review with our team costs £279 online or £329 at the London clinic in Marylebone: an in-depth consultation followed by a written plan. Most pregnancies benefit from follow-up — typically once per trimester, or monthly with gestational diabetes — and we confirm follow-up pricing at your first appointment. If you have been searching for a pregnancy nutritionist in London, check who you are paying: “dietitian” is a protected title in the UK and “nutritionist” is not. Our team are HCPC-registered dietitians, and you can check any of us on the HCPC register. Full prices are on our packages and pricing page.

Ideally before you conceive — around three months ahead gives you time to start folic acid and correct any gaps. Otherwise, as early as you can: the first trimester is when nausea, aversions and supplement questions pile up. Reasons to come straight away include a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, a vegan or restricted diet, or sickness that is stopping you eating. You do not need a referral or a diagnosis to book, and we always work alongside your midwife. Our guide to seeing a nutritionist in pregnancy covers the basics.

First, it is common and it is manageable. NICE guideline NG3 recommends that every woman with gestational diabetes is referred to a dietitian and, if fasting glucose at diagnosis is below 7 mmol/L, that diet and exercise changes are tried first, with metformin offered if targets are not met within one to two weeks. We build meals around carbohydrate quality, portion and timing — without cutting out food groups — and go through your glucose diary with you. Your diabetes team sets the targets and makes every medication decision; we make the food side workable. If you do need medication, good nutrition still matters.

The short version, from the NHS: some soft and unpasteurised cheeses, raw or undercooked meat, raw or lightly cooked eggs unless they carry the British Lion stamp, liver, pâté and vitamin A (retinol) supplements, and shark, swordfish and marlin. Tuna is limited, oily fish is capped at two portions a week, caffeine at 200 mg a day, and the safest amount of alcohol is none. The details are updated from time to time, so the NHS “foods to avoid in pregnancy” page is the one to trust. Our job is to turn it into meals you actually want to eat.

No. The NHS calls it a myth: extra energy is only needed in the last three months of pregnancy, and then only about 200 calories a day — roughly two slices of wholemeal toast. What does change is what your body needs from the food you eat: more attention to folate, iron, iodine, vitamin D, protein and omega-3. So it is less about eating more and more about making what you eat count. If you started pregnancy underweight or are struggling to eat enough, we look at your needs individually.

For most women in the UK, two. Folic acid: 400 micrograms a day from before conception until 12 weeks. Some women need a higher 5 mg dose — for example if you have diabetes, take certain epilepsy medicines, or you or your partner have a personal or family history of neural tube defects — and that is prescribed by your GP, not bought over the counter. Vitamin D: 10 micrograms a day. Iron is usually only added if blood tests show you need it, and anything containing vitamin A (retinol) or fish liver oil should be avoided. Vegan and vegetarian diets usually need B12 and iodine too. We review what you take and what you can stop.

Usually, yes. Sickness is very common in early pregnancy and, for most women, clears by weeks 16 to 20 (NHS) — but that is a long time to get by on toast. We work with small, frequent meals, cold or bland foods when smells are the trigger, fluids between rather than with meals, and protein you can actually face. There is some evidence that ginger helps; check with your pharmacist before taking ginger supplements. If you cannot keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, have very dark urine or feel faint, contact your midwife, GP or 111 — that needs medical care.

We will not put you on a diet while you are pregnant — the NHS is clear that pregnancy is not the time to diet, as it may harm your baby’s health, and the UK has no official weight-gain targets to chase. What we can do, whatever your starting weight, is help you eat well: regular balanced meals, sensible portions, fewer sugary drinks and snacks, and activity that feels safe. That is what supports a healthy pregnancy, without restriction or judgement. If you want support with weight after your baby is born, we can plan it with you in the postnatal period, taking breastfeeding into account.

Honestly: nutrition can support fertility, but no diet guarantees a pregnancy, and anyone who promises one is overselling. What the evidence supports is sensible rather than exotic — folic acid before conception, a balanced diet, a healthy weight for you, not smoking, and no alcohol once you are trying, with similar habits for your partner. Where there is an underlying condition, particularly PCOS, nutrition has a clearer role, and our PCOS dietitian service is built for that. If you have been trying for a while without success, please see your GP too; nutrition works alongside fertility investigations, not instead of them.

Yes. If you are looking for a child nutritionist in London, our dietitians support families with weaning from around 6 months, introducing allergenic foods one at a time, iron-rich first foods, fussy or selective eating, slow growth and children on restricted diets, such as vegan diets. We work alongside your health visitor, GP or paediatrician. If your child has a diagnosed food allergy or has had a serious reaction, the allergy team leads and we support the diet around their plan. Book a child nutrition consultation through the same booking link as above, online or at the clinic.

Both work well. Online consultations are what most of our UK-wide and international patients choose, and they are easy to fit around work, nausea or a newborn. The London clinic at 33 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, adds an in-person appointment and, before pregnancy or after birth, body-composition analysis on the Tanita MC-780U. The advice and the written plan are the same either way, so choose whichever is easier for you at each stage.

Some policies cover dietetic care, particularly for a diagnosed condition such as gestational diabetes, and some ask for a GP or specialist referral first. Routine pregnancy care is often excluded from private medical insurance, so ask your insurer specifically about dietitian consultations. We provide an invoice with the details your insurer needs so you can claim — check with them before booking, as cover varies.