Sparking Meaningful Conversations about Early Life Nutrition

• DSM Nutritional Products held its first Prenatal Nutrition Summit #DSMOhBaby in early May 2019.
  
• Experts discussed the latest nutrition research and trends impacting early life nutrition, and specifically during fertility, pregnancy and post-pregnancy.
  
• As an early life nutrition product manufacturer, have you considered the 40 days after the baby is born?
  

Event overview: Oh Baby!

DSM Nutritional Products held its first Prenatal Nutrition Summit #DSMOhBaby in early May 2019. To shine a spotlight on the latest nutrition research and trends impacting early life nutrition, and specifically during fertility, pregnancy and post-pregnancy, DSM hosted more than a dozen experts to spark discussions about what’s next for mom and baby.

To give attendees a 360-degree view of pre- and post-natal nutrition, DSM invited moms in varying stages of the motherhood journey – many pregnant and others breastfeeding – to hear their attitudes and perceptions about nutrition during this important stage of life and growth.

Susan Carlson, Ph.D., AJ Rice Professor of Nutrition in the University of Kansas Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at KU Medical Center discussed the latest findings from a Cochrane Review, which indicate that long-chain omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy could lower the risk of having a preterm or low birth weight baby. Authors of the publication recommend a daily dose of 500 – 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA, with at least 500 mg as DHA, which is associated with these benefits.

Prenatal Summit attendees heard from a panel of nutrition writers and editors who shared their perspectives of the growing prenatal market from their work in the publishing industry. In addition, the mom’s panel shared realities as expecting and nursing mothers – providing thoughts on what works and what doesn’t when nourishing themselves and their growing baby.

Attendees toured DSM Nutritional Products’ Nutrition Innovation Center to get a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s latest innovations in product formulation, delivery formats and personalized nutrition.

This event is just one example of how DSM provides added value to its customers. With insight from DSM, customers can create nutritious products to support the motherhood journey.

Nutrition for the first 40 days after baby

The concept of the first 1,000 days of life, from the moment of conception through the child’s second birthday, is an important time to optimize nutrition for mom and baby. It’s a theory that is well-respected by the early life nutrition industry and validated by nutrition science. As an early life nutrition product manufacturer, have you considered the 40 days after the baby is born?

Jessica Waller, MS, CNS, LDN, mother and founder of Welltribe, joined the DSM Prenatal Nutrition event to share her attitudes about post-natal care. Just as women create birth plans to help guide their personal decisions about their pregnancy, women should also create postpartum plans that discuss physical, emotional and social needs within the 40 days after baby’s birth.

Waller shared several tips, including the need for soft, warming and easy-to-digest foods since the digestive system is weaker post-delivery, the need for nutrient-dense foods to help replenish blood, high-fiber foods to help with constipation and supplemental iron and vitamin C, if needed, especially for C-section recovery. Her top six micronutrients that should be incorporated in a postpartum plan include: iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium and DHA omega-3.

A mother’s body changes throughout pregnancy and postpartum. The postpartum phase, including breastfeeding, features nutrient demands to support mom’s own nutritional status, as well as to ensure her baby thrives. Breastfeeding requires more calories than the mother’s third trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, product innovations that support this important and delicate time in a woman’s life are critical pieces to the full motherhood journey.

“Keeping up with a daily postnatal vitamin is helpful to replenish nutrients passed through breastmilk. Prenatal multi-vitamins generally have the minimum levels necessary to support fetal growth, which is great, but they’re not optimized for mother’s health – especially during the postpartum period,” shared Jessica Waller, MS, CNS, LDN.

What’s next

DSM Nutritional Products will continue to look for opportunities to engage our customers through industry experts, thoughtful conversations and insightful nutrition science.

Our next stop is the “Feed Your Future” IFT event being held June 2-5 in New Orleans. Visit us at booth #3729 to learn how we can help engage you in meaningful conversations about early life nutrition.