Proper nutrition is critical during pregnancy to ensure both the mother and the developing baby receive the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and development. A prenatal dietitian can help you create a plan to best meet these needs and increased demands. Adequate nutrition helps maintain the mother’s health, reducing the risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and anemia. The growing baby also needs sufficient amounts of key nutrients for development of organs and other tissues, like folic acid (or folate), for example, to prevent neural tube defects.