The Role of an RD: The OBYGN

 Written By: Hannah Bast; SLU Dietetic Intern

A Registered Dietitian.

Isn't that someone who just tells you what to eat? 

That's the most common belief that I hear, and that's if they even know what a dietitian is in the first place. 

Many people have no clue what dietitians can do, where they can work, or the various responsibilities that they can perform. Many people believe dietitians only work in hospitals, or just provide counseling to help people lose weight or eat healthier. Dietitians actually can work in a variety of places, such as schools, outpatient centers, legislation, education, etc. 

As a dietetic intern, I was very fortunate to be placed at an OBGYN for one of my rotations for two weeks, and I discovered the various roles that can be performed by a dietitian there. Normally, an OBGYN seems like an odd location for a dietitian to be. But there is more responsibilities than at first glance that were displayed to me during my rotation.

My preceptor at the OBGYN was not only a dietitian, but also a Certified Diabetes Educator. This is a great opportunity for dietitians to narrow their practice by specializing in a particular disease state. My preceptor's responsibilities encompassed a variety of tasks. The majority of her job is spent studying blood glucose logs and food logs of patients with Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, or Gestational Diabetes, with the majority of her patients being pregnant women. In pregnancy, it is essential to maintain a tight blood glucose control to avoid harmful side effects for the woman and her baby. The dietitian at the OBGYN collaborates with other professionals to study patterns within each individual client's blood glucose logs and adjust their insulin-to-carb ratio and insulin doses. The dietitian uses her knowledge to counsel patients on beneficial foods to aid in their diabetes management, pregnancy, and lifestyles in general. Some patients may need to become aware of a Consistent Carbohydrate Diet, so the dietitian will counsel on how maintain that diet and provide tools for ease of understanding. There are patients needing guidelines for nutrition during pregnancy, so the dietitian counsels and provides tools. 

Along with studying blood sugar logs, the dietitian performed other tasks. Some patients would come in and need support for weight management. Their weight would be taken, diet recalls would be discussed, and existing or new plans would be talked about so that each patient's care is individualized. Other patients were women who desired to become pregnant, and needed nutrition counseling for how to best prepare their bodies to carry a child. Nutrition and lifestyle choices play a huge role in preparation for pregnancy, so it is amazing that women are consulting dietitians to help. Dietitians can help provide some medical nutrition therapy for underlying conditions that may be treated at the OBGYN, such as PCOS or endometriosis. Dietitians can also help develop menus for patients so that their needs are met and for them to have inspiration for what to prepare in their everyday schedules to increase variety and nutrients. 

Overall, those are just some of the roles that dietitians fit into at the OBGYN. Again, an unexpected place for that profession to be working, but many opportunities present itself to be helped. Hopefully, more education of the various roles of the RD can become public knowledge so that everyone may receive nutritional help they need. 

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