Who is Julie Bendix and what does a dietitian add?
Julie Bendix, MPH, RD, LD, CLC, is the registered dietitian and certified lactation counselor for Private Label Surrogacy surrogates. Every PLS surrogate has at least six video consults with Julie across the journey, from before pregnancy through postpartum.
Her credentials, in plain terms:
- MPH: a master's degree in public health.
- RD: a registered dietitian, the national credential for nutrition professionals.
- LD: a licensed dietitian under state law.
- CLC: a certified lactation counselor, trained to help with breastfeeding and pumping.
What does a dietitian add that your OB does not? Time and specifics. A prenatal visit is short, and nutrition is one of many items on the list. Julie's consults are about food, supplements, weight, labs and how you feel, with a plan you can follow at home. She coordinates with your OB and the clinic when your labs need action.
The program is a service, not a cash benefit. It costs you nothing.
Consult 1: pre-pregnancy and the medication cycle
The first consult happens before you are pregnant, during or before the medication cycle.
Julie starts with a baseline assessment: what you eat on a normal day, your weight and BMI, your activity, any history from earlier pregnancies such as gestational diabetes or anemia, and the supplements you take. She then builds a plan to support your uterine lining while you take estrogen and progesterone, and to start pregnancy well nourished.
She also checks that you are taking a prenatal vitamin with folate before transfer. Folate in early pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects, which form in the first weeks, often before a pregnancy test is positive.
This consult is also where Julie helps if your BMI is close to the PLS limit of 33. She works with candidates on weight management before and during the journey.
Consults 2 and 3: first trimester
Consult 2 is an initial prenatal nutrition assessment, once your pregnancy is confirmed. Julie reviews what has changed since consult 1, sets goals for the first trimester, and looks at your supplements alongside anything the clinic has prescribed.
Consult 3 is a follow-up focused on nausea and symptom management. The first trimester is when many surrogates struggle to eat. Common strategies include:
- Small meals every few hours, so your stomach is never empty.
- Plain carbohydrates within reach first thing in the morning.
- Cold foods, which often smell less than hot ones.
- Sipping fluids between meals rather than with them.
- Protein at each meal or snack, when you can manage it.
Julie also tells you when nausea is past what food can handle. If you cannot keep fluids down, are losing weight or feel dizzy, call your OB. Severe vomiting in pregnancy can be treated.
Consult 4: second trimester
The second trimester is usually when appetite returns. Consult 4 covers three things:
- Weight management. Healthy weight gain for your starting BMI, and how to stay on track.
- Physical activity. What exercise is safe and helpful, within your OB's guidance and the terms of your contract.
- Fetal growth. How your nutrition supports the baby's growth, and what your prenatal visits are measuring.
This is a good time to set habits for the third trimester, before the last months make cooking and shopping harder.
Consult 5: third trimester labs and delivery prep
Consult 5 is the most lab-focused. Julie reviews:
- Your gestational diabetes screen. Usually done in the late second or early third trimester by your OB.
- Your anemia labs. Iron levels often drop late in pregnancy as blood volume rises.
Depending on the results, Julie suggests dietary changes, discusses probiotics, and helps you prepare for delivery. If a lab needs treatment, she coordinates with your OB.
Delivery prep includes eating well in the last weeks, planning easy meals for recovery, and, if you plan to pump, preparing for the extra calories and fluid that making milk takes.
Consult 6: postpartum and pumping
The last consult is after delivery. It covers:
- Recovery nutrition. Protein and nutrients for healing, especially after a C-section.
- Iron for blood loss. To replace what you lost at delivery.
- Calories and hydration if you pump. Making milk takes more energy and more fluid than most people expect.
As a certified lactation counselor, Julie also helps with pumping: supply, scheduling and comfort. If you do not pump, she advises on suppressing your milk supply safely. Read more on postpartum recovery and pumping.
| Timing | Topics | Labs reviewed | Follow-up actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consult 1: pre-pregnancy, medication cycle | Baseline assessment; supporting the uterine lining; prenatal vitamin | Any recent labs from screening | Plan for the cycle; supplement check |
| Consult 2: confirmed pregnancy | Initial prenatal nutrition assessment | Early pregnancy labs, if available | First-trimester goals |
| Consult 3: first trimester | Nausea and symptom management | As needed | Adjust the plan; refer to OB if needed |
| Consult 4: second trimester | Weight management, physical activity, fetal growth | As needed | Habits for the third trimester |
| Consult 5: third trimester | Dietary changes, probiotics, delivery preparation | Gestational diabetes screen; anemia labs | Coordinate with OB if labs need action |
| Consult 6: postpartum | Recovery, iron for blood loss, calories and hydration if pumping | Postpartum labs, if available | Pumping or suppression plan |
How nutrition connects to BMI, gestational diabetes and anemia
BMI. PLS requires a BMI under 33 to apply. The limit exists because a higher BMI raises pregnancy risks, including high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and complications at delivery. Read more about the BMI requirement.
Gestational diabetes. This is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It usually goes away after delivery. Diet is the first line of treatment: balancing carbohydrates across meals, pairing them with protein, and staying active. If you are diagnosed, Julie works with your OB on a meal plan.
Anemia. Anemia means you have too few healthy red blood cells, often because of low iron. It causes tiredness and shortness of breath, and it matters at delivery, when you lose blood. Iron-rich foods, iron supplements when prescribed, and vitamin C to help absorption are the usual approach.
Good nutrition does not guarantee an easy pregnancy. It lowers some risks and helps you recover. It also helps you feel better day to day, which counts.
Food, supplements and what to avoid as a surrogate
Supplements. Take a prenatal vitamin with folate and iron, plus anything the clinic prescribes. Julie reviews your labs before adding more. Do not start herbal supplements without asking.
What to avoid. Your contract sets general conduct, such as no alcohol and no raw fish. Standard pregnancy food safety advice adds:
- Undercooked meat, poultry and eggs.
- Unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses made from it.
- Deli meats and hot dogs unless heated until steaming.
- High-mercury fish, such as shark, swordfish and king mackerel.
- Alcohol, in any amount.
Limit caffeine to less than 200 milligrams a day, about one 12-ounce cup of coffee.
Who decides what you eat? You do. The intended parents do not control your diet. The contract sets general conduct, and diet guidance comes from Julie and your OB.
The nutrition program is one part of surrogate support at PLS. See also pregnancy through OB release. If you are ready to begin, start with the prescreen: see if you qualify.
Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), patient information on nutrition during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and anemia. https://www.acog.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), folic acid and food safety in pregnancy. https://www.cdc.gov
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), patient resources on weight and fertility. https://www.asrm.org