During pregnancy, maternal nutrition is critical for the health of both mom and baby. But this period of growth also brings with it the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus, also known as GDM.

An interdisciplinary team of UConn researchers including several from CAHNR teamed up with a Hartford-based small business, My Local Chefs, to develop a program to help moms navigate this diagnosis and make choices to ensure a healthy pregnancy, as well as long-term health.

This program, Meals4Moms, provides people diagnosed with GDM free meals aligned with American Diabetes Association recommendations, personalized exercise support, and access to evidence-based information and resources via a website. Participants were also interviewed to gauge the likelihood of adherence and to see how well the program fit into the moms’ busy lives.

“It was really helpful to talk to women with GDM and hear from them how the Meals4Mom program would fit into their lives,” says Molly Waring, associate professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and a principal investigator with UConn InCHIP.

Data from the program will inform a clinical trial to test whether Meals4Moms along with usual prenatal care is more effective than usual care alone for helping pregnant individuals manage their GDM.