Prenatal and postpartum

Prenatal and postpartum nutrition and training in Denver

Pregnancy and early motherhood change your body, so your training and your food should change too. What worked before may not serve you now. I am a registered dietitian and a certified prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist, which is a genuinely rare pairing, and it means one person can adjust both.

  • Registered Dietitian
  • NASM Certified Personal Trainer
  • Prenatal and Postpartum Certified
  • Denver and virtual

Start from where you actually are

What you need at twelve weeks pregnant is not what you need at eight weeks postpartum. Find your stage, and the free call sorts out the rest.

Trying to conceive

Building a base before it matters most: iron, protein and micronutrient status reviewed against your labs, cycle-aware training, and strength you can carry into a pregnancy.

Pregnant

Training modified trimester by trimester, core and pelvic floor work, and nutrition that keeps up with changing energy, appetite and digestion.

Newly postpartum

Recovery first, once your provider has cleared you. Breathing, deep core and pelvic floor before load, and eating enough to actually recover.

Early motherhood

Rebuilding real strength around feeding, broken sleep and a schedule that is no longer yours. Sessions that fit the week you actually have.

During pregnancy

The focus is what you can do, which is usually more than you expect

Pregnancy is not the time to chase a personal best, and for most people it is also not the time to stop. With your provider's clearance, training through pregnancy is about staying strong, staying connected to your core and pelvic floor, and moving with intention as your body changes.

  • Strength, modified by trimester. Load, positions and range change as you do. The programming changes with them.
  • Core and pelvic floor. Breathing that teaches the core to work as a unit, then applied to real movements rather than practised on a mat.
  • Everyday symptoms. Programming that accounts for back discomfort, pelvic pressure, balance and fatigue.
  • Nutrition that keeps up. Protein and micronutrient needs, energy, digestion and eating well on very little time, from a registered dietitian.

See training options or nutrition counseling. Both run in person in Denver or virtually.

A pregnant woman performing a supported strength exercise with a dumbbell

After the birth

Postpartum, rebuilt from the inside out

Postpartum is the part where most people are handed a six-week appointment and very little else. Here it is sequenced, so you always know which phase you are in and what earns the next one. How fast you move through it depends on your birth, your recovery and your provider, not on a calendar.

  1. Phase one

    Breathing, deep core and pelvic floor

    Reconnecting the parts that did the most work, before anything is loaded. Breathing applied to movement rather than practised on its own, and honest feedback about what your body is telling you.

  2. Phase two

    Movement patterns, then load

    Squat, hinge, push, pull and carry, rebuilt with your new mechanics, then loaded gradually. This is where most people start to feel like themselves again.

  3. Phase three

    Back to real strength

    Progressive strength work, impact and conditioning reintroduced when you are ready for them, built around feeding, broken sleep and a schedule you no longer fully control.

  4. Running alongside all three

    Eating enough to actually recover

    Recovery, milk supply and energy all depend on fuel. As a registered dietitian I can look at your labs, not just your plate, and build the nutrition around what they show.

A woman doing controlled breathing and core work lying on a mat

An important boundary. This is nutrition and fitness coaching, not medical or obstetric care. Your obstetric provider leads your pregnancy and your recovery, and should clear you before you begin or continue any exercise program. Sozo works alongside that care, never in place of it, and works with your pelvic floor therapist where you have one.

Why the credential pairing matters here

Most practitioners in this space hold one qualification or the other. A registered dietitian can advise on nutrition through pregnancy and lactation, but usually does not write your training. A prenatal fitness specialist can program your training, but cannot give individualized nutrition advice or interpret labs.

I hold both. In practice that means the food and the training are designed together, by one person, who understands how each one affects the other, and who can adjust both as your body changes. Ellie, who also coaches at Sozo, is Pronatal certified for prenatal and postpartum training as well.

Clients through pregnancy and postpartum

Written by clients who trained through pregnancy, delivery and the year after it.

Postpartum training clientDenver

As someone navigating my postpartum journey, her extensive prenatal experience truly sets her apart. Meticulous and thoughtful planning that tailored workouts perfectly to my goals and abilities, pushing me just enough without overwhelming me.

Prenatal training clientDenver

I had the opportunity of working with Kenzie for pregnancy specific training. She tailored our sessions to give me the confidence to train safely day to day. With her help I was able to continue training, both strength and cardio, right up through my delivery.

Prenatal and postpartum clientDenver

I worked with Kenzie throughout pregnancy and postpartum and she showed up for me daily and met me where I was in each of those phases. I have seen real improvements in my strength, energy and overall health.

Postpartum nutrition and training clientDenver

Her postpartum workout classes are excellent and challenging, and her nutrition support has been incredibly helpful. Before working with her I felt lost about how to make nutritious meals that fuel my body and keep it energized.

Postpartum nutrition clientDenver

So thankful for her deep dive into my bloodwork. She provides actionable goals that are exciting and empowering.

Moms group clientDenver

She can adapt and modify exercises to fit anyone's needs while giving the individual attention everyone deserves.

Read all nineteen client stories

Moms groups and postpartum sessions

If you are part of a moms group looking for a supportive, approachable way to return to exercise, Sculpt Social runs private group sessions for exactly that, either at a Denver studio or wherever you already meet. Both trainers are prenatal and postpartum certified.

Start with a free 15-minute call

Tell me which stage you are in and I will tell you what would actually help. No medical details needed on the form.

Common questions

What makes an RD plus prenatal fitness certification different?

Most people in this space hold one or the other. A registered dietitian can advise on nutrition through pregnancy and lactation but often does not program training. A prenatal fitness specialist can program training but cannot give individualized nutrition or interpret labs. I hold both, so the food and the training are designed together by one person who understands how each affects the other.

Is it safe to strength train while pregnant?

For most people with an uncomplicated pregnancy, staying active is generally encouraged, and current guidance supports continuing strength training with appropriate modifications. What changes is how you train, not whether you train. Every pregnancy is different, so your obstetric provider has the final say and should clear you before you start or continue any program.

When can I start training again after birth?

That depends on your birth, your recovery and your provider's clearance, and it is not something a website can answer for you. What Sozo can do once you are cleared is meet you where you actually are rather than where a generic plan assumes you should be, and rebuild gradually from there. Many clients start with breathing, core and pelvic floor work well before they touch a barbell.

Do you work with people who are trying to conceive?

Yes. Trying to conceive, pregnant, newly postpartum and further into motherhood are all stages Sozo supports. Nutrition needs and training capacity are different in each one, which is the point of working with someone who understands the whole arc rather than one slice of it.

Can we do this virtually?

Yes. Nutrition sessions run virtually, and the 12-week programs are built around the equipment you have at home. In-person training is available in Denver, in Wash Park and LoHi, and there are also small group sessions for moms groups through Sculpt Social.