Meet Melinda
Helping Mothers and Pregnant People Be Healthier
Hello! I’m Melinda Delisle. I help parents, expectant parents, and those trying to conceive be healthier, feel more confident, and find their inner strength so we can not only be great for our families, but also have the life we want being our best selves. I take a non-judgmental approach – I believe the only person who knows exactly the right options for you is YOU. I strive for no Mommy-shaming here. 
I’m an empathetic clinical nutritionist, maternal health change maker,
solutions architect, truth seeker, and a definite research hound. I love to sift through all the stacks of research, distill that information down to what is actually useful to us in our lives, and present you with clear, concise options and action steps so you can make the best choices for YOU, YOUR family and YOUR situation. I am currently creating an online Confident Pregnancy course that will do all of that for pregnant women. I can’t WAIT until it comes out. In the meantime, I am focusing on 1-1 clinical nutrition consultations and some group programs. Though I specialize in reducing pregnancy risk and supporting emotional health along with physical health, I work with a variety of people and conditions.
I'd love to work with you!
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING
I often have clients tell me things like what Lisa D shared with me when I was her doula for her 3rd pregnancy, “I’m really convinced that your nutrition suggestions let me go full term with this pregnancy.” I also love hearing comments like this one: “I cannot thank you enough for how confident I felt.” Helping people to be healthier, reduce complications, and feel more confident, like those women, makes me so proud and fuels everything I do.
If you are looking for ways to be healthier and reduce pregnancy risk, improve your confidence, and just love yourself more, I’d love to work with you, too!
My Vision:
To create a “New Normal” of pregnancy with lower rates of complications, fewer uncomfortable symptoms, and in which pregnant people feel supported and confident.
My Professional Background
My Experience in a Nutshell:
- Began teaching childbirth classes in 2000. I started as Bradley Method certified, then switched to Lamaze certification in 2006.
- Earned Masters in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Dec 2020.
- Poster presentation at the American Nutrition Association’s 2019 conference: “Environmental Impact on Pre-Eclampsia and Potential Nutritional Interventions.”
- Helped hundreds of pregnant women reduce their risk and prepare for birth.
- Attended over 30 births as a doula. I trained with CAPPA in 2004.
- Presented a 90 minute-talk at 2 separate Lamaze conferences.
- Speaker at numerous other expos and events.
- Published online and in print.
- Author of the Pocket Pregnancy Guide: What to Eat When Pregnant.
- Advocated for maternal and infant health bills at the Capitol with Lamaze International, and at the Georgia capitol with March of Dimes.
- Supported safe infant feeding in the aftermath of hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
What am I most proud of in my perinatal professional career?
My students and clients have a 90% LOWER risk of preterm birth compared to the US average*.
How cool is that?
For those who want a bit more of a data summary, here it is. when I first started teaching, I taught the Bradley Method(R) straight “out of the box,” so to speak. Over time, I added more bits of the research I was finding to my classes and wrote the first version of the Pocket Pregnancy booklets and ROADS of Healthy Pregnancy. Around the time I was working with my 86th couple, I fully implemented adding Pocket Pregnancy to my classes and putting a strong emphasis on healthy lifestyle in addition to childbirth preparation. The change in preterm birth rates was amazing! To make it even more interesting, the 110 couples I worked with after implementing Pocket Pregnancy and the ROADS skewed somewhat towards women with complications. By that point, I started to attract women with gestational diabetes, pre-existing diabetes, previous preterm births, lupus, and other complications. Needless to say, I am quite proud of how my students made lifestyle changes and focused on their health!
The process of earning a master’s degree in Human Nutrition has taught me a TON more useful information that I am excited to be adding to my work. There is so much we can do with lifestyle to support healthy pregnancy!
Hurricane Helene made me passionate about infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E).
Did you know most disaster response doesn't pay attention to the specific feeding needs of families with young children?
Neither did I, until I went to western North Carolina after hurricane Helene in fall of 2024.
I had availability to go help with the disaster response, and a doula friend connected me with a group of lactation professionals supporting safe infant feeding in the wake of the disaster.
I went up to volunteer for a week initially, and was soon invited back to serve as the primary Boots on the Ground Coordinator for the newly minted SAFE Team. In the process, I discovered a new passion for ensuring that all families have what they need to feed their babies more safely.
Some of the facts I learned include:
- Infants and children 2 and under are some of the most vulnerable people.
- Many emergencies cause a lack of clean, safe drinking water.
- While boiling is a great way to make water safe, this is not always practical or possible.
- Few disaster response organizations include safe infant feeding protocols or follow the CDC IYCF-E Toolkit.
- Though breastfeeding is the safest during emergencies, myths abound and many families are already mixed feeding or formula-dependent.
- All families post-emergency need support to feed their babies safely.
Parents, please learn more about safely feeding your baby if you lose access to power or safe drinking water. We created this page with a brief safe infant feeding in emergencies training video and other resources for families.
Perinatal and public health professionals – consider attending our grant-funded virtual training series (eleven 90-min sessions) to prepare for safe feeding of children under 3 during emergencies in your community.
PSA over. 😉
On a More Personal Note
I have 2 wonderful children (now young adults!) who were both born normally (aka, naturally, no medication) and raised using many of the suggestions I have taught. When I am not writing or researching, I enjoy hiking, kayaking, horseback riding (when I can), rock hounding, meditation, playing board games (or Blood on the Clocktower – fun!), cosplay (especially doing volunteer events), travel, and just getting to know new people. I like trying new physical activities – it is actually what helps keep me motivated to exercise (or re-motivate me when I fall off the wagon. Again). Some of my past adventures have included paragliding, river sledging, canyoning/canyoneering, wakeboarding, skiing, and river surfing (ok, that last was in a machine-driven pool). I also like to spend time living other people’s adventures by reading fantasy books (Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, Mistborn, and others), gaining insight into other people’s lives with inspiring biographies, and learning more about myself through personal development.
If you just have to know more, here are a few things most people don’t know about me.
My college degree was a BMus in French horn performance, and I completed a year of a master’s degree in Musicology (the study of music history and theory).
I collect orchids. Well, maybe 5 isn’t a collection (yet), but I do think they are awesome.
I LOVE dragons and call my powerful, inner self “the Dragon.” I’m still working on making that confidence consistent. 
Pregnancy Tips By Email
Read the Pregnancy Blog
If you want to keep browsing, you can explore more pregnancy topics in the blog.
Work with Me
If you think you might like to work with me and want to learn more, click for info about my healthy pregnancy coaching or Confident Pregnancy online courses.
