Pregnancy Dietitian

If you are struggling with your energy, with your appetite, or your intake chances are your body is not being fuelled with the correct nutrients.

We understand that it can be difficult to get enough food in when you’re feeling nauseous and vomiting but it is very important you are giving your body the energy it needs to grow your baby. You should see a dietitian to help you navigate these changes.

It is recommended that you enjoy a wide variety of foods during your pregnancy and this includes regularly consuming common allergens during pregnancy (unless you are allergic to a food – then do not consume this). It is important to consume common allergens such as nuts (peanuts, walnuts and cashews), some fish (shellfish – make sure it is well cooked to avoid listeria risk) dairy products (milk and eggs), soy and wheat.

This will expose your growing baby to these things, and hopefully reduce the risk of allergy.

The current recommendation for weight gain during pregnancy comes from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). These guidelines are a little outdated and they do not account for specific conditions in pregnancy (i.e. twin pregnancies or other health conditions). It is not common practice for GPs to weigh women during pregnancy, as there is enough for women to worry about. As a pregnancy dietitian, we will ask about how you are tracking with weight gain in pregnancy.

Prior to your first consultation, you will need to complete a new patient form prior to seeing the dietitian. This will be sent to you via email.

If you have any recent results from your doctor, feel free to bring them along! Otherwise, you don’t need to bring anything – just yourself!

After the consultation, we will schedule a follow up appointment, but if you have any questions or concerns between appointments, your dietitian will be available to answer your questions via email or phone call.

A dietitian can help you with:

• Guidance with nutrition during pregnancy and reduce related pregnancy issues
• Decrease the risk of adverse outcomes of pregnancy
• Reduce your symptoms of common pregnancy issues
• Improve maternal health and birth outcomes
• Supporting your health goals during pregnancy
• Guidance at different stages of pregnancy

Our belief is that every person who is pregnant should see a dietitian, given the importance of consuming key nutrients for healthy development of your baby. There are many things to be aware of when it comes to eating during pregnancy. Your recommended serve sizes for grain foods, and meat/other alternatives increase in pregnancy as your body shifts towards a pregnancy diet. In order to prevent nutritional deficiency, your recommendations for key nutrients increases during pregnancy.

Steady weight gain is important during your pregnancy for your health and the health of your growing baby, a dietitian can help you reach a healthy weight gain target during pregnancy to best support you. 

Your babies taste preferences can be developed during pregnancy, as flavours and smells that are present in the amniotic fluid become familiar to the infant once they are born.

Finding out you are pregnant is often exciting, it is a time for learning, growing, and changing. As a pregnant person, it is also a time of many questions and concerns. When there are so many things to worry about, and to prepare for your new arrival, what to eat should be and can be made easier when you see an accredited practising dietitian.

The foods you eat during pregnancy can affect your long-term health, and the health of your baby, both short and long term. Every person who is pregnant will want what is best for their growing baby, and we as dietitians are aware of that. We want to take that pressure off you and support you in making all the best nutrition decisions for you and your baby.