Is it safe to see a naturopath while pregnant?

With someone who works in this area, yes. Pregnancy narrows what can be used considerably — a number of herbs are contraindicated and some are not established either way — so what matters is that your naturopath knows the difference and works alongside your maternity care rather than separately from it.

Which supplements do I actually need?

Folate before conception and through the first trimester, and iodine through pregnancy and breastfeeding, are the two with clear public health recommendations behind them in Australia. Iron, vitamin D and B12 depend on your own levels, which is what testing is for. Beyond that it's individual rather than a standard stack.

Can I get help with breastfeeding?

Carmen Farrugia is a registered midwife as well as a naturopath, so postnatal work here can include feeding, recovery and the nutritional demands of it. Where a lactation consultant or your midwife is the right person, we'll say so and refer you.

Pregnancy Naturopath Melbourne

Pregnancy is the period where naturopathic care has to be most careful and where nutrition matters most. Both things are true at once, and the way to hold them together is to work with someone who knows the boundaries rather than one who works around them.

Through pregnancy

Nutritional status. Folate before conception and through the first trimester, and iodine through pregnancy and breastfeeding, are the two with clear Australian public health recommendations behind them. Iron, vitamin D and B12 depend on your own levels — which is what testing is for rather than guessing.

Nausea, reflux, constipation and fatigue, which are the common first and second trimester complaints and mostly respond to practical changes.

Blood sugar, particularly where gestational diabetes has been raised or has happened before.

Diet that’s realistic, including through a trimester where very little is appealing.

What’s safe. A number of herbs are contraindicated in pregnancy and others aren’t established either way. Your naturopath works from that list, and the answer to “is this okay?” is sometimes no.

After the birth

Recovery and nutritional replenishment, which is the part most often skipped. Iron after blood loss, and the demands of feeding, are both substantial.

Breastfeeding, including the nutritional side of it.

Sleep, mood and the load, honestly discussed rather than minimised.

Getting back to your own health, at whatever pace is available.

⚠ Your maternity team leads this

Pregnancy care is led by your midwife, GP or obstetrician, and naturopathic care sits alongside it. Tell both what the other is doing.

Get urgent assessment now, not a booking, for: bleeding, severe or persistent abdominal pain, severe headache with visual changes or swelling, reduced fetal movements, fever, or fluid loss. If you contact us with any of these you’ll be told the same thing and helped to get seen.

After birth, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby need help today — call PANDA on 1300 726 306 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, or go to your nearest emergency department.

Who you’d see

Carmen Farrugia holds an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy plus current AHPRA registration as a midwife and a Division 1 nurse, and works across preconception, IVF support, pregnancy, postnatal care and hormonal health.

Pregnancy and postnatal care