Morning Sickness Help from a Prenatal Dietitian

Why general advice usually falls flat

Almost everyone arrives having already tried ginger, dry biscuits and eating small meals. Those are reasonable suggestions, and they are also where most advice stops.

What they miss is that nausea in pregnancy is not one thing. Some people are worst first thing, some in the afternoon, some only around cooking smells. Some can manage protein and not carbohydrate, others the reverse. Some are being tipped over by their own prenatal supplement without realising it. A plan that works is built around which of those is true for you, and that is a five-minute conversation rather than a guess.

The other reason generic advice fails: when you are exhausted and nauseated, a long list of things to try is itself a barrier. Knowing which one or two to change first is most of the value.

Is this consult right for you?

It is probably a good fit if:

• Nausea is shaping your whole day and you are eating around it rather than to a plan.
• You have been told to nibble dry crackers and it is not getting you through.
• You are worried that what you can keep down is not enough for the baby.
• You want a plan built around what you can actually stomach this week, not a general list.

Book the full Prenatal Nutrition Assessment instead if you have several things going on at once, you are managing a condition such as gestational diabetes, PCOS or coeliac disease alongside pregnancy, you are carrying multiples, or you follow a restricted diet and want the whole picture checked.

What happens in the consult

Twenty minutes by telehealth, fixed price at $39. You fill in a short form beforehand, which takes about ten minutes, so the session starts with your situation rather than with background questions.

What we look at

• What you have been able to keep down over the last few days, and what you cannot face at all.
• When your nausea is worst, and what is happening around it.
• Your fluid intake and any signs you are not keeping up.
• Your prenatal supplement, when you take it, and whether it is contributing.
• What you have already tried, and what happened.
• How far along you are, and anything your GP or midwife has flagged.

What you walk away with

• A specific eating and drinking pattern built around when your nausea actually peaks.
• A short list of foods worth trying for your particular aversions, and what to skip.
• A plan for your supplement so you are not choosing between folate and keeping food down.
• Clear markers for when this needs medical review rather than more dietary changes.

Your plan arrives by email within 24 hours, written so you can start that day. If something needs a doctor, we will say so and tell you what to ask for.

When it needs a doctor, not a dietitian

If nausea is continuing well into the second trimester, that is worth raising rather than waiting it out. There is no prize for holding on.

Where we are

Ausclin’s dietitians are based at Mount Hutton, between Newcastle and the southern shores of Lake Macquarie, and see clients in person there. These prenatal mini consults are telehealth, so you can book from anywhere in Australia, including across the Hunter, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock and the Central Coast. See all prenatal consults.

Who you will see

Your prenatal dietitian

Felicity Bull

Accredited Practising Dietitian · Founder

Felicity runs Ausclin’s prenatal consults. She graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2010 and has worked clinically in the public health system ever since. Women’s health is a central part of her private practice, from fertility and conception through pregnancy and early parenthood.

Her approach is client-led and trauma-informed, and she works alongside your GP, midwife and obstetrician rather than around them.

More about Felicity →

Common questions

Where this comes from

General guidance here reflects Australian pregnancy care and the sources below. It is general information, not personal advice, and it does not replace your GP, midwife or obstetrician.

• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (healthdirect Australia) – morning sickness and severe vomiting in pregnancy.
• The Royal Women’s Hospital – nausea and vomiting in pregnancy patient information.
• RANZCOG guidance on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum.