Constipation in Pregnancy: a Dietitian’s Approach

Why “eat more fibre” often makes it worse

This is the advice everyone gets, and on its own it frequently backfires.

Fibre holds water, so increasing it without also changing fluid can leave you more uncomfortable, not less. Increasing it too quickly causes wind and cramping, which in late pregnancy is thoroughly unpleasant. And not all fibre does the same job – the type that helps one person’s symptoms can aggravate another’s, particularly if bloating is the dominant problem rather than hardness.

Then there is iron. If an iron supplement is the main driver, adding fibre while leaving the iron unchanged tends to produce a lot of effort for very little result.

That is the difference a consult makes: not more fibre, but the right kind, at the right pace, alongside the other things that are actually contributing.

Is this consult right for you?

It is probably a good fit if:

• Nothing has been regular since you started iron tablets.
• You have already added more fibre and it made you more bloated, not less stuck.
• You are buying things at the chemist without being sure which are suitable in pregnancy.
• You want to know which changes are worth making first, in what order.

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

• A few days of food and fluid, which we analyse before the consult.
• What your pattern actually is – hard stools, infrequency, bloating, straining, or a mix.
• Your iron supplement and anything else you are taking.
• How far along you are, and whether haemorrhoids are already part of the picture.
• What you have tried, including anything from the pharmacy.

What you walk away with

• Your actual fibre and fluid gaps, quantified rather than guessed.
• A specific set of changes in a sensible order, paced so you do not trade constipation for bloating.
• A high-fibre recipe pack matched to what you will realistically eat.
• What to raise with your GP or midwife about your iron, and when.

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 to speak to your GP or midwife

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) – constipation in pregnancy.
• National Health and Medical Research Council – Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand.
• Cochrane review of interventions for treating constipation in pregnancy.