How Can a Naturopath Help During Pregnancy and After Birth?

From first-trimester nausea to the tiredness that hangs on long after your baby arrives, here’s how a naturopathic doctor can help, and when someone else on your team is the better person to see.

Most of the people who come to see our naturopathic doctors during pregnancy aren’t worried about anything serious. They just haven’t been feeling great for a while and haven’t had a chance to talk it through with anyone. Maybe the nausea has dragged on for weeks. Maybe their bloodwork came back “normal” even though they can barely keep their eyes open after dinner, or maybe the prenatal vitamin they’ve been dutifully taking every morning seems to make everything worse.

After your baby arrives, the questions don’t go away so much as change. You’re recovering from birth while feeding a baby around the clock, and it’s very easy to put your own meals, sleep and bloodwork at the bottom of the list. Sometimes for months.

Our naturopathic doctors (NDs) have the time to go through all of it with you, from what you’re eating, what you’re taking, how you’re sleeping and what your bloodwork actually shows. Then they help you work out what might be behind how you’re feeling. They work alongside your OB, midwife or family doctor, who continue to look after your pregnancy and your medical care. Think of an ND as someone you’re adding to your team instead of someone who replaces anyone on it.

Can a naturopath help with pregnancy nausea?

Nausea is often the first thing that brings people in. Despite the name “morning sickness,” it rarely sticks to the morning. It might hit the moment you wake up, build slowly through the afternoon or show up whenever your stomach is empty, and according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), it affects between 50 and 80% of pregnant people. Smells you never used to notice can suddenly be unbearable (the smell of something cooking can be enough to send you out of the room). That’s exactly why so many people end up living on toast, crackers and anything cold for a few weeks in their early pregnancy.

The usual advice is to nibble on crackers and wait it out. The SOGC’s own guidance is more practical. It suggests eating whatever pregnancy-safe foods you can actually keep down and trying ginger or vitamin B6 first, and it points out that the iron in some prenatal vitamins can make nausea worse, which surprises a lot of people.

Please don’t stop taking your prenatal vitamins, since Health Canada recommends that all pregnant people take a daily vitamin with folic acid and iron. But when your iron levels are fine, switching to a different prenatal or taking it at a different time of day can make a real difference. Your ND can sort that out with you and your OB or midwife.

At your appointment, your ND will want to know when the nausea started, what you’re managing to eat and drink and whether anything seems to set it off. That way, whatever they suggest will hopefully fit the day you’re actually having. (There isn’t much point in a beautifully balanced meal plan when getting breakfast down is the hard part.) Many of our NDs also offer acupuncture during pregnancy, which many people find remarkably helpful for nausea too.

If you can’t keep fluids down, you’re losing weight, you feel faint or you’re barely peeing, please call your doctor or midwife right away. Severe nausea and vomiting can lead to dehydration and sometimes needs medication or a trip to the hospital to get under control. Our articles on nausea relief during pregnancy and choosing a prenatal vitamin have more on both.

Why does iron matter so much in pregnancy?

Your red blood cells use iron to carry oxygen around your body, and your body needs a lot more of it during pregnancy. By the end of pregnancy you’re carrying close to half again as much blood as you were before. Your baby is also building up their own iron stores at the same time, so it’s very common for iron to run low somewhere in the middle months.

We like to describe ferritin as your iron savings account. Your regular blood counts show what you’re spending day to day, while ferritin shows how much you have left in the bank, and your savings can run quite low while your everyday numbers still look perfectly fine. When that happens, you might feel wiped out by mid-afternoon or out of breath on the stairs, even though nobody has told you you’re anemic.

Tiredness in pregnancy can be caused by so many things. That’s why it helps to have someone look at the whole picture, including your ferritin, your complete blood count, what you’re eating and which prenatal vitamin you’re taking.

If your iron does turn out to be low, food can help. Some people need an iron supplement in addition to the iron that is already in their prenatal vitamin, which your ND can work out with your OB or midwife. The type of iron matters more than most people realize. Some forms of iron are much harder on your stomach than others and can actually worsen nausea, cramping or constipation, so it’s always worth looking at what you’re already taking before simply adding more.

Why does pregnancy make constipation so common?

Progesterone, one of the main pregnancy hormones, functions, in part, as a muscle relaxant, which is incredibly helpful for keeping your uterus calm and relaxed. Unfortunately, at the same time, progesterone can also slow down your bowel function. The longer your stool sits in your bowel, the more water gets pulled out of it, which is why bowel movements can become harder, less frequent and a lot more work during pregnancy. Iron supplements, moving less and changes in what you’re able to eat can all make the situation worse.

Your ND can look at how much fibre and water you’re getting, along with your supplements, and suggest some changes. Just keep in mind to add fibre gradually, because adding a lot more at once is a fabulous way to trade constipation for gas and bloating. And if you’re adding fibre, make sure to add water. Fibre without water is a recipe for disaster.

If your stool isn’t particularly hard but is still a struggle to get out, or you’re feeling pressure in your pelvis, your pelvic floor may have something to do with it. Your pelvic floor muscles sit like a hammock across the bottom of your pelvis and need to relax for a bowel movement to come out. If they’re holding on when they should be letting go, going to the bathroom can feel a bit like pushing against a closed door. Our pelvic floor physiotherapists can check how those muscles are working with your breathing and your belly. You can book a pelvic floor assessment in Toronto, Newmarket and Meadowvale.

What if you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes?

Insulin’s job is to move sugar out of your blood and into your cells, where it’s used for energy. During pregnancy, the hormones made by the placenta make your body a little less responsive to insulin. This is actually by design; being a bit less responsive to insulin means your body is leaving more sugar in your blood for your growing baby. Most pregnant people’s bodies simply make extra insulin to keep up with the extra sugar. If insulin production isn’t quite keeping up, blood sugar starts to climb and gestational diabetes can develop. Most pregnant people are tested between 24 and 28 weeks (some earlier, depending on their history). If you’re diagnosed, your diabetes team will guide your testing and treatment, and a registered dietitian can assist with designing a reasonable meal plan to help you know what to eat.

Your ND can help with the very practical side of following that plan. This is especially important if you’re also still nauseous, put off by half the foods you used to enjoy or dealing with constipation. The goal is to turn what you’ve been told to eat into meals that actually work for you. Our article on gestational diabetes explains more about the diagnosis and what happens next.

Planning for postpartum before your baby arrives

By the third trimester, most of the planning is about the birth and the baby, like choosing the perfect car seat and planning how you’d like to feed your baby. There’s usually far less talk about how you’ll eat and recover once you’re home. The third trimester, while you’re still getting some decent stretches of sleep, is a great time to do your postpartum planning.

Your nutritional needs don’t drop back to normal the day your baby is born. You’ll be healing from birth, and whether it’s a vaginal birth or a C-section, both require a remarkable amount of healing. Your body will need to produce extra blood to make up for any blood you lost during birth, and your body will start making milk. If your iron was low in pregnancy, you may want to ask your OB or midwife whether it should be rechecked after birth, especially if you lose a lot of blood during delivery. The third trimester is also a good time to plan for the supplements you’ll keep taking postpartum. A freezer full of soups, stews and one-handed foods will serve you well, and so will lining up someone who can drop off groceries or hand you a snack while you’re feeding the baby. Our guide to building your village before baby arrives has lots more ideas.

If you’re planning to breastfeed, we always recommend a visit with a lactation consultant during your third trimester, closer to your due date. Breastfeeding is a learned skill. One of our lactation consultants can meet with you during pregnancy to talk through feeding before the baby comes, and you can book a prenatal lactation visit in Toronto, Newmarket or Meadowvale. And if your back, hips or pelvis are making it hard to sleep, our prenatal chiropractors are usually a better first stop than an ND, with appointments in Toronto, Newmarket and Meadowvale.

The first few weeks after birth

At Oona, we consider you postpartum forever, so there’s no wrong time to come and see us. The first few weeks do bring their own particular challenges, though, because you’re healing from a vaginal birth or a C-section and getting feeding established. Then there’s the complication of only having one hand available to eat with, because you’re using the other to hold the baby that will only settle if they’re directly on you.

This is where an ND can be wonderfully practical, helping you find foods that take almost no effort to make, but still give you the protein and iron you need to recover. Your ND can also check that your supplements are safe while you’re breastfeeding, and if you’re still constipated after birth, they can investigate why that might be. Our article on postpartum bowel problems has lots of practical tips, and if you’re waking up drenched at night, our article on postpartum night sweats explains why. Many postpartum parents find a virtual appointment far easier at this stage, since it doesn’t involve getting a newborn into a car seat and out the door on time for an appointment.

If breastfeeding hurts or you’re worried about latch or supply, an IBCLC lactation consultant is the best person to see first, and you can book an in-person visit in Toronto, Newmarket or Meadowvale, or a virtual visit from home. Heavy bleeding, a fever, or a tear or incision that looks worse instead of better needs your doctor or midwife right away. You can read more about how our NDs support people after birth in our article on postpartum naturopathic care.

Why might you still be exhausted months after birth?

Most parents know that they’ll be tired with a newborn at home, but if you’re completely wiped out when your baby is six or eight months old and finally sleeping a little longer, we would definitely want to look into that. Broken sleep explains a lot, but isn’t necessarily the only reason for exhaustion. Blood loss during birth, iron that never quite recovered after pregnancy and thyroid changes can all leave you running on empty.

When you come in for your postpartum appointment, your ND will usually start with questions relating to your birth. They’ll likely ask how much blood you lost, what your iron levels were like during pregnancy, how you’re feeding your baby, what you actually eat on an ordinary day, and they’ll want to get details on your current sleep patterns. They’ll also ask about things you might not connect with being tired, like always feeling cold, your heart racing now and then, or finding much more hair in the shower than you expected. Those details can help separate the tiredness that comes with a baby from something worth testing. Our article on postnatal depletion goes into this in more detail.

Could it be your thyroid?

Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck that helps set the pace for things like your heart rate, your energy and how warm or cold you feel. It can help to think of your thyroid as your body’s thermostat. In the year after birth, about 5 to 10% of women develop inflammation of the thyroid, called postpartum thyroiditis. In the first phase of inflammation, the thyroid releases its stored hormone all at once, a bit like someone cranking the heat right up, so your heart races and you feel anxious, sweaty or unable to sleep. In the phase that often follows, it’s turned down too low, and you’re left feeling tired, cold and constipated.

Not everyone goes through both phases, and because so much of it looks like ordinary life with a baby, it’s easy to miss. It’s diagnosed with a blood test and managed by your doctor, so your ND’s job is to notice when the picture doesn’t quite add up and make sure it gets checked. Our article on postpartum thyroiditis explains it in more detail.

What about all of that hair in the shower?

Pregnancy hormones keep more of your hair in its growing phase than usual, which is why so many people have the thickest hair of their lives while they’re pregnant. After birth, all of that hair moves into its resting phase at around the same time and starts coming out two to four months later. Most postpartum people notice this with hair that is left over in the shower after wash day, and they may find that their brush is more full after brushing. As dramatic as it looks, it’s normally temporary, although if you’re still shedding heavily well past your baby’s first birthday, or losing hair in patches, it’s worth having it checked. Our article on postpartum hair loss walks through the whole process.

Can naturopathic care help with your mood after birth?

Feeling weepy, irritable or up and down in the first couple of weeks after birth is very common while your hormones settle and you’re running on very little sleep, and it usually eases on its own. When anxiety, low mood or intrusive thoughts hang on or show up later, though, that needs proper support, and you don’t need to wait two weeks, or any length of time, before asking for help. Our article More than baby blues explains the difference.

Low iron, thyroid changes and not eating enough can all affect how you feel, so they’re worth looking at alongside mental health care, but naturopathic medicine isn’t a treatment for postpartum depression or anxiety. Our mental health team offers virtual appointments, and you can start with a free 20-minute virtual consultation with a psychotherapist or social worker. Your family doctor can also help you get assessed and treated.

If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, feel confused or out of touch with what’s real, or can’t sleep even when you have the chance, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

Are supplements and herbs safe while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding?

Natural doesn’t automatically mean safe, and the amount of advice online about what to take during pregnancy can be overwhelming. Folic acid is about as well studied as anything gets, since it lowers the risk of neural tube defects that affect the baby’s brain and spine (our article on folic acid vs. folate explains the difference between the two). Ginger and vitamin B6 for nausea have reasonable support, while many herbs simply haven’t been studied properly in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and a concentrated capsule or tincture can act very differently from the same plant in your food.

Your ND can go through everything you’re taking, tell you honestly where the evidence is strong and where it’s thin, and check for interactions with any medications. A Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label means a product is licensed for sale in Canada, but it doesn’t mean it’s right for you while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, so make sure your OB, midwife, doctor and pharmacist know what you’re taking too.

What happens at your first appointment?

Your first naturopathic appointment is 90 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to tell the whole story without watching the clock. Your ND will ask about your pregnancy or birth, how you’ve been feeling, what you eat, how you sleep and every medication and supplement you take, and go through any bloodwork you bring along. Photos of your supplement labels on your phone are perfect, and your OB, midwife or family doctor can give you a copy of any recent results.

You don’t need to know which tests or supplements you need before you come in, and you shouldn’t expect to leave with a long shopping list either. Your plan might be a few changes to how you eat, a second look at something you’re already taking, some bloodwork or an introduction to someone else on our team who’s better suited to what’s going on.

Virtual appointments are available at all three of our clinics, and if you’re coming to our Toronto clinic with your baby, you can ask about childminding when you book. Many extended health plans cover naturopathic care, and you’re welcome to ask us about direct billing.

Meet our naturopathic doctors

Dr. Alexsia Priolo, ND has been with Oona since 2019 and spends much of her time with patients from early pregnancy right through to birth and well beyond it, helping with nausea, fatigue, constipation, heartburn and blood sugar. She also offers acupuncture, and sees patients at our Toronto clinic and virtually (book with Dr. Alexsia).

Dr. Erica Nikiforuk, ND, RAc is also a registered acupuncturist, with a particular interest in hormonal and reproductive health, and she’s known for the detailed, practical nutrition support she gives her patients during pregnancy. She sees patients in Toronto, in Newmarket and virtually.

At our Meadowvale clinic in Mississauga, Dr. Shannon Vander Doelen, ND has spent more than a decade supporting patients through fertility, pregnancy and postpartum, including more complex pregnancies, and also offers acupuncture (book with Dr. Shannon). She works alongside Dr. Janelle Tyme, ND, whose interests include pregnancy, postpartum recovery and digestion, and who puts a lot of care into making sure you understand the “why” behind what’s going on (book with Dr. Janelle).

You can read more about how all of our NDs work on our naturopathic medicine page, and if you’re still deciding whether naturopathic care is right for you, our earlier article on what to expect when you see a naturopath during pregnancy is a good place to start.

When should you book?

Whenever something has been bothering you. There’s no particular week of pregnancy when you’re supposed to start and no deadline after birth, so whether you’re seven weeks along and can’t face breakfast or the parent of a toddler who’s still exhausted and would like to know why, we’d be glad to see you. You don’t need a referral, and you don’t need to have figured out what’s going on before you come in.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to see a naturopath during pregnancy?

Yes, as long as you’re seeing a licensed naturopathic doctor who knows you’re pregnant and checks that anything they suggest is safe for pregnancy. Your OB or midwife still looks after your pregnancy, and your ND adds support alongside that care.

Can a naturopath order bloodwork in Ontario?

Ontario naturopathic doctors can order certain lab tests, and they can also go through results your doctor or midwife has already ordered. Tests ordered by an ND usually aren’t covered by OHIP, so there may be a fee, and your ND will talk that through with you first.

Can I see a naturopath while breastfeeding?

Yes, and lots of people do, whether it’s for nutrition, tiredness, digestion or questions about supplements. Your ND will check that anything they recommend is safe while you’re nursing, and for latch, milk transfer or supply, an IBCLC lactation consultant is the best person to see first.

Does extended health insurance cover naturopathic appointments?

Many extended health plans cover naturopathic care, although the amount and how often you can use it vary from plan to plan. It isn’t covered by OHIP, so it’s worth checking your own plan, and you can ask us about direct billing when you book.

Can I see a naturopath virtually?

Yes. All three of our clinics offer virtual first appointments and follow-ups, which can make life a lot easier in late pregnancy or when you’re home with a new baby.

Can I see a naturopath alongside my OB or midwife?

Yes, and that’s how it’s meant to work. Your OB or midwife looks after your pregnancy and birth while your ND helps with nutrition, supplements and the everyday things that come up along the way, and with your permission, they can share what they find with your medical team.