Living healthily during your pregnancy

Aim for:

• Fruit / vegetables / salad – five portions a day, well washed and peeled
• Carbohydrates – three or four portions wholemeal bread / cereal / potatoes / rice / pasta
• Protein – two portions well cooked meat / poultry / fish and/or eggs / pulses / nuts
• Dairy – one pint milk / yoghurt / hard cheese
• 10mcg of vitamin D each day is advised throughout your pregnancy and if you breastfeed.
• 400mcg of folic acid is advised each day until you are 12 weeks pregnant.

Foods to avoid:

• Mould ripened soft cheese (e.g. Brie, Camembert etc) and blue veined cheeses
• Meat – rare and uncooked meats, liver, pate, Parma ham
• Fish – marlin, swordfish and shark, and limited fresh/tinned tuna
• Eggs – raw and undercooked eggs (e.g. in homemade mayonnaise, some desserts and soft ‘dippy’ yolks)
• Ice cream – ‘Mr Whippy’ style ice cream
• Caffeine – No more than 200mg a day (e.g. two mugs of coffee or three mugs of tea)
• Avoid fizzy ‘energy’ drinks e.g. Coke, Red Bull
• Do not take vitamin A supplements as too much could harm your baby.
   

There is no clear evidence to say that eating peanuts in pregnancy or while breastfeeding will affect the chances of your baby developing a peanut allergy. Please ask your midwife if you would like more information. 

Resources on other sites:

Healthy Start vitamins and why you need them

Healthy Start vitamins contain appropriate amounts of the recommended vitamin supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children aged from six months old.

Department of Health

Vegetarian pregnancy, vegetarian babies

Gentle exercise like walking, swimming, cycling and dancing is important to:

• help your body to adapt to increasing weight and alteration in balance
• help create a feeling of physical wellbeing and relieve tension   
• strengthen muscles
• stretch and mobilise joints
• build up endurance and stamina
• prepare your body for the physical demands of labour
• improve your and your baby’s circulation
• improve lung function, giving a better oxygen supply to you and your baby
• lay the foundation for your postnatal recovery

If you exercise regularly pre-pregnancy you may continue, however if you are worried speak to your personal trainer, gym instructor or GP for advice as there are lots of changes happening in pregnancy that can alter your posture.

On other websites:

• NHS Choices - What are pelvic floor exercises?
• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists - Recreational exercise and pregnancy

On other websites:

Guild of Pregnancy and Postnatal Exercise Instructors

Association providing assistance for pregnant women and new mothers to help find a qualified pregnancy and postnatal instructor in their area. 

When you drink alcohol during pregnancy the alcohol transfers to the placenta via the bloodstream. Your baby’s liver is not fully formed so cannot process alcohol to get it out of his or her system in the same way as an adult can.

It is recommended that all pregnant women should avoid drinking alcohol throughout pregnancy as it increases the risk of miscarriage and can also result in permanent damage to your baby's brain development, which can lead to learning and behavioural difficulties for your child in the future. There is no research to suggest what level of alcohol could result in these abnormalities.

Support agencies contact details:

• CGL Aspire Drug and Alcohol Services
  • 102 - 104 Bridge Street
    Peterborough 
    PE1 1DY 
    01733 895624
     
• CGL Huntingdon
  • 7-8 Market Hill, Huntingdon
    0300 555 0101
     
• CGL Fenland
  • Inspiration House, Church Terrace, Wisbech, PE13 1BW
    0300 555 0101
     
• Addaction Lincolnshire - Grantham Hub
  • 71 High Street, Grantham, NG31 6NR
    0800 3047021

On other websites:         

• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists - Alcohol and Pregnancy       
• Aspire
• PGL
• AdAction      
• FAS Aware UK            
• Charity raising awareness of the effects of drinking alcohol during pregnancy             
• National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome UK            
• Registered charity dedicated to supporting people affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and their families and communities; promoting education for professionals and public awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Helpline: 020 8458 5951.            

Resources on other sites:

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Information for pregnant women on the impact that drinking alcohol can have on an unborn baby

National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome UK 

Smoking in pregnancy can cause many problems for you and your baby. Nicotine inhaled from the cigarette smoke will make your baby’s heartbeat too fast and other harmful chemicals also enter the bloodstream, including carbon monoxide which replaces oxygen. There is a higher risk of miscarriage, complications when the baby is born, low birth weight, premature delivery, cot death, asthma and poor intellectual or physical development.

For advice, counselling and general information call CAMQUIT Cambridgeshire’s Stop Smoking Service Tel: 0800 018 4304. You can also visit Smokefree Action where you can find information on smoking in pregnancy.

NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline is a national helpline for smokers who need advice or support to stop. Tel: 0800 169 9169.

Smoking is strongly discouraged because of the risk of health damage to mothers and babies. 

For more information you can visit NHS website. 

On other websites:

• Smokefree Action
• The Lullaby Trust: Test your breath

All women throughout their pregnancy will be assessed for medical, obstetric and social aspects of care. It may take courage, but is always better to let your midwife know if you have taken any drugs or substances at any time in your pregnancy. It will enable us to ensure that individualised care is provided for the health of you and your baby.

Using illegal drugs during pregnancy, including legal highs, can have a potentially serious effect on your unborn baby.

If you regularly use drugs it's important to approach this now that you are pregnant. Always seek support and guidance from an appropriate practitioner to reduce your drug use due to the possible withdrawal problems or other side effects.

Support agencies contact details:

• CGL Aspire Drug and Alcohol Services
  • 102 - 104 Bridge Street
    Peterborough 
    PE1 1DY 
    01733 895624
     
• CGL Huntingdon
  • 7-8 Market Hill, Huntingdon
    0300 555 0101
     
• CGL Fenland
  • Inspiration House, Church Terrace, Wisbech, PE13 1BW
    0300 555 0101
     
• Addaction Lincolnshire - Grantham Hub
  • 71 High Street, Grantham, NG31 6NR
    0800 3047021

If you're pregnant you're entitled to free NHS dental treatment, in order to receive this treatment you must have:

• A MATB1 certificate issued by your midwife or GP 
• A valid prescription maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)

You're also entitled to free NHS dental care for 12 months after your baby is born. To prove entitlement, you will need to show:

• A valid maternity exemption certificate
• A notification of birth form - the midwife who delivers your baby will give you this form
• Your baby's birth certificate

If you didn't apply for a maternity exemption certificate while you were pregnant this can still be done at any time during the 12 months after your baby is born.

For further information you can visit the NHS website. 

Everybody needs vitamin D - it helps us to absorb the right amount of calcium and phosphate. It's especially important in pregnancy as it helps your baby's bones, teeth, kidneys, heart and nervous system to develop. To find out more information on the benefits of vitamin D you can visit Tommy's website.