 Pregnancy
advice made simple
A study released by Tommy's, the Baby Charity, has shown that
more than half of expectant mums are confused about conflicting pregnancy
advice. We take a look at the most common areas of confusion and our experts
explain things simply and clearly.
Forty per cent of pregnant women don't know what's
safe to eat, and what should be avoided
Babyworld midwife, Hannah Hulme Hunter says, "There are certain foods
you shouldn't eat while you're pregnant because they can contain high
levels of listeria, a germ that can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe
illness in a newborn baby. Remember to avoid the following:
- soft mould-ripened cheese, such as Camembert, Brie and blue-veined
cheese. There is no risk with hard cheeses (such as Cheddar), cottage
cheese and processed cheese
- pâté (any type, including vegetable)
- uncooked or undercooked ready meals. Make sure you heat ready meals
until they're piping hot all the way through
- Avoid eating raw eggs and food containing raw or partially cooked
eggs. Only eat eggs that have been cooked until both the white and yolk
are solid. This is to avoid the risk of salmonella, which causes a type
of food poisoning.
- Always wash your hands after handling raw meat, and keep raw foods
separate from ready-to-eat foods. This is to avoid food poisoning germs,
such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli O157.
- Make sure you only eat meat that has been well cooked. Take particular
care with sausages and minced meat.
- Always wear gloves when you're gardening or changing cat litter, and
wash your hands afterwards. This is to avoid toxoplasmosis, an infection
caused by a parasite found in meat, cat feces and soil. Toxoplasmosis
can be harmful to unborn babies.
- Make sure you don't have too much vitamin A. This means you should
avoid taking high-dose multivitamin supplements and fish oil supplements,
and avoid eating liver and liver products such as pâté. You need some
vitamin A, but too much could harm your baby. Ask your GP or midwife
if you would like more information.
- Avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin and limit the amount of tuna
you eat. Don't eat more than two tuna steaks a week (weighing about
140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna a week (with
a drained weight of about 140g per can). This is because of the levels
of mercury in these fish. At high levels, mercury can harm a baby's
developing nervous system.
- Choose cooked shellfish rather than raw. This is because raw shellfish
might be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses that could cause
food poisoning. And food poisoning can be particularly unpleasant during
pregnancy.
It's also a good idea to:
- Cut down on foods such as cakes and biscuits, because these are high
in fat and sugar. This can also help you to avoid putting on too much
weight during pregnancy.
It's okay to eat:
- Well washed raw vegetables but best to avoid unwashed vegetables.
Even packaged, supermarket fruit and vegetables should be thoroughly
washed under running water
- salads made from fresh, well-washed ingredients and dressed salads
prepared immediately before eating but best to avoid ready-prepared
and packaged salads straight from the bag and ready-made dressed salads
(such as potato salad or coleslaw).
Thirty one per cent of pregnant women are unsure
which prescription drugs are safe to take
Babyworld Dr Jo Lee says, "The time of maximum vulnerability of the
foetus is from the third to the eleventh week when foetal development
is taking place. However, some of the above drugs can be harmful at other
stages of pregnancy too. It is always wise to check with your GP and pharmacist
that a drug that you have been prescribed is safe to take in pregnancy."
Antibiotics - some antibiotics are considered safe in pregnancy
and some are to be avoided.
- Safe: Penicillins, including amoxycillin, cephalosporins, macrolides
including erythromycin
- Not safe: Metronidazole, sulphanamides including Trimethoprim,
quinolines, tetracyclines.
Anticoagulants - It's OK to become pregnant on warfarin, but the
woman should be changed to heparin or a similar drug when pregnancy is
diagnosed.
Antidepressants - If an antidepressant is required in pregnancy,
then amitriptyline is one of the preferred ones to choose. Paroxetine
is also considered to be one of the safest of the antidepressants for
use in pregnancy, although concern about its use relates to the fact that
it has not been used for long enough to be certain of its safety.
Twenty nine per cent of pregnant women
don't know if it's safe to colour their hair
Midwife Nicola Malcolm says, "Modern commercially-produced hair dyes,
used in accordance with the instructions, should be perfectly safe during
pregnancy. The chemicals in permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes are
not highly toxic.
A lot of doctors advise pregnant women to wait until after the first
trimester before using hair dyes, even though there is little scientific
evidence that colouring your hair in pregnancy could be harmful to your
baby. Even so, many women still decide to wait until after the first 12
weeks. If you're colouring your hair yourself, make sure the room is well
ventilated and ensure minimal contact with the dye on your skin by wearing
the gloves which usually come with home colouring kits.
"A safer alternative would be to have highlights as the dye does not
come into contact with the skin, so there is less risk of any chemicals
entering your blood stream.
"It's worth speaking to your hairdresser for advice before adding any
type of chemical process to your hair as pregnancy hormones can alter
its thickness and condition. Many pregnant women have found their normal
hair dye comes out a different colour to usual, or perms have ended up
frizzy or completely flat. Do a strand test first using the treatment(s)
you intend to use."
Twenty two per cent of pregnant women are unsure
if it's safe to exercise in pregnancy
Babyworld midwife, Hannah Hulme Hunter says, "In all discussions about
exercise in pregnancy, a distinction must be made between regular moderate
exercise that leaves you nicely 'glowing', slightly puffed, and pleasantly
relaxed, and all-out, hell-for-leather, push-to-the-limit-and-beyond activity
that leaves you sweating, over-heated, and gasping for breath.
"The first type of exercise is of benefit to almost all pregnant women,
whilst the second is generally not advised. Vigorous exercise (the second
type) is certainly not suitable for women who have had two or more miscarriages,
bleeding in this pregnancy, high blood pressure/pre-eclampsia in this
pregnancy, placenta previa (when the placenta lies over the neck of the
womb), twins (or more) - or any previous problems with the growth of the
baby.
"I would suggest that very vigorous exercise should be avoided right
from the start of pregnancy, perhaps even before, since many women do
not know when they actually conceive. On the other hand, it may take up
to a year to get pregnant, and many women understandably resent forgoing
serious training for this long 'just in case'.
"Furthermore, there is no direct evidence to link vigorous exercise with
the miscarriage of a healthy pregnancy. You may like to take expert advice
on this particular point from your doctor or a qualified fitness instructor
with an interest in pregnancy.
"Once the pregnancy has established, there seems to be two possible ways
in which the baby itself may be harmed by continual vigorous exercise.
Firstly, there is possibility, not yet proven, that getting very hot during
exercise may affect the baby's developing nervous system. We're not talking
here about getting slightly warm and puffed, but about getting seriously
over-heated during a marathon run, or in a sauna or steam bath.
"During any exercise, especially during pregnancy, it is important to
drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise, and to stop
before getting too hot.
"Secondly, there is also the possibility that very vigorous exercise
may affect the blood supply to the baby by diverting blood away from the
uterus to the leg muscles and so on, and so reduce his or her growth.
"It is therefore better to exercise for several short periods spread
throughout the week, than to have one long and demanding session, and
to stop well before you become exhausted.
"Finally, if you experience any of the following warning signs, stop
exercising and see your midwife or doctor urgently:
- bleeding or loss of fluid from the vagina
- contractions
- lack of baby movements
- shortness of breath
- dizziness, or chest pain
- swelling or pain in leg or calf, or severely swollen ankles
- headaches, sickness of vomiting.
"Various forms of exercise may be harmful to the pregnant woman as opposed
to her baby. In conclusion, unless you have been specifically told otherwise,
there is no harm, and probably considerable benefit, in continuing to
exercise moderately - as defined above. Just keep in mind that pregnancy
is not the time to go for a 'personal best'!
 Fifteen
per cent of pregnant women don't know if it's safe to drink alcohol
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says
women should not drink any alcohol during the first three months of pregnancy.
According to the new advice, women should also be much stricter about
what they drink from the fourth month onwards - a small amount of alcohol
is safe, but never more than one or two days a week. A single unit of
alcohol is;
- 1 pub measure ('single' or 25mls) of spirits
- 1 pub glass of wine (100mls)
- 1 pint of ordinary strength beer or lager
- 1/2 pint of strong beer or cider
- 1 sherry glass of sherry, port, vermouth (55mls)
- ˝ an alcopop
 Seven
per cent of pregnant women don't know if it's safe to have sex whilst pregnant
Midwife Nicola Malcolm says, "Be reassured, it is generally safe to have
sex in pregnancy. It is not a good idea to have penetrative sex if you
have had bleeding from a low lying placenta, your waters have gone, or
either you or your partner suffers from a genital infection. If you suffer
from recurrent miscarriages it may be wise to refrain for those early
weeks.
"Women often feel more sexy and have a greater sex drive while pregnant,
thought to be due to hormone shifts. Others feel less aroused and lose
their sex drive completely. "Certain positions may prove difficult; do
what is comfortable and be aware that sex is very unlikely to harm your
unborn baby. The baby grows inside a bag of waters (amniotic fluid) that
protects it by acting as a buffer between it and the outside world."
Five per cent of women don't know why folic
acid is recommended during pregnancy
Dr Jo Lee says, "Folate or folic acid one of the B group of vitamins,
also known as B9. We all need folic acid to make DNA which carries the
genetic information that controls the correct development and function
of every single cell in our bodies.
"A good intake of folic acid when you are trying for a baby and /or at
least during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (when the baby's neural tube
is forming), significantly reduces your baby's risk of developing a neural
tube defect, such as spina bifida or anencephaly (when the brain does
not develop)."
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