How to have a healthy pregnancy

It's recommended that you should take a daily supplement of folic acid when you're pregnant, or when there's a chance you might get pregnant. 

You should take a 400 microgram supplement of folic acid every day before you get pregnant, and every day afterwards, up until you're 12 weeks pregnant. 

A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg). The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg). 

Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. 

A neural tube defect is when the foetus's spinal cord (part of the body's nervous system) does not form normally. 

You might be advised to take a higher dose supplement of 5 milligram (5mg) every day. 

You may need to take a 5mg supplement of folic acid if: 

• you or the baby's other biological parent have a neural tube defect 

• you previously had a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect 

• you or the baby's other biological parent have a family history of neural tube defects 

• you have diabetes 

Your doctor may also recommend a a 5mg supplement if you take certain medicines, such as anti-epilepsy medicine or anti-retroviral medicine for HIV. 

Talk to a GP if you think you need a 5mg dose of folic acid, as they can prescribe a higher dose. 

You can get folic acid tablets at pharmacies, or talk to a GP about getting a prescription. 

Do not worry if you get pregnant unexpectedly and were not taking a folic acid supplement at the time. Start taking them as soon as you find out, until you're past the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. 

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to a variety of health problems, including: 

• premature birth 

• low birth weight 

• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death 

• Higher risk of miscarriage 

Quitting can be hard, no matter how much you want to, but support is available, here at CTM we are able to support you to stop smoking. 

NHS Quit Smoking offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking including when you're pregnant, and can give you details of local support services. 

Help Me Quit provides support to people who want to quit smoking by offering free one to one support from a personal advisor. 

You can self-refer to the service by: 

Calling 0800 085 2219 

Text "HMQ" to 80818 

Smoke from other people's cigarettes can damage your baby, so ask your partner, friends and family not to smoke near you. 

Electronic cigarettes and vaping 

Using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also called ’vaping’, is becoming more common. There has not been much research into the safety of e-cigarettes in pregnancy.   

The vapour from an e-cigarette contains some of the potentially harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels. It is not known whether the vapour is harmful to a baby in pregnancy. 

Until we know more, the safest way to protect your baby is to avoid both secondhand tobacco smoke and secondhand vapour from e-cigarettes. Don’t be afraid to ask people not to vape around you, to help keep your unborn child safe. 

Do not drink alcohol if you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Alcohol can be passed to your unborn baby. It is possible that alcohol may affect your unborn baby before finding out you are pregnant so we would advise that if planning to try and conceive, you should abstain from consuming alcohol or stop as soon as getting a positive test. 

Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby, and the more you drink, the greater the risk. 

local support groups

If you're overweight, you may have problems getting pregnant and fertility treatment is less likely to work. 

Being overweight (having a BMI over 25) or obese (having a BMI over 30) also raises the risk of some pregnancy problems, such as high blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis, miscarriage and gestational diabetes. Increased BMI is closely linked to increase incidence of pelvic girdle pain, therefore reducing weight and BMI can help women feel more comfortable through their pregnancy 

Before you get pregnant you can calculate your BMI. But this may not be accurate once you're pregnant, your BMI will be calculated by your midwife during your pregnancy. 

Having a healthy diet and doing moderate exercise are advised in pregnancy, and it's important not to gain too much weight. 

You can keep to a healthy weight by having a balanced diet and doing regular exercise. 

The health guidance is 150 mins of exercise weekly for a pregnant women. Exercise and activity is also known to help reduce stress and anxiety in turn may support conception. 

Some infections, such as rubella (German measles), can harm your baby if you catch them during pregnancy. 

Most people in the UK are immune to rubella, thanks to the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. 

If you have not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, or you're not sure if you have, ask your GP surgery to check your vaccination history. 

If you have not had both doses or there's no record available, you can have the vaccinations at your GP surgery. 

You should avoid getting pregnant for 1 month after having the MMR vaccination, which means you'll need a reliable method of contraception. 

If you have a long-term condition, such as epilepsy or diabetes, it could affect the decisions you make about your pregnancy – for example, where you might want to give birth. 

Before you get pregnant, have a discussion with your specialist or a GP about getting pregnant. 

You can also talk to your GP if you have a mental health condition and are planning to get pregnant. They may be able to refer you to a specialist mental health team who offer support before, during and after pregnancy. 

If you're taking medicine for a condition, do not stop taking it without talking to a doctor. 

If you are planning a pregnancy and there is the potential for exposure to toxic substances in your home, workplace, and surrounding environment it is best to try and avoid them if possible. Chemical exposure to occur through breathing, eating or drinking, or skin absorption.  If you are planning a pregnancy and are concerned about work exposure to hazardous substances, infections, or radiation, it is important to discuss your intention of becoming pregnant with your employer as soon as possible. 

If you do not wish to discuss your intention to become pregnant with your employer, you can access information about the risk of exposure to specific substances by contacting an expert at the Health and Safety Executive. Further information is available on the Health and Safety Executive website at www.hse.gov.uk.