Healthy Lifestyle
The way you live, eat and move will affect your baby’s development. So it is important to pay attention to this.
Folic acid
We basically advise you to have a healthy and varied diet. If you do this it is not necessary to take any vitamin supplements. An exception to this rule is the folic acid vitamin. We advise women who want to become pregnant to take folic acid until they are 10 weeks pregnant. This reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida. 1 tablet of 0.4 mg a day is sufficient. Folic acid tablets are available from the chemist or pharmacist without prescription.
Nutrition
Eating a healthy, balanced diet It is important to eat a healthy, varied diet during pregnancy. It is not necessary to “eat for two”. If you have a varied diet, you will be getting your required nutritional intake. read more
A few tips:
• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables.
• Eat a variety of meat, fish and meat substitutes.
• Ensure you are getting enough iron. Iron is found in red meat, fish, poultry, eggs and many meat substitutes. Aim to slightly increase your intake of these during pregnancy to reduce the risk of iron-deficiency anaemia.
• Eat fish once a week, preferably oily fish. The fatty acids found in fish are important for the development of the nervous system and vision in the foetus. However, some fish are better to avoid.
Are you vegetarian?
You can manage without meat or fish without any problems, providing you ensure you eat meat substitutes and other foods to ensure the right nutritional balance. Meat substitutes are important for vegetarians to ensure you get enough iron, vitamin B1 and B12. B vitamins are mainly found in whole grains, potatoes, legumes, eggs and dairy products. Eggs and pulses, as well as meat substitutes, are also good sources of iron (read the product label for specific nutritional information).
Are you vegan?
It would be advisable to visit a dietician for recommendations regarding diet during pregnancy.
What food and drink should you avoid during pregnancy?
• Raw eggs, and products containing raw eggs;
• Unpasteurised milk – milk bought in the supermarket is pasteurised or heat treated and is safe to drink (look at the label to ensure it says ‘pasteurised’ or ‘heat treated’);
• Unpasteurised cheese – ask if the cheese is made with pasteurised or heat treated milk;
• Caffeinated drinks (coffee and energy drinks) – drink at most one energy drink a day, and limit the amount of coffee you drink;
• Raw meat – if you do wish to eat raw meat, refrigerate if for at least 2 days, ensuring it is cooled to at least 12 degrees to kill the parasite that causes toxoplasma (for more information on toxoplasma, see page 12);
• Liver – do not eat liver, or foods containing liver, including liver sausage or pâté, due to the high vitamin A content which can be harmful to the foetus;
• Alcohol;
• Certain herbal teas and herbal remedies
Avoid foodborne infections Good food hygiene is important, particularly during pregnancy. Always wash raw fruit and vegetables, and wash your hands and all kitchen utensils with soap and warm water after they have been in contact with raw meat, drying with a dry towel afterwards. Ensure that meat is well cooked through before serving. Take note of the best before date on food items, and do not eat perishable food after the best before date has passed.
Dieting and fasting during pregnancy Dieting during pregnancy is unhealthy for you and your baby. If you are considering fasting, for example during Ramadan, you should discuss this with your midwife.
Smoking
Smoking during pregnancy involves clear risks. Smoking yourself, but also being in a smoky environment may have an adverse influence on your pregnancy. Cigarettes contain harmful substances. They cause reduced placental blood flow and that means less oxygen supply to the baby.
Reduced placental blood flow and reduced oxygen supply may impede the baby’s growth. Children of smoking mothers therefore often have a (too) low birth weight and are often born prematurely in comparison to children of non-smokers. This may cause them to be more vulnerable. There is also an increased risk of a miscarriage or premature birth. During the first years of their lives children more often have respiratory diseases. There are indications that cot death occurs more often if people are smoking near the baby.
The advice to both parents is to stop smoking and avoid smoky environments as much as possible. For many people stopping is difficult. Yet stopping is better than reducing. This way you prevent taking up your old habit again. If you wish, you can discuss this with your midwife. For more information and help to stop smoking go to: babycenter.com
Alcohol
Using alcohol during pregnancy may be damaging for your unborn baby.
The increased risks for babies from mothers who used alcohol excessively/moderately include miscarriage, growth delay or congenital defect, premature birth or even stillbirth. The baby also has an increased risk of a mental handicap and learning difficulties. It is preferable not to use any alcohol from conception up to and including breastfeeding. For more information and help go to: babycenter.com
Medication
Self-medication is the use of medication and remedies not prescribed by a doctor or midwife. If you want to become pregnant and during pregnancy you have to be very careful when you use these. Always read the instruction leaflet and if in doubt consult your pharmacist whether that particular medicine can be used safely. This is important because some substances may affect the baby’s development early in the pregnancy.
It is useful to let your pharmacist know that you are pregnant. If a medicine is issued the computer system used by the pharmacy immediately indicates whether or not this medicine may be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
If you are suffering from any pains, you can use paracetamol without any risks. For the dose see the instruction leaflet. There is no objection during pregnancy to the use of anaesthetics if a dentist (or another physician) considers it necessary. Do tell the physician that you are pregnant.
Drugs
We strongly advise you not to use hard drugs (amphetamines, XTC, heroin and cocaine) during pregnancy. We also advise you not to use soft drugs during pregnancy, also because they are used together with tobacco.
Hard drugs are certainly bad for an unborn baby. Through the use of heroin and other opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and probably XTC the baby also becomes addicted and needs to detox from the drugs after the birth.
Premature births happen often and the risk of death just before or just after birth is increased. Lack of oxygen may cause a delay in growth.
If you use drugs it is important to tell the midwife. Talk openly about it and do not be afraid to say what and how much you use. Together we can see what solutions are possible.
Radiation
If an X-ray examination is necessary during pregnancy, make it clear that you are pregnant. Sometimes the examination can be postponed until after the birth. In most cases it is possible to protect the womb so that the baby will receive as little radiation as possible. Screens and microwaves have not been proved to cause any harmful effects.
Sport and exercise
When you do exercise adjust your pace. Swimming, cycling and fitness are exercises that are ideal until the end of the pregnancy. It is best to avoid sports such as hockey, where you run the risk of getting something against your abdomen, or sports where you easily collide with people or could fall. For all these things the rule is: do what you always did, but less or stop if you notice any symptoms or if it makes you more tired than normal. Also try not to exert yourself more than you did before you were pregnant. Do make sure you take in plenty of liquid.
Sex
Sexual experiences during pregnancy are different for each woman. Some women feel more attractive and feel more like having sex than usual, while others experience the opposite. Complaints such as tiredness or nausea sometimes get in the way of sex. Painful tense breasts might get more painful during sexual excitement. There may be more need for intimacy and touching than sexual intercourse. For a normal pregnancy there are no do’s and don’ts with regard to your sex life. Sexual intercourse cannot cause any miscarriages or damage to the baby. Only if there is blood loss or your waters have broken would we not recommend having sexual intercourse. You can always discuss any problems regarding your sex life with the midwife. This also applies to previous unpleasant sexual experiences or finding internal examinations difficult. If you let the midwife know, it can also be taking into consideration during the birth. Your midwife will usually enquire about this as well.
Going out to work
Going out to work in itself should not have any adverse influence on your pregnancy. Certain circumstances may, however, pose certain risks for the pregnancy. That is why there are various regulations for pregnant employees and employees who have recently had a baby. These rules are laid down in, for instance, the Arbeidsomstandighedenwet (Working Conditions Act) and the ‘Besluit zwangere werkneemsters’ (Pregnant employees decree). Work where you are exposed to vibrations (lorries, agricultural machinery), ionising radiation (radiation from radioactive substances), chemical substances or infection risks is not beneficial to your health during pregnancy. This also applies to heavy physical work, such as frequent lifting, pulling, pushing or carrying. If you work in those conditions you have to consult your employer. The employer has to adjust your work and possibly offer you different work. You may also consult the company medical officer (‘Arbo-dienst’ (working conditions service)) or enquire at the ‘arbeidsinspectie’ (health and safety inspectorate). If you work nights or shifts, you can ask your employer to adjust your working and resting hours during pregnancy. A pregnant woman is, in principle, not obliged to work nights. These rules also apply to the first six months after the birth. There are also rules for breastfeeding and working. If it is not possible to carry out your work in a healthy and safe manner by means of adjustments, the employer has to offer you different work temporarily. For more information http://english.szw.nl/
Holidays
If you are pregnant you can safely go on holiday. It is advisable to choose a holiday destination where good medical care can be provided if any unexpected complications should occur. In far away, tropical countries this is not always the case. Furthermore, in primitive circumstances it is easier to pick up an infectious disease that is coupled with, for example, high fever or diarrhoea. From a medical point of view there is no objection to travelling by plane. Airline companies often do not want to transport pregnant women after 30-34 weeks pregnancy, because they do not want to risk any births in the air. Check the terms and conditions with the company. It is not recommended to have a holiday at high altitude. There is less oxygen available due to the reduction in oxygen pressure in the air. It is advisable not to stay above 2000 metres for a long time.
Problems during pregnancy
When you are pregnant other problems may occur. Problems with regard to relationships, finances, housing or work, or negative (sexual) experiences from your youth or later may cause tension during the pregnancy. Talk about it with someone you trust, your partner, a good friend or a member of the family.
Also let your midwife know. The midwife may refer you to a specialist counsellor, if necessary