It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the things that you can and can’t do during the early stages of your pregnancy. It’s no easy task to absorb all of the information and advice that you receive during early pregnancy - especially if this is your first pregnancy.
There’s online advice on pregnancy forums, advice given to you by your friends and family, and advice given to you by your GP or Midwife.
At the end of the day, you just want to do what's best to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible. There’s no better instinct than a mother’s and you will know what’s best for you and your baby but we hope this list helps you to find some useful information that you might not have known before.
Helpful tips for staying healthy during early pregnancy
From the second that you find out that you’re pregnant your whole world changes. Your well-being and lifestyle will be amongst the most noticeable changes.
Now is the perfect time to focus on your well-being and getting into the healthiest lifestyle that you can.
Below you will find our top tips for prenatal care. Don't forget that we also have a free live midwife chat available for any questions that you may have regarding your pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
Pregnancy dos list
First midwife visit
You should book an appointment with your midwife or GP as soon as you can after finding out that you’re pregnant. The first appointment is called your booking appointment and should happen before you are around 10 weeks pregnant. This appointment is so you can start your pregnancy journey equipped with all of the most important healthcare advice from your midwife.
Your midwife should discuss your diet, exercise, health, safety, antenatal care and screening tests. As well as discuss how your baby develops, breastfeeding and bottle feeding options, maternity benefits, and your options for giving birth.
Your midwife will ask you to run a series of health tests to make sure that you have no obvious health conditions that can harm you or be passed on to your baby. These health conditions can include pre-eclampsia, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, sickle cell, and thalassemia.
At the end of your first midwife visit, you should be well-equipped with useful information, leaflets, and phone numbers. You should also have easy access to your maternity notes so that you can bring them with you wherever you go.
Early pregnancy vitamins
Alongside a healthy and balanced diet, you may wish to take early pregnancy vitamins.
Early pregnancy vitamins should include the recommended early pregnancy vitamins and minerals such as 400 micrograms of folic acid to be taken daily.
Preferably folic acid is to be taken from before the start of your pregnancy right up to week 12.
It’s also recommended for pregnant women to get 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day. A vitamin D supplement may be beneficial to you, especially during the months when your skin is exposed to less sunlight (between September to March).
Light - moderate exercise
There are many health benefits to staying active during your pregnancy.
Light-moderate exercise is beneficial both physically and mentally. The endorphins you can release from doing light exercises during your pregnancy can help you combat some of the mental and emotional changes that you may experience and enable you to feel good.
Light-moderate exercise can include walking, swimming, prenatal yoga, aerobics, pelvic floor and abdominal exercises.
You will know your body the best and the type of exercise and pace that is best for you to avoid exhaustion.
Make healthier food choices
Eating a healthy and balanced diet will not only make you feel better but will enable your baby to develop and grow. Whilst there’s no special ‘pregnancy diet’ and you may find yourself feeling hungrier than usual, we recommend curbing your appetite with healthy food that will keep you fuller for longer.
A balanced diet should include:
- Vegetables
- Proteins
- Fruits
- Dairy
- Wholegrains & fibre
- A small amount of unsaturated fats
Eating a balanced variety of food will make sure that you’re eating enough fruits and vegetables and getting enough energy, vitamins and minerals to support you and your baby.
Vaccines
Your child can receive vaccines from 8 weeks of age and into adulthood. Some vaccines are also recommended for pregnant women and these are flu vaccines during flu season, whooping cough vaccine around 20 weeks pregnant and RSV vaccine from 28 weeks pregnant. Your GP and midwife may also have additional vaccines for at-risk babies.
Check your medicines
You must always discuss any medications you are taking with your GP and midwife. Any medication you take whilst pregnant will reach your baby so it’s best to check that all your medication is safe as soon as you find out that you’re pregnant. Your doctor or midwife may suggest that you stay on your medication during pregnancy, switch your medication, or reduce your dosage. Please don’t try to adjust your medication on your own without speaking to your healthcare provider first.
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated should always be a priority, especially when you are pregnant.
You still need to aim for the recommended 6-8 glasses of water a day but you may find it difficult to keep fluids down during periods of nausea or morning sickness.
Caffeine-free pregnancy tea can help to keep you hydrated during periods of nausea. Ingredients like ginger and lemon are known for their ability to help relieve upset stomachs.
Things to avoid during the early stages of pregnancy
As every mother is different, your GP and Midwife may have a specific recommendation of don’ts - especially if you have underlying health conditions or you have had pregnancy complications in the past.
This list of pregnancy don’ts is general guidance and a culmination of the most common things that mothers avoid during the earliest stage of pregnancy.
Pregnancy don’ts list
Foods to avoid
The best tip to ensure food safety during pregnancy is to make sure that your food is handled hygienically and that it’s always cooked properly.
Whilst this is not always as easy to manage in restaurants and with takeaways as it is at home, try to stick to food places you trust with hygiene.
Foods to avoid include:
- Raw meat or partially cooked poultry and eggs as you risk salmonella poisoning
- Liver products, cured meats, and pate as they could have toxoplasmosis-causing parasites in them
- Unpasteurised, mould-ripened, or soft-ripened dairy products as they can contain listeria bacteria
Don’t drink alcohol
Alcohol is extremely harmful to your baby’s development during pregnancy. There is no known ‘safe’ amount to drink so it’s best to avoid it at all costs.
Complications associated with drinking during pregnancy include:
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
- Miscarriage
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
Please speak to your doctor or midwife if you need help to stop drinking alcohol. You can also visit Drinkaware, wearewithyou and alcoholics anonymous.
Don't smoke
Smoking while pregnant is just as harmful to your baby as drinking while pregnant. Each cigarette that you smoke contains thousands of harmful chemicals that can restrict the oxygen supply to your baby and have fatal consequences.
Stopping smoking will reduce the risk of:
- Pregnancy & birth complications
- Stillbirth
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
- Sids
If you need help to quit smoking you can ring the NHS National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044.
The sauna, steam room and hot tub
You should always avoid activities that may cause you to become dehydrated or exhausted during pregnancy.
The sauna, steam room and hot tub can all reach unsafe temperatures, so it’s best to avoid them until after you have given birth.
X-rays & cervical screening
Your GP or midwife will tell you to avoid x-rays and cervical screenings whilst you are pregnant.
An x-ray is usually only given to pregnant women in emergencies as high doses of radiation could potentially cause harm to your baby or miscarriage.
Cervical screenings are usually only offered to women at least 12 weeks after they have given birth.
Clean the litterbox
Avoid cleaning your cat's litterbox whilst pregnant as cat feces can contain toxoplasmosis which can be fatal for unborn children.
Cats who hunt prey or feed on infected animals can pick up toxoplasmosis and pass this on to their owners.
Whilst an indoor cat that is fed only cat food is less likely to have toxoplasmosis we would still highly recommend that you avoid cleaning the litter tray and get your partner, friend, or family member to do this for you until after you have given birth.
Live Midwife Chat
Don't forget that we also have a free live midwife chat available for any questions that you may have regarding your pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.