Your baby may be harmed by things you eat or drink, so you may need to make some lifestyle changes:
Smoking
During pregnancy the chemicals from cigarette smoke pass directly from your blood into the baby’s blood supply. If you smoke, you increase your risk of having a miscarriage, a baby with a low birthweight, a premature birth and pregnancy complications. The more you smoke, the greater the risk, so cutting back if you can't give up will help a bit. It's worth stopping at any time during pregnancy. Follow our five-step plan to stop smoking.
Tips to help you stop smoking
- Call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline FREE on 0800 169 9 169, 12 noon to 9pm daily. You can speak to a specialist adviser, get details of your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, and a free booklet. A free call-back service is available for extra support. Visit www.smokefree.nhs.uk for further support.
- Decide on a date to stop. Plan activities for that day which you don’t associate with smoking; breakfast in bed, a walk, a swim, a massage, and go to places where smoking isn’t allowed, like cinemas or shops. The first day without a cigarette will show you that you can do it.
- Accept that you will have withdrawal symptoms. You may yearn for a cigarette, or become very irritable or anxious. The worst effects will be over in a few days, but remind yourself that the benefits to your baby will last a lifetime.
- Ask your midwife or GP for advice on nicotine replacement therapy.
- Combat any lack of energy you may feel by eating little and often; nibble a breadstick, or have some fresh fruit. Try to get plenty of exercise; this can replace the ‘kick’ that nicotine used to bring.
Street drugs
Using illegal drugs of any kind is dangerous for your baby. They increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labour. The risk is even higher if drugs are combined with alcohol. For advice and support in giving up, call the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 77 66 00, open 24 hours a day for free, confidential advice or log on to www.talktofrank.com.
Some street drugs are addictive (habit-forming), and you may need help to give them up. Don’t stop suddenly; the withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous for you and your baby. Talk to your midwife – she will be more interested in protecting you and your baby than in judging you. You can be given help at specialist clinics to get you safely off the drugs as soon as possible.
Medicines
Avoid all drugs and medicines, including aspirin and ibuprofen, unless they are prescribed for you by a GP who knows that you’re pregnant. This includes medicines you can buy for headaches, colds, sore throats, hay fever and so on. Even complementary therapies such as homeopathic or herbal remedies are not necessarily safe.
Caffeine
It’s important not to have more than 200mg of caffeine a day as high levels can cause low birth weight or even miscarriage.
A rough guide is:
- A cup of instant coffee (75mg)
- A mug of instant coffee (100mg)
- A cup of tea (50mg)
- A mug of tea (75mg)
- A can of cola (40mg)
- A regular energy drink (80mg)
- A 50g bar of plain chocolate (up to 50mg); milk chocolate contains about half the caffeine of plain chocolate.
- Caffeine is also found in some cold and flu remedies, so always check with your health professional before taking any.
Bounty
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