Things not to do when pregnant nhs

Foods to avoid in pregnancy

Most foods and drinks are safe to have during pregnancy. But there are some things you should be careful with or avoid.

Cheese, milk and other dairy

What you can eat

pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Gruyere and parmesan
pasteurised semi-hard cheeses, such as Edam and Stilton
pasteurised soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, paneer, ricotta, halloumi, goats' cheese without a white coating on the outside (rind) and processed cheese spreads
soft or blue cheese (pasteurised or unpasteurised) that has been cooked until steaming hot
pasteurised milk, yoghurt, cream and ice cream

What to avoid

any other foods made from unpasteurised milk, such as soft ripened goats' cheese
pasteurised or unpasteurised mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, such as Brie, Camembert and chèvre (unless cooked until steaming hot)
pasteurised or unpasteurised soft blue cheeses, such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort (unless cooked until steaming hot)
unpasteurised cows' milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk or cream

Why

There's a small chance that unpasteurised or soft ripened dairy products may contain Listeria bacteria. This can cause an infection called listeriosis.

Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell.

Soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside have more moisture. This can make it easier for bacteria to grow.

Cooking cheese until it's steaming hot kills bacteria, reducing the risk of listeriosis.

Meat and poultry

What you can eat

meats such as chicken, pork and beef, as long as they're well-cooked with no trace of pink or blood; be especially careful with poultry, pork, sausages and burgers
cold, pre-packed meats such as ham and corned beef

What to be careful with

cold cured meats, such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto (unless cooked thoroughly)

What to avoid

raw or undercooked meat
liver and liver products
all types of pâté, including vegetarian pâté
game meats such as goose, partridge or pheasant

Why

There's a small risk of getting toxoplasmosis if you eat raw and undercooked meat, which can cause miscarriage.

Cured meats are not cooked, so they may have parasites in them that cause toxoplasmosis.

Liver and liver products have lots of vitamin A in them. This can be harmful to an unborn baby.

Game meats may contain lead shot.

Eggs

What you can eat

raw, partially cooked and fully cooked British Lion hen eggs (they have a lion stamp on them) and hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
foods made with raw hen egg, such as mousse and mayonnaise, if made with British Lion eggs or hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
well cooked eggs (white and yolk) from any hen eggs that are not British Lion eggs or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
well cooked eggs (white and yolk) of all other eggs, including duck, goose or quail

What to avoid

raw or partially cooked hen eggs that are not British Lion or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
raw or partially cooked duck, goose or quail eggs

Why

British Lion hen eggs and hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme are less likely to have salmonella in them.

Salmonella is unlikely to harm your unborn baby, but you could get food poisoning.

You should cook all eggs thoroughly, unless they are British Lion hen eggs or hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.

Fish

What you can eat

cooked fish and seafood
sushi, as long as the fish has been cooked thoroughly
cooked shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams
cold pre-cooked prawns

What to be careful with

smoked fish, such as smoked salmon and trout

Smoked fish and listeria

Due to a listeria outbreak linked to smoked fish, people at higher risk of serious infection (including people who are pregnant) should only eat smoked fish products that have been thoroughly cooked.

When cooking smoked fish products at home, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through.

Find out more about the listeria outbreak in smoked fish from the Food Standards Agency

What to limit

you should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring
you should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or 4 medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week

Information:

Tuna does not count as an oily fish

You can have 2 tuna steaks, or 4 medium-size cans of fish, as well as 2 portions of oily fish.

What to avoid

swordfish
marlin
shark
raw shellfish

Why

You should limit tuna because it has more mercury in it than other fish. If you eat too much mercury, it can be harmful to your unborn baby.

You should limit oily fish because they can have pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in them. If you eat too much of these, they can be harmful to your unborn baby.

You should avoid raw shellfish because they can have harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins in them. These can make you unwell and give you food poisoning.

Other foods and drinks

Caffeine

You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day.

There is:

100mg in a mug of instant coffee
140mg in a mug of filter coffee
75mg in a mug of tea (green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea)
40mg in a can of cola
80mg in a 250ml can of energy drink
less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate
less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby.

If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all.

This keeps risks to your baby to a minimum.

Herbal teas

You should drink no more than 4 cups of herbal tea a day.

Liquorice

Liquorice is safe to eat. But you should avoid liquorice root.

Fruits, vegetables and salads

Be careful with fruits, vegetables and salads as they can have soil on them, which can make you unwell.

Make sure to thoroughly wash all fruits, vegetables and salad ingredients.

Peanuts

You do not need to avoid eating peanuts when you're pregnant.

Only avoid eating peanuts if you're advised to by a healthcare professional or if you have a nut allergy.

Vitamins

Do not take high-dose multivitamin supplements, or any supplements with vitamin A in them.

Urgent advice: Call 111 if:

you feel unwell after eating one of the foods to avoid
you have signs of listeriosis or toxoplasmosis infection

Try not to worry if you've eaten one of the foods to avoid.

Get Start4Life pregnancy and baby emails

Page last reviewed: 16 April 2020
Next review due: 16 April 2023

Health things you should know in pregnancy

There are things you can do, and things you can avoid, to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible in pregnancy.

Go to your pregnancy (antenatal) appointments

It's important not to miss any of your antenatal appointments. These appointments are part of your NHS pregnancy journey.

The tests, scans and checks you'll have help look after the health of you and your baby.

Some of the tests and measurements that can find potential problems have to be done at specific times of your pregnancy, which is why you have appointments at certain weeks.

There are also things you can do to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible in pregnancy.

Food

have a healthy pregnancy diet
know which foods to avoid in pregnancy

Alcohol

do not drink alcohol while pregnant

Not smoking

if you smoke, stop smoking during pregnancy

Vitamins

take vitamins and supplements during pregnancy, such as folic acid and vitamin D

Medicines

Not all medicines are safe to take when you're pregnant. This includes prescribed medicines and medicines you can buy in a pharmacy or shop.

Information:

Check with a doctor, pharmacist or midwife before you take any medicines when you're pregnant.

If you're already taking prescribed medicine, do not stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor first.

Find out more about medicines in pregnancy.

Exercise

do some safe pregnancy exercise

Protect against getting ill

know how to avoid infections in pregnancy that may affect your baby and symptoms to look out for
have the flu vaccine in pregnancy (offered between September and March, and it's free if you're pregnant)
have the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy (it's free if you're pregnant)

Baby movements

know about baby movements in pregnancy and when to get help

Your mental wellbeing

know how to cope with feelings, worries and relationships in pregnancy
mental health in pregnancy

Your dental health

You're entitled to free NHS dental treatment if you're pregnant when you start your treatment and for 12 months after your baby is born.

To get free NHS dental treatment, you must have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx) issued by your midwife or GP.

Sleeping well

get tips on tiredness and sleep problems in pregnancy

Travel

travelling safely in pregnancy, including flying, long journeys and travel vaccinations

Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots)

know the risks, symptoms and ways to prevent deep vein thrombosis in pregnancy

X-rays during pregnancy

For all X-rays, you should let the hospital know if you're pregnant.

X-rays are not usually recommended during pregnancy unless it's an emergency

Cervical screening during pregnancy

You will not usually need to have cervical screening if you're pregnant, or could be pregnant, until at least 12 weeks after you've given birth. This is because pregnancy can make it harder to get clear results.

If you're already pregnant and due for a cervical screening test then tell the GP or clinic.

You will usually be advised to reschedule the test for a date around 12 weeks after your baby is born.

If you've previously had an abnormal result from a cervical screening test, you may need to be screened while you're pregnant. Your GP or midwife may ask you to have a cervical screening test at your first antenatal appointment. This test will not affect your pregnancy.

What if I have a health condition?

If you have a health condition, for example, diabetes or asthma, it can affect your pregnancy. Pregnancy can also affect any conditions you have.

Information:

Do not stop taking your medicine until you've talked to your doctor.

Find out more about:

asthma and pregnancy
congenital heart disease and pregnancy
coronary heart disease and pregnancy
diabetes and pregnancy
epilepsy and pregnancy
mental health in pregnancy
obesity and pregnancy

Page last reviewed: 26 July 2022
Next review due: 26 July 2025

10 prohibitions during pregnancy

What herbs should not be drunk during pregnancy and what procedures should be forgotten? BeautyHack asked the doctor of the Lapino Clinical Hospital.

Natalya Tsalko obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the admission department of the Lapino Clinical Hospital: “Categoricalness in medicine and especially in obstetrics is a rarity. But there are things that are better to consciously limit the time of pregnancy. If you violated one of these points before you learned about your situation, do not rush to sound the alarm, just go to the doctor.

1) Antibiotics and other medicines

Antibiotics and teratogenic drugs are not recommended – as they can cause birth defects. Never self-medicate. Even if you just caught a cold, go immediately to the doctor. During pregnancy, you have to treat everything from appendicitis to pneumonia, and the doctor will help you choose the right remedy.

2) Extreme sports

Do not engage in extreme sports: diving, skiing. Equestrian sports and skydiving are also dangerous, there is a high probability of injury and falling on the stomach - in this case, you can lose the fetus. Doses of adrenaline will also be superfluous.

3) Herbal preparations

Herbs such as tansy, St. John's wort, aloe, anise, water pepper, cloves, serpentine, calendula, clover, wormwood, senna, can cause miscarriage.

4) Cosmetology

Not recommended for cosmetic procedures. It is better to refuse mesotherapy, Botox injections, photoepilation, the effect can be unpredictable.

5) Bath and sauna

Do not overheat the fetus. Steaming in a Russian bath or sauna is not the best idea during pregnancy, especially if you have never been there before it started.

6) Meat and fish

Be careful when choosing dishes in restaurants and when buying groceries. Thermally unprocessed meat, fish, seafood are dangerous with parasites.

7) Travel

If you have placenta previa or isthmic-cervical insufficiency (premature opening of the cervix), flights are prohibited during the entire period of pregnancy. If you are healthy, then it is forbidden to fly from the 36th week due to the risk of childbirth: airlines do not take on board.

In the first trimester it is important not to catch an infectious disease. Refrain from traveling to countries where the incidence of malaria, typhoid fever and Zika is high.

8) Infectious diseases

Childhood diseases such as chicken pox and rubella are dangerous. I advise you to spend less time in places where there are a lot of children (kindergartens, schools, sections).

9) Alcohol

Drinking alcohol regularly and in large doses is not recommended. And before 21 weeks, it is better to forget about alcoholic beverages altogether, until organogenesis (the formation of organs in the process of embryonic development) is completed.

10) Smoking

Nicotine has a negative effect on the placenta - much worse than alcohol. Smoking causes the risk of developing feto-placental insufficiency, resulting in fetal growth retardation and premature birth.

What to eat during pregnancy and what not to eat - advice on proper nutrition

Table of contents:

First trimester nutrition
Second trimester diet
Diet in the third trimester
Is it possible to prevent allergies in a child
Foods not to eat during pregnancy

During pregnancy it is very important to eat right: a balanced diet of the expectant mother is one of the sources of the necessary components for the proper development of the baby.

For a pregnant woman, "eating for two" should not mean "eating twice as much", but "eating twice as good". Proper nutrition during pregnancy is important not only in terms of the health of the unborn child. This will help you feel better, be less tired, prevent you from gaining extra pounds, and help you quickly get in shape after giving birth. Here are some helpful tips ¹ :

Eat small, frequent meals.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Eat a varied diet, eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, cereals, soups, fruits, vegetables, grains.
If you are experiencing nausea, you can try to satisfy your hunger with dry salted crackers and biscuits.
Avoid fatty foods, fried, spicy, smoked and sweet.

It is also important to know that changes occur in the body of a pregnant woman in each trimester, so the diet at different times will be different. What foods do you and your baby need?

Nutrition in the first trimester

Generally, there is little to no weight gain in the first and second months of pregnancy, while in the third month one or two kilograms are added to the weight. During this period, you need to eat nutritious foods, and the more varied your diet, the better. First of all, these are vegetables rich in folic acid: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus, avocados, lentils, red beans. There is a lot of it in flax and sunflower seeds and nuts: almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts. Folic acid is especially important in early pregnancy as it helps build the baby's major organs such as the heart and brain ² .

At this stage, it is important to eat fish and meat - sources of iron, which support the formation of the brain and contribute to the development of intelligence. It is important to remember that these products must necessarily undergo heat treatment: eating them raw can lead to toxoplasmosis, helminthiasis ³ .

Many women in the first trimester of pregnancy suffer from nausea. One way to alleviate the situation is to eat little and often throughout the day, avoiding large meals.

Reduce your intake of saturated fats such as butter and cream as early as the first trimester to avoid gaining extra pounds.

Try to replace sweets with fruits. They contain vitamins and minerals that both you and your baby need. And they are rich in fiber, which helps the normal functioning of the intestines.

Diet in the second trimester

In the second trimester, a woman begins to gain weight, on average adding about five kilograms in three months. During this period, the bones of the unborn baby begin to form. That is why it is so important to eat foods rich in calcium. First of all, it is dairy - yogurts, cheeses, cottage cheese, kefir and so on. When choosing yogurt, give preference to natural ones - they do not contain dyes and sugar. Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium better, so try to get out in the sun more often ⁴ .

The need for folic acid is still high in the second trimester. So stick with the green vegetables and other foods on your first trimester list.

The baby becomes bigger and presses on the intestines of the expectant mother - this is how constipation occurs. Therefore, doctors advise drinking plenty of non-carbonated water and eating more fiber, which improves digestion. In particular, oatmeal or wheat bran will help with constipation.

Another common problem in pregnant women is heartburn. Avoid fatty and spicy foods (this also applies to pregnant women who do not suffer from heartburn), eat often, but little by little, chew thoroughly and do not go to bed immediately after eating.

Iodine ensures the functioning of the thyroid gland and the normal development of the baby's brain ⁵ . The easiest source is iodized salt. In addition, a lot of iodine is found in seafood.

Diet in the third trimester

During the third trimester, a pregnant woman gains about six kilograms, so by the end of pregnancy, the weight increases by an average of 12 kg.

Compared to the previous trimester, the diet should not change dramatically, but an additional 200 kcal per day should be added to the previous diet.

As the child grows and develops, the body needs more vitamin C and even more fibre.

Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from foods. The main source of vitamin C is fruits. An orange or half a grapefruit for breakfast, a couple of kiwis for an afternoon snack, apples, pears, grapes, watermelon - and you have received a daily dose of ⁶.

With the approach of childbirth, it is worth increasing your intake of iron, vitamins and antioxidants, which will help you get in shape after the birth of your baby. Iron meat, fish iodine Eggs, fish, crustaceans, dairy products, iodized salt 9000 However, in Russia, 70-80% of women suffer from a lack of vitamins, regardless of the season of the year ⁷ . Vitamin-mineral complexes will help to fill the lack of vitamins and minerals in the mother's diet.

Is it possible to prevent allergies in a child

So far, scientists have not figured out how to prevent food allergies in a child during pregnancy.

Welcome

Find us on iTunes!

Popular Posts