Keeping healthy in pregnancy

All parents have worries from time-to-time in pregnancy. Talk to your partner or someone you trust about how you feel.

If you or your partner are starting to feel low or anxious, reach out to your midwife, GP or health visitor for support. There's lots of help available if you tell people how you're feeling. The following feelings do not mean you'll be a bad parent or that you won't love your baby.

• Worried about caring for or bonding with your baby or how your life will change when they arrive.
• Numb about the pregnancy or unhappy.
• Scared of the changes happening to your body.

It's easy for resentments to build up and cause distance in a relationship. Visit Bump, Birth and Beyond for tips on good communication with your partner or family members and what to expect when you become a parent.

Families in Kent and Medway can access a free online course called 'Understanding your Relationships.' This course covers topics such as feelings, communication, conflict in relationships, anger, repair and more. Use the access code Invicta to register for your free account.

Smoking halves your chances of becoming pregnant. Breathing in someone else's smoke is also a risk. Men who smoke can have reduced quality sperm and erection difficulties.

Quitting smoking is the most important thing you and your partner can do to give your baby the best start in life. One You Kent has a specialist team dedicated to supporting pregnant women and their families to quit smoking. Their friendly advisors offer non-judgemental support and will contact you every week at a time convenient to you.

There's no known safe level of alcohol in pregnancy, so it's best to avoid it completely while trying to get pregnant, and during pregnancy. Alcohol can damage sperm production, so men should cut down on drinking too. Try swapping your usual drink for fruit juice with fizzy water.

Your body does amazing things during pregnancy - Best Start in Life has a useful week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Keeping active will help you stay fit and adjust to your changing body shape during this period and help you in labour.

Walking or swimming for 30 minutes a day is great exercise and you can get others to join in and help keep you motivated. Your pelvic floor muscles are put under more strain during pregnancy. You can help strengthen these by completing pelvic floor exercises.

Finding times throughout the day when you can relax and put your feet up, so your baby can have free movement is also important.

Eating a healthy diet will help you to maintain a healthy weight, and make sure your baby grows and develops well.

The key is variety and balance and the 'Eatwell plate' is a great guide. There is no need to eat for two as they used to say but you may find that you are more hungry than usual. Start the day with a healthy breakfast to help reduce the urge to snack.

Aim to eat five or more different types of fruit and vegetables every day, as well as some iron-rich protein such as lean meat, beans, or tofu. Vitamin C in fruit and vegetables will also help your body absorb iron from plant sources such as fortified cereals, dried fruit and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Iron will help you avoid anaemia where low iron levels can make you feel very tired.

Add some high fibre starchy food such as bran, rice or pasta to each meal. Choose low fat dairy foods or other foods with calcium which is important for your baby's growth and development.

There are some foods you should avoid during pregnancy for safety reasons.

Taking a supplement with folic acid will make sure that you are getting everything that you and your baby needs. Taking folic acid every day can reduce the risk of your baby being born with spina bifida. While you are trying to get pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.

Taking vitamin D every day can keep your bones and muscles healthy and give your baby enough vitamin D for the first few months of life. This is particularly important if you have dark skin, you're indoors most of the day, or if you usually wear clothes that cover up most of your skin.

If you’re receiving a qualifying benefit and are pregnant or have parental responsibility for at least one child under the age of 4, you can apply online for the NHS Healthy Start card. This card can be used to buy milk, fruit and vegetables, pulses, and infant formula milk. You can also get vitamin supplements.

Covid-19

The Covid-19 vaccine is offered seasonally – usually during the winter months, and again in the spring. It is recommended during pregnancy due to the increased risk of severe disease and complications which can affect both mother and baby.

Flu

Seasonal influenza is very common and highly infectious. It can be much more severe than the common cold; flu can be very dangerous. There is strong evidence that pregnant women have a much higher risk of serious illness because of flu, compared with the general population. The risks are highest in the last three months of pregnancy.

The flu vaccine is seasonal, usually starting in September/October. It is safe at any stage of pregnancy.

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Recommended during weeks 16 to 32 of pregnancy, the vaccine helps the mother make antibodies to fight pertussis and protect the baby.

It takes about two weeks for antibody levels to peak. These antibodies are then transferred through the placenta to the baby, who then has the mother’s own protection against the disease in their blood right from birth and importantly before the child receives their first Pertussis vaccine at  eight weeks.

• Read more about vaccines and fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding on NHS.uk

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

From 1 September 2024, pregnant women can have a free vaccine in each pregnancy, to protect their babies against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV is a common virus which can cause a lung infection called bronchiolitis. In small babies this condition can make it hard to breathe and to feed. Most cases can be managed at home but around 20,000 infants are admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis each year in England. Infants with severe bronchiolitis may need intensive care and the infection can be fatal. RSV is more likely to be serious in very young babies, those born prematurely, and those with conditions that affect their heart, breathing or immune system.

How the RSV protects your baby

The vaccine boosts your immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus. These antibodies then pass through the placenta to help protect your baby from the day they are born. RSV vaccination reduces the risk of severe bronchiolitis by 70 per cent in the first six 6 months of life. After this age your baby is at much lower risk of severe RSV. The vaccine has been shown to reduce the chance of your baby suffering from severe RSV disease.

When you will be offered the RSV vaccine

You should be offered it around the time of your 28 week antenatal appointment. If you haven’t heard by this stage, contact your maternity service or GP practice to make an appointment. Having the vaccine in week 28 or within a few weeks of this will help you build a good level of antibodies to pass on to your baby before birth. This will give your baby the best protection, including if they are born early.

You will be offered the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy.

Find out more about RSV.

Where to get the vaccines

You can access the Covid-19 vaccination via your GP practice or at a local pharmacy. You will receive an invite which will include details of how to book using the national booking system.

You can receive the flu and pertussis vaccines via your GP practice, pharmacy, and in some areas, via your maternity service. Please ask your midwife.

If left untreated, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can cause serious harm to your baby and long-term health issues for you, including infertility. It's a good idea to get tested for STIs before you start trying for a baby. The Kent Sexual Health service can provide STI testing and treatment, psychosexual therapy services as well as care for people living with HIV. Make sure your cervical screening test is up to date too.