Before conceiving and during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy we recommend all mothers take folic acid as this is a key nutrient for the development of your baby’s nervous system. Vitamin D is another key vitamin which helps bone strength, heart health and more. 

Tommy’s has lots of information about the importance of folic acid and vitamin D.

Check out healthy eating in pregnancy for more ways to keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy.

You should be able to continue working throughout your pregnancy, unless you have any underlying health problems. 

Ensure you tell your employee about your pregnancy when you’re ready, many choose to wait until their first scan. This way you can ensure they know how to support you, can run any risk assessments required to keep you safe and plan any time off you require for antenatal classes and midwife appointments.

You can find out all you need to know about pregnancy at work from the Health and Safety Executive.

When you are thinking about getting pregnant or you know that you are pregnant, it is a good opportunity to make healthy lifestyle changes to put you in the best possible health to prepare for pregnancy.

Read more here.

Health visitors are trained nurses who support and educate families from pregnancy through to a child's 5th birthday.

Your pregnancy visit from your health visitor occurs in the later stages of pregnancy. This is called an antenatal contact. You will be contacted by your health visitor to arrange an appointment.

In Derbyshire, we work in teams, but you will have a named health visitor who has sole responsibility and will support you and your family until your child reaches school age. You can contact us on 01246 515100 (Mon-Fri 9am - 4:30pm).

These vaccines are recommended in pregnancy

Flu

During pregnancy, your immune system (the body's natural defence) is weakened to protect the pregnancy. This can mean you're less able to fight off infections.

These changes can raise the risk from flu – pregnant women and people are more likely to get flu complications than those who are not pregnant and are more likely to be admitted to hospital. Having the flu vaccine means you're less likely to get flu.

Whooping cough

Whooping cough is a very serious infection, and young babies are most at risk. Most babies with whooping cough will be admitted to hospital.

When you have the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy, your body produces antibodies to protect against whooping cough. These antibodies pass to your baby giving them some protection until they're able to have their whooping cough vaccination at 8 weeks old.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine

If you're pregnant, or think you might be, it's strongly recommended you get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect you and your baby.

You're at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 if you're pregnant. If you get COVID-19 late in your pregnancy, your baby could also be at risk.

It's safe to have the vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. You do not need to delay vaccination until after you have given birth.

Find out more about vaccines in pregnancy on the NHS website.

During pregnancy, your immune system is naturally suppressed, making you more vulnerable to infections that could harm both you and your baby. Avoid contact with people who have infectious illnesses, including diarrhoea, sickness, childhood illnesses or any rash-like illness.

Animals

Animals lovers need to take extra care when pregnant as some animals can carry bacteria that is harmful to your baby.

Cats can carry a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis - an infection that can be harmful during pregnancy. If a pregnant person becomes infected, it can lead to complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth or health problems for the baby.

  • Avoid cat poo in soil and cat litter, wear gloves if you need to empty the litter tray and wash your hands afterwards. Or have someone else change the litter
  • The litter box should be changed daily
  • Do not feed your cat raw or undercooked meat

Lambs and sheep can also carry toxoplasma. Avoid lambing or milking ewes, as well as all contact with newborn lambs. Tell your GP if you experience flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with sheep.

Find out more about infections during pregnancy here. 

Be careful about using dyes and other chemical treatments during your pregnancy as some chemicals could be harmful to your baby.

Always read the label of any product to check it is pregnancy safe and take a patch test before using dyes, even if you’ve used them before as your skin can become more sensitive during pregnancy.

Speak to your midwife or healthcare team for more information.