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Preparing For Your Pregnancy

If you are thinking about having a baby there are things that will help you prepare yourself and your body for pregnancy and give you a better chance of having a healthy baby.

no-smoking

Stop Smoking

Smoking affects fertility making it harder for you to get pregnant. It also increases the chance that you will miscarry (lose the baby before it is born). If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines.1234

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Get to a Healthy Weight

A healthy weight can help you get pregnant and improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy and baby. Being underweight or overweight can affect your fertility and cause health problems during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes.

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Eat Well

A balanced diet is always good for you. Follow a healthy diet before you get pregnant by reducing empty calories, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine and eat foods that are high in protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products.

Visit Your GP

See your GP before you get pregnant. Even if you feel you are healthy and ready for a pregnancy, your doctor can help you prepare and advise you on any medicines or dietary supplements you are taking. You and your doctor may decide that it's best to stop taking the medicine, to take a different medicine, or to keep taking it.

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Start Folate Supplements

Take 0.4 milligrams (400 micrograms) of folic acid daily. You should also eat foods that contain folate (the natural form of folic acid), such as green leafy vegetables. Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects, especially problems with the baby's spine.

Sources

  1. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/
  2. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg156/ifp/chapter/Trying-for-a-baby
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53022/
  4. https://www.rauchfrei-info.de/fileadmin/main/data/Dokumente/Smoking_ReproductiveLife.pdf
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20669500
  6. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph27
  7. https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/pi-being-overweight-during-pregnancy-and-after-birth-002.pdf
  8. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph11/chapter/4-Recommendations
  9. https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/healthy-eating-pregnancy/
  10. https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/pi-healthy-eating-and-vitamin-supplements-in-pregnancy.pdf
  11. https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/Pregnancy.pdf
  12. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg62/ifp/chapter/Diet-and-food-hygiene
  13. https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/FolicAcid.pdf
  14. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/pregnancy/why-do-i-need-folic-acid-in-pregnancy/