Getting pregnant concerns
Dieting while trying to conceive
Research has shown that if you reach your ideal weight six months before you plan to conceive, you can improve your chances of conception. This is because there are important links between body fat and the reproductive hormones, but more importantly, if you are overweight or underweight you can cause a hormone imbalance that disrupts your body’s ability to ovulate. Adopting a crash diet therefore, is a bad idea; the best option is to try to lose weight slowly. This may mean modifying your diet to include fruit, vegetables and drinking lots of water. When you become pregnant you will have to cut down on the alcohol you drink (perhaps even cut it out for good) so it’s a good idea to start now.
Will I put much weight on during pregnancy?
Gaining weight is as much part of pregnancy as cravings or needing the loo more often. It is inevitable that you will put on weight although it varies from woman to woman. Some women stay slim and just have a huge bump, whilst others seem to pile on the pounds as soon as they see a positive pregnancy test.
A good guide to weight gain during pregnancy is to look at what happened to your mum during her pregnancies as you are half as likely to be similar to her.
Most women put on something between 9-16kg (20-35lb) but this of course can vary for each woman.
Most pregnant women don't follow a steady weigh gain either, so they'll put on about 1.8kg (4lb) in the first trimester, then about 0.5kg (1lb) a week for the next three months and 4.6kg (10lbs) in the last trimester.
US reserch points to a theory called the one-two-three rule which is, if you are overweight you will put on a stone during pregnancy, if you are a normal weight you'll put on two stone and if you are underweight you'll put on three stone!
the good news is that most women lose their 'baby weight' within the first year of their baby's life as long as they follow a sensible well-balanced diet.
See our pregnancy weight gain calculator, which uses you BMI (body mass index) which is a weight range based on your body mass determined by your height and current weight.
If I get ill, will it harm my baby?
Colds, flu and stomach bugs, are probably the most common infections that pregnant women can catch, and although they can lay you low during pregnancy, they rarely affect your baby.
Your immune system is slightly lowered during pregnancy, to stop your body rejecting your unborn baby. This is why pregnant women find themselves catching every infection floating around the office. Cold and flu are best treated with plenty or rest, fresh fruits and vegetables and keeping yourself hydrated. Lots of medicines are not suitable for pregnant women, so ask your doctor or midwife what they can recommend. The same goes for a fever, but if you need to reduce a fever quickly try a tepid bath.
If you have a stomach upset, again, it’s best to ask your midwife or doctor which treatments are suitable for pregnant women. It unlikely to affect your baby and the best thing you can do is rest and drink lots of water.
Should I take folic acid?
Even though folic acid is found in foods like liver, leafy green vegetables and whole wheat bread, the Government still recommends that all women thinking about having a baby start taking folic acid supplements three months before trying to conceive. Your doctor can prescribe them to you, or they are sold at most pharmacies. They come in 400 microgram capsules, which should be taken once a day, or if you don’t like taking tablets, a folic acid milk drink is also available.
What are the benefits?
All babies are potentially at some risk of developing spina bifida and other neural tube defects which affect the development of the brain and spinal cord. Most of these defects occur in the early stages of pregnancy, which is why it’s vital to start taking folic acid before you’re pregnant. Folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development as well as tissue formation.
Are some women at more risk?
Women who’ve had twins or multiples or who have had babies close together may have vitamin and mineral deficiencies so it’s important to start taking folic acid supplements before falling pregnant again. Studies show that mothers who’ve had one child with a neural defect can lower their risk of having another by 72 percent by taking folic acid supplements.
Will I get stretch marks?
Red lines, known as stretch marks or striae gravidarum, may make an appearance on the parts of your body that see an increase in size, namely your breasts and abdomen. The reason that these marks appear is due to a break down in the natural collagen and elastin found in your skin as it is stretched. As collagen fibres reproduce to combat this process, the brightly coloured lines appear. This can be itchy as well as unsightly. A good natural remedy for this, if your skin is itchy and tingling, is the cooling aloe vera gel, which can be found in most good chemists and health shops.
Preventing Stretch Marks
The bad news is that, for the most part, this is something you cannot control. Whether you get stretch marks or not will be affected by heredity and ethnicity. Use your own mother as a guide. If she got them, there is a good chance you will fare the same way. Similarly, if you are dark-skinned, you are less likely to get them and if you are very fair-skinned, you are more likely to, although this is rather general.
In terms of stretch mark prevention, the best advice is to keep your skin as moisturised and hydrated as possible. Because of the chance that products will be absorbed into your bloodstream, and therefore reach your baby, it is best to keep to using natural products that will be harmless should this happen. A base oil, like sweet almond oil, or a pure medical grade cocoa butter, both products that most chemists’ stock behind the counter will suffice nicely. Of course, there are many products on the market, specifically designed to counteract stretch marks, but caution should be exercised.
Read our article on skin care for further advice.
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Mothercare
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