Living recommendations

When you are pregnant, a healthy baby is your greatest wish. Below is advice on a healthy lifestyle. This is because it can have a positive impact on your baby’s development.

Folic acid

Scientific research has shown that taking folic acid even before you are pregnant reduces the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida by 50%. Nowadays, every pregnant woman is advised to take folic acid from conception until the 10th week of pregnancy (counting from the 1st day of your last period). Daily 1 tablet of 0.5 mg is sufficient. Often it is also included in a vitamin preparation specifically for pregnant women.

Gender

Sexual intercourse need not be avoided in pregnancy. Except in cases of ruptured membranes and/or blood loss.

Sports

You may continue to play sports during your pregnancy. However, it is not recommended to do sports where there is a high risk of physical contact, falling and punching in the abdomen.

Sauna/sunbed

Whether high ambient temperature during pregnancy can cause harm is not known. It may be wise to avoid prolonged hot baths, sauna visits or tanning beds during the first months of pregnancy. What can be a disadvantage of direct sun or tanning beds is that you can get pigment spots that sometimes do not disappear afterwards.

Flies

Travel by air can be done until you are 7 months pregnant. After 7 months, most airlines do not want to carry pregnant women. Before pregnancy, flying is harmless. However, our advice is not to fly or go far away after the 28th week.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations with attenuated or live germs are not recommended in pregnancy. So always tell people you are pregnant when you are vaccinated. If you have questions about vaccination during pregnancy, contact the GGD: 030-2863333

Smoking, alcohol and drugs

It is advised not to smoke and not to use alcohol and drugs during and after your pregnancy because they can have harmful effects on your baby. Want to know more about the effects of smoking in pregnancy or quitting smoking in pregnancy? Click on consequences or quitting or ask your midwife for more information.

Medicine

If you are taking medication, always check with your doctor to see if you can take it during pregnancy. Some medications cannot be used during pregnancy. This also applies to a number of over-the-counter medicines. If you have any questions, contact your pharmacy, midwife, or family doctor. You can use paracetamol without any danger. See the package insert for the dosage. If the doctor or dentist deems it necessary to use local anesthesia, there is no objection to this during pregnancy. Just tell the doctor or dentist that you are pregnant. Vitamin preparations for pregnant women are not harmful. In principle, they are not necessary if you eat a healthy and varied diet. Vitamin D: the WHO recommends vit D as a supplement. Vitamin A
It is advisable not to eat too many liver products as they may contain too much vitamin A. Products like liver pate and liver sausage on your sandwich should be eaten at most once a day. Fish
fish is very healthy. But do not take:
a) pre-packaged ready-to-eat fish from the refrigerator such as smoked salmon, eel, mussels (however, these products can be eaten if they are heated beforehand)
b) raw fish or seafood, such as oysters
c) no predatory fish, such as swordfish, tuna, shark and king mackerel
d) no eel from Dutch rivers
e) no more than twice a week oily fish, because of the dioxins.

Toxoplasmosis

To prevent infection with toxoplasmosis, it is recommended to avoid raw meat, such as roast beef, filet american, tartare and carpaccio. Fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly.
It is also wise to use gloves when working in the garden and not to change the litter box yourself.

Listeriosis

To avoid contamination with the listeria bacteria, you should leave (French) raw milk and farmhouse cheeses. In the case of packaged cheeses, it will say “au lait cru” on the packaging. However, you may eat cheese made from pasteurized milk.

Bladder inflammation (cystitis)

Some symptoms such as a hard belly or back pain can sometimes indicate a bladder infection. Because of the pregnancy hormones you are more sensitive to this. When in doubt, we ask you to have your urine checked by your doctor.

Obstipation or constipation

If you suffer from constipation, a laxative diet is the solution: brown bread, raw vegetables, bran and lots of drinking. Exercise can also help.

Vaginal discharge

Increased vaginal discharge, something that is common, is best not dealt with with soap. Soap disrupts the acidic environment and increases the risk of infection. Use water as much as you like.

Are you getting the right nutrition? Find out with Nutricheck Mama!

Would you also like to know if you are eating right and getting enough nutrients for you and your child? You can find out within 10 minutes when you take part in the online Nutricheck Mama survey. Then you can immediately start working with the advice, tips and sample daily menus tailored to you.

www.nutricheckmama.nl/delekbrug