Pregnancy Health

Pregnancy can be hard work on the body as you support the healthy development of new life on top of maintaining your own! Everyone is different and will experience pregnancy differently, so avoid comparing yourself to other pregnant mothers around you. Some degree of tiredness is to be expected, especially in the 1st and 3rd trimesters but there are a few things you can do to improve symptoms and outcomes for mother and baby.

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Here are a few health tips I would recommend :

  • A good quality high strength pregnancy multivitamin & mineral. Cytoplan and Biocare are good brands

  • Tired all the time? Although it’s normal to feel tired sometimes in pregnancy if you are eating a lot of refined carbohydrates and sugary foods this can cause energy crashes making symptoms worse. Try to go for complex carbohydrates like oats, whole-grains, root vegetables rather than bread, cakes and sweets all the time. If you do have sugar cravings (which is quite common in pregnancy), try baking your own home-made flapjacks, banana bread or oat biscuits using smaller amounts of unrefined sugar which will help prevent those sugar crashes. Check out some of my refined sugar free recipes for some inspiration!

  • Vitamin D. NICE guidelines recommend that pregnant, postnatal and breastfeeding women take 400 IU daily, however many women are already deficient so I would advise getting your levels tested first for a more accurate dose. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to gestational diabetes, emergency cesarean section, low birth weight and postpartum depression

  • Magnesium. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to help reduce leg cramps. Good food sources include green leafy veg such as kale and spinach, nuts and seeds. Or you can try Magnesium/Epsom salt baths.

  • Iron. Iron deficiency anaemia can be  a risk factor for premature and low birth weight babies, however your midwife should inform you if you are anaemic from your routine blood tests. This generally involves Iron supplementation to see if this helps, if not you should ask for B6 and B12 levels to also be tested as deficiency in this vitamin can sometimes be another reason for anaemia. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, headaches, low energy, pale skin, leg cramps

  • Omega 3. omega-3 supplementation has been shown in some studies to improve brain and visual development and a reduced risk of atopic eczema in children. Go for a clean, pure fish oil concentrate that is free from pollutants

  • Morning sickness. Low blood sugar levels can sometimes contribute to nausea, eating smaller more frequent meals can help to prevent this. B6 supplementation has also been shown to help reduce the severity of morning sickness in several small studies. Doses of 30 - 75mg daily were used.

  • Drink water. Ensuring you are adequately hydrated is important to reduce constipation and tiredness. You will also need more water to make amniotic fluid, form extra blood, build new tissue, aid digestion and help flush out additional wastes and toxins. Aim for 1.5 - 2L water a day not including caffeinated drinks.

  • Eat plenty of fibre. This helps to reduce constipation which is common in pregnancy due to hormonal changes slowing down digestion and also increased pressure of growing baby on the bowel. Good fibre sources include oats, all fruits and vegetables, lentils, beans, wholegrains

  • probiotics. Certain strains of probiotics (L. acidophilus, B. lactis, L. rhamnosus) taken during pregnancy have been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of atopic eczema in infants and children. Look for at least 10-20 billion cfu daily intake for effectiveness

Speak to your doctor or pharmacist to check dosages suitable or if you are on any other medications before supplementing.

References

Matthews, A., Haas, D.M., O'Mathúna, D.P. and Dowswell, T., 2015. Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (9).

Doege, K., Grajecki, D., Zyriax, B.C., Detinkina, E., zu Eulenburg, C. and Buhling, K.J., 2012. Impact of maternal supplementation with probiotics during pregnancy on atopic eczema in childhood–a meta-analysis. British journal of nutrition, 107(1), pp.1-6.

Bertelsen, R.J., Brantsæter, A.L., Magnus, M.C., Haugen, M., Myhre, R., Jacobsson, B., Longnecker, M.P., Meltzer, H.M. and London, S.J., 2014. Probiotic milk consumption in pregnancy and infancy and subsequent childhood allergic diseases. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 133(1), pp.165-171.