Wellbeing
Diet and weight
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet during pregnancy is important to help your baby develop and grow.
Eating a varied diet will help you to get most of the vitamins and minerals you need for a healthy pregnancy and to support your baby’s development, however it is also recommended that you take folic acid and vitamin D supplements. You should avoid taking cod liver oil and vitamin A while pregnant, therefore you should check the label of any multivitamin, or get specific pregnancy vitamins.
Full information on how to have a healthy diet in pregnancy can be found here
Some pregnant women or families with a child under four years old may also qualify for the Healthy Start scheme. The scheme provides vouchers to pregnant women or families which can be used to buy fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables and cow’s milk at local shops and stores. The scheme also provides free vitamins.
Information on the Healthy Start scheme, including who qualifies and how to apply, can be found here
Information on vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy can be found here
Some foods during pregnancy should be avoided, such as unpasteurised milk or had in moderation, such as oily fish. Certain foods such as meat and smoked fish should also be thoroughly cooked through before you eat them. This is to reduce the change of food poisoning.
Full information on what foods you should avoid, have in moderation or fully cooked through can be found here Foods to avoid in pregnancy
Maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy is also important in keeping both you and your baby healthy, being underweight or overweight can increase your risk of complications.
Women and birthing people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5 are at an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight and gastroschisis (when the baby’s stomach does not develop properly). If your BMI is less than 18.5 you will be supported by the community midwives during your pregnancy.
Women and birthing people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above are at greater risk of a variety of pregnancy-related complications and complications in labour. Our Healthy Pregnancy Support Service (HPSS) offers advice and support about healthy weight gain and lifestyle choices in pregnancy. It is not a weight loss service, and your midwife can arrange for a referral at your booking appointment.
Information on our Healthy Pregnancy Support Service can be found here
Smoking, alcohol and drugs
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause harm to your baby, such as leading to miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, small birth weight and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). It is advised that while you are pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all to avoid any risk of harm to your baby.
Further information on drinking alcohol while pregnant can be found here
Smoking during pregnancy can also cause harm to your baby, putting them at higher risk of problems antenatally, in infancy and during childhood. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of pregnancy related complications. The risks to you and your baby will lessen soon as you stop smoking, as the harmful chemicals and gases leave your body. The earlier you stop smoking the better, however even if you stop smoking in the last few weeks of pregnancy, there will still be benefits to both you and your baby.
Our Healthy Pregnancy Support Service is here to support you and help you understand the health benefits of quitting smoking for you and your baby. The service provides a friendly non-judgmental service, with one-to-one support with an assigned practitioner.
Full information on our Healthy Pregnancy Support Service can be found here
Information on smoking during pregnancy can be found here
Taking illegal or recreational drugs, or drugs that have not been prescribed to you while you are pregnant can cause serious harm to you and your baby.
It is important that you tell your GP, doctor or midwife if you have been taking drugs so they can provide you with the right advice and support. You should seek support from a healthcare professional before suddenly stopping taking drugs as this can be unsafe and cause side effects or withdrawal issues.
Further information and support can be found below.
Keeping active and exercising
Staying active is important while you are pregnant as it offers many benefits, such as:
If you have an uncomplicated pregnancy, you should maintain your normal daily physical activity levels or exercise for as long as you feel comfortable. It is also safe to start exercising during pregnancy, even if you didn’t exercise before you got pregnant.
Ways of keeping active can include walking instead of driving or taking public transport, taking the stairs instead of the lift, housework or gardening.
Exercises you may want to do while pregnant include yoga and swimming classes, walking and cycling. If you are taking an exercise class, it is important to let your instructor know that you’re pregnant so they can adjust the exercises if needed
There are certain exercises you should avoid during pregnancy, such as exercising at heights over 2,500m above sea level, due to the risk of altitude sickness, scuba diving and high impact exercises such as kickboxing.
Full information on exercising during pregnancy, including exercises to avoid and how to safely pick up new exercises, can be found here
Pelvic floor exercises
Your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, womb and bowel, and support your baby during pregnancy and stretch during labour.
Pregnancy and childbirth can cause problems for the pelvic floor muscles, therefore it is important to regularly do pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and to ensure you are doing these correctly. This will reduce the risk of future problems with incontinence, discomfort and pain.
Our Perinatal Pelvic Health Services provide advice and support to service users up to one year after birth, offering advice on prevention and treatment.
The service offers support to anyone with concerns or pelvic health problems. Full information on the service can be found on our dedicated webpage: Pelvic Health During Pregnancy and Beyond – SaTH
Exercise videos for pelvic health during pregnancy can be found here.
Mental Health
Pregnancy and postpartum can be emotional periods of time where you may experience a range of different feelings and emotions. However, if you find this is affecting your day-to-day life there is support and advice available to you.
Mental health problems during pregnancy, or the year following childbirth, are common and affect up to 1 in 5 women. It can help to talk about your feelings to friends or family or speak to health care professionals, who can offer you support and are here to listen to you.
There are a range of things you can try to help with your mental health, from breathing exercises and physical activity, to counselling and medicine. Our dedicated mental health page outlines all of the mental health advice and support available to you
Dental Care
You are entitled to free NHS dental treatment if you’re pregnant when you start your treatment and up until your baby is one year old. To receive free NHS dental treatment, you will need a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx) issued by your midwife or GP.
A Dental Advice Line is also available for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin on 01743 237916, available between 8am-5pm and 6pm-9pm, Monday to Friday. The line provides clinician led triage and advice for patients and referral to urgent dental care providers across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin for urgent dental appointments. The line also provides patients looking for an NHS dentist with details of providers who are currently accepting patients for NHS Care. Find a dentist
Medications and vaccinations
When you are pregnant it is important to make sure that your GP, pharmacist, dentist or healthcare professional knows that you are pregnant before prescribing or giving you medications.
This is because some medications are not safe to take when you are pregnant. This includes herbal or homeopathic remedies and aromatherapy.
If you take regular medication, it is important to speak to your GP as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. Make sure to speak to your GP before stopping any medication too.
All prescriptions are free while you are pregnant and for 12 months after your baby’s due date. To receive your free prescriptions, you will need a maternity exemption certificate which your midwife, doctor or health visitor can complete an application for.
Certain vaccines are recommended during pregnancy to protect both you and your baby.
These vaccines including the whopping cough, flu and COVID-19 vaccines. There are also some vaccines that are not usually advised, such as the MMR vaccine, as it uses a live version of the virus. Your midwife, GP or pharmacist can advise you on vaccinations during pregnancy
Full information on vaccinations during pregnancy can be found here
Infections and preventing illness
There are some infections which may cause problems in pregnancy or affect your baby, such as chickenpox, sexually transmitted infections, slapped cheek syndrome, rubella, whooping cough, Zika virus and infections transmitted by animals, to name a few.
There are steps you can take to avoid picking up infections such as avoiding contact with people that are ill, regularly washing your hands, ensuring your food is properly cooked through and taking up all the recommended vaccinations during pregnancy.
If you are concerned about picking up an infection or have symptoms, make sure you speak to your GP, doctor or midwife
Information on infections in pregnancy and how to avoid them can be found below
Travelling while pregnant
For most women travelling during pregnancy is safe, however there are several things you can do to prepare for travel and keep yourself comfortable and safe.
Travel by air or sea is generally safe if you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy, however some airlines and ferry companies may have restrictions on how far into your pregnancy you can travel with them. You should check the airline or ferry company’s policy before your book to ensure you’ll be able to travel.
It is also important that you tell your travel insurer that you are pregnant before you travel, if you don’t let them know then your travel insurance may be invalid.
You may need vaccinations when travelling to certain countries. You should ask your GP or midwife for advice about specific vaccinations, as some may not be recommended if they use live bacteria or viruses.
It is also important that you tell your travel insurer that you are pregnant before you travel, if you don’t let them know then your travel insurance may be invalid.
You may need vaccinations when travelling to certain countries. You should ask your GP or midwife for advice about specific vaccinations, as some may not be recommended if they use live bacteria or viruses.
If you are pregnant, it is not recommended to travel to certain areas where the Zika virus is present. The Zika virus is found in parts of the Caribbean, Pacific islands, Africa, Asia and South and Central America. For most people that contract the virus, it is mild and not harmful, however it can cause harm for a baby if you get it when you’re pregnant.
It’s important to check the risk of Zika virus for the country you are travelling to before you go.
Information on this can be found here
Work
When you find out you are pregnant, it may help to tell your manager you’re pregnant as soon as possible so that you can receive support and adjustments where needed.
This may be helpful if you are experiencing symptoms such as sickness or fatigue, especially early in your pregnancy. However, legally you do not have to tell your employer you are pregnant until you are 25 weeks pregnant, so this remains your choice.
Once you have told your employer you are pregnant, they should carry out a risk assessment to see if your job poses any risks to you or your baby.
These risks could include heavy lifting, exposure to harmful substances, excessive noise, standing for long periods of time or extreme temperatures. If your job does pose a risk, your employer should make reasonable adjustments or offer you alternative work.
Full information on your rights at work while you are pregnant, and coping with pregnancy symptoms can be found here
Information on maternity and paternity benefits and leave, including for same-sex partners, can be found here
Advice on pregnancy and communicating about your pregnancy in the workplace can be found here
Latest News
Maternity Services open day announced
10 September 2024 Following the success of its previous open [...]
Results of Care Quality Commission maternity survey published
9 February 2024 A new survey by the Care Quality [...]
Trust recruits 10 internationally-educated midwives to maternity services
6 February 2024 The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust [...]
Trust’s Maternity Services to hold second open day
Following the success of its previous open day, Maternity [...]