Author: Ministry of Health

Taking Care While Being Pregnant

Taking care with medicines, smoking, alcohol and possible infections  
Medicines
Some medicines can harm the developing baby. Only take those
medicines that have been recommended by your midwife or your doctor.
Always check with them or your pharmacist before taking anything else.

X-rays and some local and general anaesthetics (including dental x-rays and anaesthetics) are best avoided during pregnancy.

Smoking
Smoking during pregnancy affects the baby’s growth, and will mean more likelihood of health problems such as:
• a lower birth weight that could be harmful if the baby is already small or born prematurely
• an increased risk of cot death, pneumonia, asthma or glue ear
• a risk of miscarrying or having a stillborn baby.
There are programmes available to help pregnant women give up or reduce smoking. There is also information available on how to quit smoking or being smokefree. You can call the Quitline Quit Me Mutu on 0800 778 778.

Alcohol
When you are pregnant, every time you drink alcohol, it is carried by your bloodstream through the placenta to your baby. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause brain damage to your baby and that damage is permanent.This damage is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects or FAS/FAE. There is no known safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. If you think you are pregnant or know you are pregnant, it is safer to avoid alcohol altogether. Drinking alcohol may harm your unborn baby:
• there is a greater likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth and
premature birth
• babies may be born with intellectual disabilities or physical defects
• slower development may become obvious later in childhood and the
child may have poor co-ordination, learning and behavioural problems, including hyperactivity.
After the birth of your baby, whatever amount of alcohol you drink, some will pass into your breastmilk.

Cannabis and/or other recreational drugs
Using cannabis and/or other recreational drugs when you are pregnant can affect the development of your baby, possibly causing premature birth or a low birth weight.

Infections during pregnancy that can harm your baby. Some infections during pregnancy can cause harm to your baby. If you are in contact with someone who has an infectious illness, or are not sure about any of the following, information is available to help you make any decisions about what you should do. Some of these infections include:

Rubella (German measles)

Listeriosis – Listeria is a common bacterium which contaminates certain foods and causes illness. Pregnant women are at high risk of illness and the infection may be passed on to an unborn baby. You can reduce your risk from listeria by avoiding certain foods and by using safe food practices. Pregnant women should avoid eating:
 - smoked or pre-cooked fish or seafood products that are chilled or frozen (unless reheated thoroughly and eaten hot)
 - paté
 - cold pre-cooked chicken
– ham and other chilled pre-cooked meat products
– stored salads and coleslaw
– raw (unpasteurised) milk
– surface-ripened soft cheese (eg. brie, camembert).
 
Toxoplasmosis – Toxoplasmosis is an infection that pregnant women can get from cat faeces and which can pass through the placenta to the baby

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Tuberculosis (TB)
Herpes.
A range of other infections, such as urinary tract infections, thrush, streptococcus B (strep B), chicken pox (varicella), and sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea, may also cause harm to you or your baby.

Receiving care from a specialist
If complications should arise during your pregnancy or labour, you will need to decide whether you want to use hospital specialist services or a private specialist. In any situation where you require specialist services, your LMC will continue to provide the primary care that is part of her/his LMC role. There are guidelines available to your LMC to help decide if referral to a specialist for a consultation is advisable or whether transfer of the responsibility of care in full is recommended. If this happens then the role your LMC now has in your care will be agreed between those involved. This includes you. If responsibility for your care transfers to the hospital specialist services after you have established in labour, in most cases your LMC will continue to be available to support you.