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Articles » Pregnancy » First Trimester » Mind and Body Changes

Mind and Body Changes

Getting used to being pregnant

Pregnancy hormones can send you on an emotional rollercoaster. It may take you and your body time to adjust to pregnancy. You need to adjust in other ways too, at this stage your baby may be harmed by things you eat or drink, so you may need to make some lifestyle changes.

Mixed feelings

However much you want a baby, it’s natural to worry about how things will turn out. You may be worried about being on your own, about whether your baby is developing normally, about how your partner or family will react. You may also be worried about money, about how you’ll cope...

Don’t keep your feelings to yourself. Find someone to talk to and talk it all out. If you can, talk to your partner or family, or your GP will put you in touch with someone who can help.

When to tell family and friends

Many women choose to keep the news of the pregnancy quiet until they reach 12 or 13 weeks, when the risk of miscarriage greatly decreases. You may want to tell one or two close friends, just so that on days when you don’t want to bottle up your emotions any more, you’ve got someone to confide in.

Drinking in pregnancy

Everyone wants a healthy, normal baby. One way you can increase the chances is by not drinking alcohol when you are pregnant. When you drink, so does your baby. Alcohol is carried through the placenta by your blood stream. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause brain damage to your baby and that damage is permanent. The damage is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS for short. FAS babies grow into FAS children and adults who have learning disabilities and behaviour problems, and most need to be looked after, forever. Some babies have a number, but not all of the symptoms and that is called partial-FAS. The consequences can be as severe as if they had full FAS. Even 1 or 2 drinks can affect your baby’s learning. Drinking more than that increases the risks of greater damage. It does not matter whether it is beer, wine, spirits or RTDs-all contain alcohol.

ALCOHOL HELPLINE
0800 787 797

Street drugs

Using illegal drugs of any kind is dangerous for your baby. They increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. The risk is even higher if drugs are combined with alcohol.

Some street drugs are addictive (habit forming), and you may need help to give them up. Don’t stop suddenly, the withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous for you and your baby. Talk to your LMC – people will be more interested in protecting you and your baby than anything else. You can be given help at specialist clinics to get you safely off the drugs as soon as possible.

Smoking and pregnancy

If you are a smoker you significantly increase the risk of complications a during pregnancy. You and your baby have a lot to gain from you quitting, financially and healthwise.

During pregnancy the chemicals from cigarette smoke pass directly from your blood into the baby’s blood supply. Nicotine reduces blood flow through the placenta and smoking causes it to age too quickly so that your baby gets less nutrients.

On average your baby will weigh 200g less when it is born. This isn’t healthy-smaller babies are much more likely to pick up infections and other diseases.

If you smoke you increase your risk of:

• Miscarriage
• Bleeding
• Your waters breaking earlier-as a result your baby might be born with an infection
• Your baby being born prematurely
• Your baby dying just before or after birth
• Your baby dying from cot death
• Your baby being smaller and lighter

No matter how far you are into your pregnancy the moment you stop smoking you start increasing your chances of a well developed baby. Just cutting back does not work, as you tend to inhale more deeply and smoke more of the cigarette.

Ten steps to stopping smoking

1. Make a date to stop and stick to it. Stop altogether not by cutting down.
2. Keep busy. Throw away ashtrays, cigarettes, matches and lighters. Give your home a good clean to make it baby fresh.
3. Drink lots of water; avoid too much tea and coffee. Try water with a slice of orange or lemon, or herbal tea.
4. Take up yoga, swimming or other gentle exercise. The fitter you are the healthier your pregnancy is likely to be. You’ll probably find it will make the birth easier too.
5. Headaches, sore throats and irritability are common withdrawal symptoms. These are positive signs that your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco. They will disappear in a week or two.
6. Change your routine. Avoid going past the shop where you normally buy cigarettes, if you usually smoke at lunchtime, go somewhere else and do something different.
7. Don’t use a crisis or special celebration as an excuse for “just one” cigarette. One leads to another, and another!
8. Plan some special treats with the money you have saved. An appointment at the hairdressers, luxurious bath oil, or something special for the baby.
9. Take one day at a time. Each day without a cigarette is good news for your health, your baby... and your purse.
10. If you are finding it tough call

    THE QUITLINE 0800 778 778

Secondhand smoke

Every time someone smokes around you, you and your baby are exposed to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke - combination of the burning ends of cigarettes, cigars and pipes and the smoke exahed by people smoking. You can minimise your exposure to secondhand smoke by:

• Making your home and car completely smoke free.
• Encourage your friends and family to go outside if they want to smoke.
• Avoiding, where you can, environments where other people are have been or are smoking.

It’s easy to protect yourself and your baby from secondhand smoke - make your home and car smokefree.

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