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Mental Health and Wellbeing
Emotional highs and lows are natural and normal when you’re pregnant. Most women have good mental health during their pregnancy, though some find it harder to manage. Pregnancy is often a very happy and exciting time. But not every woman feels this way. You may have mixed, or even negative, feelings about being pregnant. You may find it more difficult than others to cope with the changes and uncertainties which pregnancy brings.
You can find out more information around mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy by clicking on the following links:
Ready, Steady, Baby: Your mental health and wellbeing in pregnancy
Vitamins and Minerals
There are some vitamins and minerals that are very important to take when you’re pregnant to help your baby to grow and develop. We recommend you ideally start staking a daily folic acid supplement for at least 12 weeks before you conceive and for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. However, if you have not been taking folic acid it is not too late to start. Folic acid (folate) helps your baby’s spine to develop properly and prevents conditions such as spina bifida, a neural tube defect where the spine does not develop properly.
It is also important to make sure you are getting the right amount of iron, iodine and vitamin D. All pregnant women in Scotland can get free Healthy Start vitamins containing vitamin C, vitamin D and folic acid. Please ask your midwife about this.
You can find out more information about vitamins and minerals during pregnancy by clicking here.
For more information on Preventing Low Iron Levels and Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Pregnancy click here.
Eating Well
Eating a diet of different groups of foods is the best way for you to stay healthy, and help your baby grow and develop. You can find out more information around eating well during your pregnancy and foods it is recommended you avoid by clicking on the following links:
Ready, Steady, Baby: Eating well in pregnancy
Alcohol
There is no known safe limit of drinking during pregnancy. The safest option is to stop drinking when you’re trying to get pregnant or as soon as you know you’re pregnant. You can find out more information around alcohol during your pregnancy by clicking on the following links:
Smoking
Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. The earlier you stop smoking in your pregnancy, the better. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it’s never too late to quit.
Ready, Steady, Baby: Smoking and pregnancy
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Information Leaflet on Smoking and pregnancy. Download below.
Keeping Active and Pelvic Floor Exercises
Being active throughout your pregnancy will benefit you and your baby. Exercise is not dangerous for your baby. There is some evidence that active women are less likely to experience problems in later pregnancy and labour.
For more information on keeping active and pelvic floor exercises during your pregnancy please click on the below link:
Drugs and pregnancy
When you’re pregnant you need to take extra care with medicines. For more information on drugs and pregnancy please click on the below link:
NHS Inform: Medication during pregnancy
Income Maximisation
Aberdeen City – Benefits and money advice | Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeenshire – Money and benefits advice – Aberdeenshire Council
