Healthy Pregnancy

Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active during pregnancy has many health benefits for mother and baby. Information on exercise in pregnancy is available via the NHS website.

South Gloucestershire’s Free Swimming in Pregnancy Scheme 

Swimming is a highly beneficial way to stay active during pregnancy and can be performed safely in all three trimesters.

Circadian Trust who operate Active Lifestyle Centres offers free swimming for pregnant women.

• To be eligible, you just need to visit your local Active Lifestyle Centre and present your Maternity Notebook, or Maternity Exemption Certificate, or Matb1, (issued by your doctor or midwife), and will also need to show proof of address before your first session.
• Eligibility for free swimming will end 3-weeks after your due date.
• Women can go for a swim during any of the public sessions.

Call Active Lifestyle Centres: 0300 333 0300

Ask your Midwife for more information.

• The NHS recommend that if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant you should not drink alcohol. This will keep any risk to your baby to a minimum.
• If you are pregnant and use illegal or street drugs, it could cause harm to your baby, the NHS recommend addressing this by accessing support from your GP, midwife or drug services.
• If you have used drugs and alcohol before finding out you were pregnant, you can access local services who can answer questions, give advice and connect you with a specialist worker if you need it at Developing Health and Independence.  They can be contacted on 01454868750.
• You can ask for an appointment with a Doctor or Nurse at your local GP practice to provide you with information and advice about drugs and alcohol and services that could help.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your baby/infant to have the best possible start in life.

The risks of smoking both during and after pregnancy are serious, from premature delivery to increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or sudden infant death and adverse health effects in children.

Quitting smoking helps your baby develop healthily during pregnancy and beyond.

No matter what stage you’re at in your pregnancy, it’s never too late to quit.

Whether you’ve just found out you are pregnant or you are nearing you due date, or you have just given birth, the sooner you quit, the better.

How can we support you? 

You don’t have to do this alone, OneYou South Gloucestershire offers free, one-to-one advice, support and encouragement to help you and your family to stop smoking.

Call 01454 865337 (Monday – Thursday: 9am-5pm, Friday: 9am-4.30pm) or ask your Midwife or Health Visitor to refer you.

Our specially trained Advisors support pregnant and postnatal women offering:

• weekly support telephone calls and text messages
• free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
• information on using e-cigarettes/vapes
• available support for your partner and family members

Second-hand (passive) smoke harms your baby 

If your partner or anyone else who lives with you smokes, their smoking can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. You may also find it more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes.

Second-hand smoke can also reduce your baby’s birth weight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as “cot death”. Babies whose parents smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during their first year.

Why is having a smokefree home important? 

Over 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and stays in the air for several hours after a cigarette has been put out. Quitting smoking completely is the best thing you can do for your baby. If you are unable to quit, smoking outside, away from the house, also decreases the risk that your baby could die suddenly or develop middle ear disease, chest infections or asthma.

Can’t I just open my window? 

No. Opening windows doesn’t protect your baby from second-hand smoke, as it’s invisible you won’t know how much smoke is still in the room. If you need to smoke, and it is safe to do so, you should take at least 7 steps outside to stop smoke drifting inside.

The smoke-free vehicles legislation 

It is illegal to smoke in vehicles with someone under the age of 18 present; the driver and any passenger over 18 smoking in a vehicle with a child present could be fined £50.

National Smokefree helpline: 0300 123 1044 (Monday – Friday: 9am-8pm, Saturday-Sunday: 11am-4pm)

It’s possible to become pregnant again very soon after the birth of a baby, even if you’re breastfeeding and even if your periods have not returned.

You usually release an egg (ovulate) about 2 weeks before your period starts, so it’s possible to get pregnant before you have a period. 

• The NHS provides helpful information on their website about contraception after having a baby.  It is important to plan contraception in advance.
• You can discuss contraception with your midwife before you go home and/or with your health visitor at your postnatal check.
• You can ask for an appointment with a Doctor or Nurse at your local GP Surgery to provide you with contraception and advice.
• Our local Unity Sexual Health service can also provide you with contraception and advice about your contraception choices. You can contact them via Telephone: 0117 342 6900