Planning your Pregnancy

1. Stop Smoking

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

premature birth
low birth weight
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death
miscarriage
breathing problems or wheezing in the first 6 months of life

You can find useful information on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy and advice on how to stop on the Smokefree website.

Quitting can be hard, no matter how much you want to, but support is available.

The NHS Smokefree helpline (0300 123 1044) is open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm at weekends.

It offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking, including when you're pregnant, and can give you details of local support services.

Smoke from other people's cigarettes can damage your baby, so ask your partner, friends and family not to smoke near you.

Find out more about smoking and pregnancy

2. Take a folic acid supplement

It's recommended that all women who could get pregnant should take a daily supplement of folic acid.

You should take a 400 microgram supplement of folic acid every day before you get pregnant, and every day afterwards, up until you're 12 weeks pregnant.

Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. A neural tube defect is when the foetus's spinal cord (part of the body's nervous system) does not form normally. Some women are advised to take a higher dose supplement of 5 milligram (5mg) every day.

You may need to take a 5mg supplement of folic acid if:

you or the baby's biological father have a neural tube defect
you previously had a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect
you or the baby's biological father have a family history of neural tube defects
you have diabetes
you take anti-epilepsy medicine

Talk to a GP if you think you need a 5mg dose of folic acid, as they can prescribe a higher dose.

You can get folic acid tablets at pharmacies, or talk to a GP about getting a prescription.

Do not worry if you get pregnant unexpectedly and were not taking a folic acid supplement at the time. Start taking them as soon as you find out, until you're past the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

3. Cut out alcohol

4. Keep to a healthy weight

If you're overweight, you may have problems getting pregnant and fertility treatment is less likely to work.

Being overweight (having a BMI over 25) or obese (having a BMI over 30) also raises the risk of some pregnancy problems, such as high blood pressure, blood clots, miscarriage and gestational diabetes.

Before you get pregnant you can use the BMI healthy weight calculator to find out your BMI. But this may not be accurate once you're pregnant, so consult your midwife or doctor.

Having a healthy diet and doing moderate exercise are advised in pregnancy, and it's important not to gain too much weight.

You can keep to a healthy weight by having a balanced diet and doing regular exercise.

Find out about foods to avoid when you're pregnant.

5. Know which medicines you can take

6. Get flu and whooping cough vaccinations

Some infections, such as rubella (German measles), can harm your baby if you catch them during pregnancy.

Most people in the UK are immune to rubella, thanks to the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

If you have not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, or you're not sure if you have, ask your GP surgery to check your vaccination history.

If you have not had both doses or there's no record available, you can have the vaccinations at your GP surgery.

You should avoid getting pregnant for 1 month after having the MMR vaccination, which means you'll need a reliable method of contraception.

Find out about other infections during pregnancy that can harm your baby and what you can do to reduce your risk of getting them, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), parvovirus (slapped cheek syndrome) and toxoplasmosis.