Maternity Health

🔍 About Morning Sickness

Nausea and vomiting affect up to 80% of pregnant women, usually starting around 6 weeks and improving by 12–16 weeks. Despite the name, it can happen at any time of day.

🏠 Self-Help Tips

• Eat small, frequent meals — avoid an empty stomach
• Plain foods: crackers, toast, rice, ginger biscuits
• Cold foods often more tolerable than hot
• Stay hydrated — small sips frequently
• Ginger (tea, tablets, biscuits) has evidence for mild nausea
• Sea-Bands (acupressure wristbands) available from our pharmacy

🚨 Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG)

A severe form affecting around 1–3% of pregnancies, causing persistent vomiting, dehydration, and significant weight loss. HG requires medical treatment — it is not just "bad morning sickness".

• Unable to keep any food or fluid down for 24+ hours
• Losing weight or showing signs of dehydration (dark urine, dizziness)
• Feeling faint or very weak
• Anti-sickness medication is safe and available from your GP

🔍 What Is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes (GD) develops during pregnancy when the body cannot produce enough insulin to meet the increased demand. It usually resolves after birth but requires careful management.

🔍 Risk Factors

• BMI above 30
• Previous gestational diabetes
• Family history of type 2 diabetes
• Baby was large (over 4.5kg) in a previous pregnancy
• South Asian, Black, African-Caribbean, or Middle Eastern heritage
• Age over 35

💊 Management

• Glucose tolerance test (GTT) offered at 24–28 weeks if at risk
• Blood glucose monitoring at home (monitor available from pharmacy)
• Dietary changes: reduce refined carbohydrates, increase fibre
• Regular physical activity (walking, swimming)
• Metformin or insulin if dietary changes are insufficient
• More frequent monitoring scans of baby's growth

⚠️ After Pregnancy

• Blood sugar check at your 6-week postnatal check
• Annual HbA1c check — 50% develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years

🔍 What Is Pre-eclampsia?

Pre-eclampsia is a condition in pregnancy characterised by high blood pressure and protein in the urine (proteinuria). It affects around 6% of pregnancies and usually develops after 20 weeks. It can be dangerous if untreated.

🔍 Warning Signs

• Severe headache that won't go away with paracetamol
• Vision problems: blurring, flashing lights
• Severe swelling of face, hands, or feet
• Pain just below the ribs
• Nausea or vomiting (after the first trimester)
• Feeling generally very unwell

🚨 Act Immediately If

• You experience any of the warning signs above — contact your midwife, GP, or maternity unit immediately
• Do not wait to see if symptoms pass — pre-eclampsia can develop into eclampsia (seizures) quickly

💊 Prevention

• Aspirin 75–150mg daily from 12 weeks is recommended for women at high risk (prescribed by GP)
• Regular blood pressure monitoring at antenatal appointments
• Home blood pressure monitors available from our pharmacy

🔍 Why Anaemia Is Common in Pregnancy

Blood volume increases by up to 50% during pregnancy, which can dilute red blood cells. Iron-deficiency anaemia affects around 25% of pregnant women in the UK and is the most common nutritional deficiency in pregnancy.

🔍 Symptoms

• Extreme tiredness and fatigue
• Shortness of breath on mild exertion
• Heart palpitations
• Pale skin, inside eyelids, or gums
• Dizziness or feeling faint

💊 Treatment & Prevention

• Iron-rich foods: red meat, spinach, lentils, fortified cereals
• Vitamin C alongside iron-rich foods improves absorption
• Avoid tea/coffee with meals — they reduce iron absorption
• Ferrous sulfate tablets usually prescribed if blood tests confirm anaemia
• Take iron on an empty stomach or with water/orange juice if possible

⚠️ See Your Midwife / GP If

• Feeling very breathless or faint
• You have symptoms of anaemia — a simple blood test confirms it

🔍 Perinatal Mental Health

Mental health problems affect 1 in 5 women during pregnancy or in the first year after birth. They are the leading cause of maternal deaths in the UK. These conditions are treatable — please seek help.

🤖 Common Conditions

• Antenatal depression/anxiety: affects 1 in 10 pregnant women. Not just "hormones" — requires proper support
• Baby blues: days 3–5 after birth, tearfulness and emotional. Usually passes naturally
• Postnatal depression (PND): affects 1 in 10 women after birth. Persistent low mood, inability to cope, difficulty bonding with baby
• Postpartum psychosis: rare but serious (1–2 per 1,000 births) — requires urgent medical attention

🚨 Seek Help Urgently If

• Feeling unable to cope or look after yourself/baby
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
• Confusion, hearing voices, or severe behavioural changes (postpartum psychosis) — call 999

💊 Support Available

• Speak to your midwife, health visitor, or GP — they will not judge you
• PANDAS Foundation helpline: 0808 1961 776
• Samaritans: call 116 123 (free, 24/7)
• Talking therapies (CBT) and medication are both safe and effective in pregnancy

🎯 Birth Plan

A birth plan lets you tell your midwife and team your preferences for labour and birth. While birth can be unpredictable, having your wishes documented helps the team support you.

• Where you'd like to give birth: hospital, birth centre, or home
• Pain relief preferences: gas and air, epidural, water birth, TENS machine
• Who you'd like with you (birth partners)
• Preferences for cord cutting, skin-to-skin contact, vitamin K for baby
• Feeding preferences: breastfeeding or formula

🚨 Signs of Labour

• Regular contractions becoming longer, stronger, and closer together
• Waters breaking — call your maternity unit even if contractions haven't started
• Show (mucus plug coming away) — labour may start within hours or days

⚠️ Call 999 / Maternity Unit Immediately If

• Heavy bleeding
• Baby has stopped or significantly reduced movements
• Severe continuous abdominal pain
• Your waters break before 37 weeks