Make sure that your baby has the best start to life
A new campaign has been launched by Start4Life to encourage healthier pregnancies by supporting mums-tobe and new parents with information, advice and tools for the best start to a health and happy future for their baby.
The campaign has partnered with the film What to Expect When you are Expecting staring Cameron Diaz which is in cinemas now and features the Start4Life advert. Which you can watch below.
With so much information and advice around, it can be difficult for parents-to-be to know what to do for the best, so a Start4Life team of medical experts, midwives and health visitors has pulled together the essential information, to help new parents focus on the most important things they can do to improve their health and that of their baby.
Dads play a vital role in supporting mums-to-be so that’s why there is a specific section for Dads on the new website http://www.nhs.uk/start4life/Pages/health-advice-dads.aspx which gives advice for supporting partners, and top tips for activities you can do together to ensure a healthier and happier pregnancy.
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PREGNANCY MYTHS…
1/ I must eat for two!
This is often quoted by pregnant mums and their support system. But over the years with new research, it’s been proven that this is not the case and it is only in the final three months of pregnancy that mums-to-be may need an extra 200 calories a day.
Eating healthily during pregnancy can also help the baby after it’s born, reducing their risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
2/ Exercise is bad for my baby
Research proves that being active when pregnant is important and not being active can in fact be harmful for both the mum and the baby. Being active doesn’t mean digging out the jogger bottoms – it just means getting 30 minutes of walking in each day – it doesn’t even need to be in one go!
3/ A glass or two of wine won’t hurt, I need to relax!
Every day the baby’s vital organs and brain are forming, even a little bit of alcohol can hurt the baby’s ability to do this properly. It increases the risk of having a miscarriage or a stillborn baby, and can cause birth defects like facial deformities. It can also cause difficulties with learning and emotional development, and stunts the baby’s ability to grow, even after it is born.
4/ If I carry on smoking I will have a smaller baby and an easier birth
Whilst it is true the baby will be smaller because it has been starved of oxygen and hasn’t grown and developed as much as it should, the birth will not be any easier. Not to mention the other risks such as increased likelihood stillbirth, cot death and lung problems.
5/ Quitting smoking will make me stressed which is bad for the baby
Research shows that this is unlikely and that the impact of carrying on smoking is much worse
The campaign follows latest statistics show that:
:- one in 10 continue smoking throughout pregnancy – though it significantly increases the risk of stillbirth, cot death or lung problems;
:- almost one in 10 drink more than the recommended lower-risk pregnancy guidelines - increasing the risk of miscarriage or still birth and stunting growth; and
:- one in six are obese – despite potential for a more difficult pregnancy, riskier birth and a less healthy baby.
Tagged in Cameron Diaz Parenting Pregnancy Parenting Advice