Preconception Support

Are you planning on having a baby soon?

This pre-conception campaign is to support women of childbearing age so that they can enter pregnancy as healthy as possible and hopefully go on to have babies and children that thrive and achieve.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy:

Stopping Smoking – If you smoke, it may take you longer to get pregnant than a non-smoker. Quitting smoking improves the lining of the womb and if you give up smoking now, your chances of getting pregnant faster will increase.

Even if you don’t smoke, breathing in the smoke from your partner’s cigarettes can damage your ability to get pregnant.

Smoking is the biggest cause of pregnancy problems and loss.

It increases the risk of:

• miscarriage
• premature birth (where the baby is born before they are fully formed)
• stillbirth
• sudden infant death syndrome
• ectopic pregnancy.

Every day of pregnancy that is smoke-free helps your baby’s health and development. Stopping before you get pregnant can help avoid the risk completely.

It is ideal if you & your partner can stop smoking at least four months before getting pregnant but stopping at any point really helps.  For local help in stopping smoking please contact ONE YOU, Walsall, Tel: 01922 444044 (Mon – Fri  9am – 6pm)

For more information about how smoking affects both the mother, father and baby please see: https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/blogs-and-stories/im-pregnant/pregnancy-news-and-blogs/new-planning-pregnancy-tool-launched-support-safe-and-healthy-pregnancies

Local Stop Smoking Services – https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice/local-support-services-helplines

NHS Smoke Free – http://www.nhs.uk/smokefree

How smoking affects female & Male fertility – https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/planning-a-pregnancy/are-you-ready-to-conceive/how-smoking-affects-female-and-male-fertility

Secondhand Smoke – https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/smoking-and-pregnancy/risks-secondhand-smoke

Mental Health Support – Taking care of your mental wellbeing as well as your physical health before pregnancy is important. There are some things you can do to help take care of your emotional health as you try to conceive. Pregnancy can be a time of joy and expectation can bring feelings of anxiety. You do not need to struggle alone. It is important to talk to friends, your midwife, family, the health in pregnancy team or your GP. There are also local services who can help:

a) Walsall Talking Therapy Service (NHS Talking Therapies)

NHS talking therapies can help you if you’re struggling to cope with feelings of anxiety or depression. Rest assured it’s totally confidential. You can self-refer by calling 0800 953 0995, emailing talkingtherapies.walsall@nhs.net, or complete a form online at https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/walsall-talking-therapies

Find out more: www.nhs.uk/talk

b) Walsall Pregnancy Help (WPH)

WPH offer a specialist service relative to pregnancy (Walsall Pregnancy Help) and a general counselling service and educational service (WPH Counselling and Education Services). Their services are totally unbiased and are there to meet the needs of all, Appointments can be arranged either through direct referral from statutory organisations or by telephone contact or email. Telephone: 01922 649000 Email: wphcounselling@btconnect.com

Find out more: http://www.wphcounselling.org/

For further information about supporting your mental health before, during and after pregnancy, see https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/mental-wellbeing/mental-health-during-and-after-pregnancy

Healthy Weight – Nutrition is about eating food that gives your body what it needs to stay healthy and work properly. The main nutrients your body needs are proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

The best advice is to:

• choose wholegrain high fibre foods (such as bread, with seeds, brown rice and pasta)  instead of white processed foods (white bread, rice and pasta
• eat more fruit and vegetables, including lentils and beans
• avoid saturated ‘bad’ fats, such as fried foods, pastry, biscuits, pies and cakes.
• eat more unsaturated ‘good’ fats, such as avocados, nuts, oily fish and seeds
• avoid sugary food and drink, such as sweets, biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks.

Reaching the ideal BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 and staying active  also helps with fertility.

Exercise/physical activity and fertility – Exercise/being active can boost your fertility (the ability to get pregnant). Women who do regular, moderate exercise get pregnant quicker than women who don’t exercise regularly.

It doesn’t have to be an exercise class in the gym, it means any activity that will

• raise your heart rate
• make you breathe faster
• make you feel warmer.

You should still be able to talk without pausing for breath. Walking briskly, for example, counts as moderate activity.

For support with losing weight please contact ONE YOU, Walsall, Tel: 01922 444044 (Mon – Fri  9am – 6pm) http://www.mytimeactive.co.uk/one-you-walsall https://www.oneyouwalsall.com/

One You Walsall is a free healthy lifestyle service dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of all residents across Walsall. Our services are here to help you make great choices in your lifestyle including physical activity; healthy eating; weight loss; emotional wellbeing; welfare; alcohol reduction; quitting smoking; NHS Health Checks. The team can support everyone – adults, families and workplaces – and are also here to help you to find the right support.

Online resources https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller.html or https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/hydration.html

Healthy Start Vitamins & Food Vouchers (for eligible families)  –

If you’re pregnant or have children under the age of 4 you can get free vouchers or payments every 4 weeks to spend on:

· cow’s milk

· fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables

· infant formula milk

· fresh, dried, and tinned pulses · Get help to buy food and milk

You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.

Healthy Start Vitamins and Vitamin Supplementation Eating a healthy, varied diet in pregnancy will help you get most of the vitamins and minerals you need. But when you’re pregnant, or there’s a chance you might get pregnant, it’s important to also take a folic acid supplement. It’s recommended that you take:

· 400 micrograms of folic acid every day – from before you’re pregnant until you’re 12 weeks pregnant

This is to reduce the risk of problems in the baby’s development in the early weeks of pregnancy. It is also recommended that you take a daily vitamin D supplement. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/vitamins-supplements-and-nutrition/

Healthy Start vitamins contain both folic acid and Vit D. It is possible to buy these even if you are not eligible to the free vitamins

Your midwife can direct you to the national site to claim your vitamins. Your local pharmacist will be able to provide and advice on vitamins required when planning a pregnancy

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT ON PRECONCEPTION PLEASE VISIT:  https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/planning-a-pregnancy/are-you-ready-conceive