Description

In this video, Midwife Denise Linlay comes into the Baby Channel Studio to answer questions from viewers.

Transcript

Wendy Turner-Webster: Although most women who are expecting a child read pregnancy text avidly, there are still all sorts of question and anxieties they have about what they should and shouldn't do when pregnant. With me in the studio from the Royal College of Midwives is Denise Linay to answer questions on some of the Do's and Don'ts. Welcome Denise. Denise Linay: Hello. Wendy Turner-Webster: Now I've got a whole list of questions here for you, which I'm sure, you're extremely familiar with, but if I can, I'm going to start with one of the major topics which is diet and food. What should and shouldn't we eat whilst pregnant? Denise Linay: Well, what should eat while pregnant is a, a well-balanced diet, and most concerned to women is what we shouldn't eat when pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: So, what are some of the real no, nos. Denise Linay: The things like soft cheeses, Brie and Camembert, things like Stilton where listeria could be a problem. boiled eggs, where salmonella could be an issue. So things like mayonnaise made raw eggs, custard that's been made from raw eggs, that type of thing. Wendy Turner-Webster: Exactly what harm will that do? How harmful would that be? Denise Linay: Well certain things like listeria can cause abortion, so it could be the catastrophe. So those are things that should be avoided. Wendy Turner-Webster: That really is, purely for medical reasons, isn't it? What about things like, I don't know spicy food and you know anything like that? Denise Linay: I think when you're pregnant, you're more likely to have heart burn and spicy food could bring on that heart burn, but it's no danger, it's just uncomfortable and if you're prepared to stay up most of nights, waiting for your heart burn to subside and that's up to you, but it won't be of any danger. Wendy Turner-Webster: I think certainly when you're pregnant, you know what you do and don't want, don't you more specifically? Denise Linay: Yes. Wendy Turner-Webster: You want ice-cream and peanut butter and so have it. Denise Linay: So have it and certainly some peanuts. When I was pregnant I just wanted salty food at the beginning of pregnancy, things like chips and sausage rolls, that type of thing. I think you should go before you're body is telling you to do. Wendy Turner-Webster: Having said that, I do remember my doctor saying to me, when I first went in and I was pregnant and he said a piece of advice, don't pig-out because you feel you can when you're pregnant because it will be difficult to loose the weight afterwards and I think we all guilty, aren't we? Wow! this is a good excuse to eat. Denise Linay: Yes, it is difficult, it can be difficult to loose it afterwards. I mean there's the view that they can breast feeding, it will just fall off of you. Wendy Turner-Webster: Full of me. Denise Linay: Right, full of me, but when you're breastfeeding, you need more calories. So I think you know, you could be breastfeeding and you are ravenous the whole time, because you are using out so many calories, so it doesn't necessarily fall off of your breastfeeding. Wendy Turner-Webster: Okay, well what about drink? Before we go into alcohol, are there any soft drinks that should really be avoided while you're pregnant or not. Denise Linay: I don't think so. Wendy Turner-Webster: No, you can go with any of those, there's no problem with those. Alcohol, what about that? Denise Linay: Well, alcohol is a bit different and certainly midwives have for number of years been in a situation where we never sure what to advice woman. Certainly, now the advice coming from NICE is that we shouldn't be drinking or women should be drinking more than one to two units per week. Wendy Turner-Webster: Sorry what's NICE. Denise Linay: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Wendy Turner-Webster: Right, okay. And sorry they are saying what? Denise Linay: 1 to 2 units per week. Wendy Turner-Webster: Right, per week, not a day, which might be. Denise Linay: Unfortunately. Wendy Turner-Webster: And does it matter, what those units are? Should it be a red wine or stout or something. Denise Linay: No. Wendy Turner-Webster: No. Denise Linay: If you can only have 1 or 2 units, most drinks something that you really fancy. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely yes, but I'm sure I was told to avoid spirits. Yes I was specifically told, who would have told me that -- Denise Linay: I don't know. Wendy Turner-Webster: -- not to have gin and tonic. I missed out, you say, I could have had my gin and tonic? Denise Linay: You could have 1 or 2 units of gin and tonic a week. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely, well that's something you live and learn. Okay what about exercise. I mean it's a marvelous excuse not to exercise being pregnant, isn't it? Someone lazy like myself, it was fantastic. Denise Linay: But then you even have the same problem about putting on the extra weight. Well if it is something that exercise is 3 to 4 times a week, then you shouldn't give that up just because you're pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: But I'm assuming, you can't really go down to the gym and get on a treadmill -- Denise Linay: yes, you can. Wendy Turner-Webster: -- can you? A machine, really. Denise Linay: As far it's comfortable for you and if you're used to that level of exercise then there's no reason why you can't carry on until you start feeling uncomfortable in doing that. What you shouldn't be doing is embarking on new regime of exercise. Wendy Turner-Webster: You suddenly start Aerobic classes, isn't good idea. Denise Linay: Yes, just because you're pregnant and you know, and you want to keep your weight down, that won't be a good idea and certainly the no weight bearing exercise would be preferable, things like swimming, things like running a marathon because you know there's the pressure on the joints which can be disadvantages when you're pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: If you're going to a recommend an ideal exercise, would it be swimming? Denise Linay: I should, I think so, swimming will be an ideal exercise. Wendy Turner-Webster: And what about something like Yoga, aren't they sort of very health oriental. Denise Linay: Well again, if you're used to. Yoga, I have done Yoga it can be quite strenuous and if you're used to it, then yes, but not if you don't, if you don't start on something like that, just because you're pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: Okay. Denise Linay: Something that you're use to. Wendy Turner-Webster: Yes, and does the advice change throughout the pregnancy, the first month to the ninth? Denise Linay: No, no. It's really what your body is comfortable with because you do see women down the gym are happily pregnant and they are fine. Wendy Turner-Webster: So, it's really go with your own body, isn't it? Denise Linay: Most definitely. Of course, if the pregnancy becomes complicated in some way and your doctor or midwife is advocating that you rest, then you shouldn't be going down the gym and exercising for that time. Wendy Turner-Webster: So another lifestyle question, what about smoking? I think I know the answer because that's total no, surely. Denise Linay: Yes. Smoking is associated with so many complications of pregnancy and also illness and even death in the new born that we would advocate that mothers, women that are pregnant try to give up smoking, if they are smokers, to stop it. Wendy Turner-Webster: And what if someone said to you, well you know just one every other just keeps me less stressed or something. Denise Linay: If you only smoking one every other day, you want to give up totally. Wendy Turner-Webster: Does it surprise you, if you see an obviously pregnant women smoking? I know if I would see it, I would find it very shocking. Denise Linay: Well it's an addiction, isn't it? It can be very difficult to give up smoking for some people and the stresses of being pregnant often mean it's now a good time to give up. Wendy Turner-Webster: Of course, yes. I have got a friend who, remembers, she is a bit older than me and she remembers having a baby and this was, well you know in the 60s, breastfeeding the baby and holding it in one hand and having a cigarette in the other and really you know it was at a time, when it wasn't shocking then to do that and of course often times change. Denise Linay: No, certainly. Even if you were a smoker you would always, women would tend to go out of room, to have their cigarettes, certainly not be smoking while they are breastfeeding. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely, yes slap their on the hand. An obvious last one is drugs, but again that would be an addiction? Denise Linay: Yes and the only drugs that you should be taking throughout your pregnancy are ones that are prescribed by your doctor. Wendy Turner-Webster: And really I suppose if somebody is truly worried about either drugs or drink or smoking they should really go and see their doctor and get some proper advice and help? Denise Linay: Or speak to their midwife, who can refer them to other agencies. Wendy Turner-Webster: What is morning sickness and why do some people get it so badly and others just sail through their pregnancy, you know relatively morning sickness free? Denise Linay: Well up to 80% of women do suffer from some sort of morning sickness or nausea and we're not really sure, what causes it, but it's believed to be as a consequence of the hormones in early pregnancy, particularly a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin which is important for the placenta to embed into uterus. Wendy Turner-Webster: Is it usually in the very first stages of pregnancy, or can you get it throughout? Denise Linay: You can get it throughout. Wendy Turner-Webster: But it's more common initially, isn't it? Denise Linay: Yes because of that Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin, that your hormones tends to diminish after about the 14th week, so the morning sickness tends to go away that stage. Wendy Turner-Webster: It can be very debilitating, can't it for some people, specially if you're trying to work. Denise Linay: Of course certain types of that sickness can be life threatening, if -- Wendy Turner-Webster: Really? Denise Linay: -- not treated, yes. But for the majority of women, it tends to be just a nausea and may be sickness in the morning, but for some women it can be quite comforting because if you call that feeling of nausea when there's other obvious signs that you're pregnant, it's a continuous reminder that you're pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: Oh! Really, is it? I haven't thought of it like that. Is there thing that you would recommend to counteract it, to make you feel better basically and what kind of things could you take? Denise Linay: Well, the usual remedy for morning sickness is the dry biscuit on waking. Things like ginger ale are often recommended that type of thing. Certainly if it's more sever than that you need to be speaking to your midwife or your doctor about taking some sort of drug that would stop the -- Wendy Turner-Webster: So it's like a stomach secular type thing. Denise Linay: Yes. Wendy Turner-Webster: I was lucky actually. I didn't really suffer from morning sickness too badly. So I was very thankful for that. What if you have had an abortion before or even multiple abortions, how will that affect a pregnancy? Denise Linay: Well, may be one or two abortions shouldn't affect pregnancy. If you get into the stage of multiple abortions that could have a detrimental affect on the cervix because it could cause damage to the cervix. In situations like that the cervix can become incompetent, which is the term that's used. So it won't be tying the pregnancy. Wendy Turner-Webster: So you'll miscarry? Denise Linay: You'll miscarry or you're go into per-term labor, but it can be remedied. If you get to 14 weeks, by having a suture put there on the cervix to keep the cervix closed. Wendy Turner-Webster: What that's exactly, just a -- Denise Linay: A suture, like a purse string. Wendy Turner-Webster: Oh! I see. Denise Linay: So just tied around the cervix and keeps it together and then as you approach term, It will be removed and so the cervix can open naturally. Wendy Turner-Webster: And you mentioned something called pre-term Labor, just explain that to me? Denise Linay: Oh! When you go into labor before a term basically. Wendy Turner-Webster: I see, right. Denise Linay: However, we classify term as being anywhere between 37 or 42 weeks of pregnancy. So anything before 37 weeks crosses pre-term Labor. Wendy Turner-Webster: And of course one of the major worries that a pregnant woman has the fear of miscarriage. In those initial first weeks or first month, if you bleed, does that necessarily mean there is going to be trouble? Denise Linay: No. Wendy Turner-Webster: Just explain that to me because I know some people do bleed and perhaps even don't think that they are pregnant at first? Denise Linay: Well certainly, we have women that go through the whole pregnancy having small breakthrough bleed when their period would have been due. I think more importantly is women have bleeding at the first few weeks and that might be as a consequence of threatened abortion, threatened miscarriage, abortion is the medical term. And women may feel that because that they have had threatened miscarriage in the early weeks, that they are at some risk in the later part of pregnancy, but that isn't necessarily, so and chances are if you had a threatened miscarriage, you go on and have a normal healthy baby. Wendy Turner-Webster: What are your general sort of tips for people who you know are getting stressed by the fact that they are pregnant. Do you come into contact with people who is absolutely sort of, you know specially if you say first child, you can read all the text books in the world, can't you? Denise Linay: Well, may be that's the problem, they are may be reading too many text books. Wendy Turner-Webster: Yes, I mean what would say. Sometimes you know too much, don't you? Denise Linay: I mean I think women need to enjoy their pregnancy and reading too much and all the things that could go. The majority of women have a normal, healthy pregnancy and a normal healthy baby at the end of it and it last too short to something to worry about everything that could wrong. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely, and I remember my obstetrician saying to me now you mustn't forget this is a pregnancy not an illness, Of course, it's one thing that my husband kept reminding me off throughout. Denise Linay: Yes, we do want it to be treated in a special way, don't we, when we're pregnant. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely. Denise Linay: Certainly as soon as the baby comes along, you know you come second. Wendy Turner-Webster: Well the focus does indeed shift from you to baby. Denise Linay: Yes, make most of those precious 9 months. Wendy Turner-Webster: Absolutely yes. Well, you've given us a very-very good answers to our list of question, Denise, thank you very much. Denise Linay: Thank you.