{"id":141018,"date":"2018-06-14T08:55:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T08:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/women-spend-more-time-planning-holiday-than-pregnancy\/"},"modified":"2018-06-14T08:55:56","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T08:55:56","slug":"women-spend-more-time-planning-holiday-than-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/women-spend-more-time-planning-holiday-than-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Women spend more time planning holiday than pregnancy’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"WomanImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption Ideally, women should plan a pregnancy months in advance, experts say <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some women spend more time planning their summer holiday than they do a pregnancy, a survey by baby charity Tommy's suggests.<\/p>\n

Only one in five started taking folic acid before stopping contraception, while one in six didn't take it at all.<\/p>\n

A daily folic acid tablet while trying to conceive reduces the risk of your baby having brain or spine defects.<\/p>\n

Medical experts said nutrition and lifestyle before conception were also crucial to a good pregnancy and birth.<\/p>\n

There are lots of ways that both parents can improve their chances of a healthy pregnancy, if it is planned weeks or months in advance.<\/p>\n

These include stopping smoking and drinking alcohol, eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting to a healthy weight.<\/p>\n

But in a survey of 750 pregnant women, Tommy's found that fewer than half changed their diet during pregnancy and 17% did not take any folic acid at all.<\/p>\n

In contrast, two-thirds spent three months or longer planning a holiday.<\/p>\n

'Not on my radar'<\/h2>\n

Rebecca Ross, from Surrey, became pregnant with her first daughter very quickly and folic acid "was never on my radar", she says.<\/p>\n

She was eight weeks pregnant before she started taking the supplements, following an appointment with a midwife.<\/p>\n

When number two came along, it was a similar picture.<\/p>\n

"I don't think I'd seen or read that it was a good idea to take them pre-conception," Rebecca says.<\/p>\n

However, she continued to keep active, playing hockey and snowboarding until she was six months pregnant. <\/p>\n

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Folic acid tablets contain vitamin B which helps to protect the baby during early pregnancy <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tommy's has launched a campaign to help women plan for a healthy pregnancy using an online tool. It provides tailored advice for women who answer an online questionnaire about their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

How to plan for pregnancy<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • take 400mcg of folic acid daily before stopping contraception<\/li>\n
  • quit smoking - it can damage your baby's DNA and affect fertility<\/li>\n
  • stop drinking alcohol - it increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight<\/li>\n
  • eat plenty of wholegrain, unsaturated fats, lentils and beans<\/li>\n
  • get to a healthy weight (BMI) - ideally between 18.5 and 24.9<\/li>\n
  • limit your caffeine intake to 200mg a day (two mugs of instant coffee)<\/li>\n
  • do regular, moderate exercise before and after you conceive<\/li>\n
  • speak to a GP if taking medication for a mental or physical condition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What is folic acid for?<\/h2>\n

    Folic acid is very important during pregnancy and needs time to build up in the body. <\/p>\n

    In the early weeks of pregnancy when the neural tube is developing - the structure that develops into the baby's brain and spine - defects can occur.<\/p>\n

    Taking folic acid tablets for the months before conception reduces the risk of this happening.<\/p>\n

    Even though folic acid (vitamin B9) or folate can be found in broccoli, spinach and chickpeas, a healthy diet is not enough on its own to protect against conditions like spina bifida, which occurs when a baby's spine does not develop properly.<\/p>\n

    Most women are advised to take a 400 microgram supplement every day. Tablets can be bought in pharmacies, supermarkets and via your GP.<\/p>\n

    You can stop taking it after week 12 of pregnancy.<\/p>\n

    If you did not take folic acid before you became pregnant, you should still start taking it as soon as you realise you are expecting a baby.<\/p>\n

    What do experts say?<\/h2>\n

    Jane Brewin, chief executive of Tommy's, said the charity's goal was to improve the safety of the mother and baby during pregnancy. <\/p>\n

    "We know that lack of folic acid, smoking, inadequate nutrition, lack of physical activity and having a high BMI are all things that contribute to negative pregnancy outcomes, and it's almost too late to tackle these after conception." <\/p>\n

    Prof Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said one in four pregnant women in the UK is overweight or obese.<\/p>\n

    "Focusing on the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and weight prior to conception will not only improve the health of individuals, but also the health and quality of life of future generations," she said.<\/p>\n

    Prof Viv Bennett, chief nurse and director of maternity and early years at Public Health England, said it was about giving every child the best start in life.<\/p>\n

    "Good preconception health - how women are in the weeks, months and years leading up to pregnancy - plays a crucial role in the health of women and their babies and on into childhood." <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Ideally, women should plan a pregnancy months in advance, experts say Some women spend more time planning their summer holiday than they do a pregnancy,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}