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Tips pregnancy

Tips Pregnancy

Important to know
Well-meant advice
When you’re pregnant (and also when your baby is born) you will get well-meant advice from all sides. “Your belly is so big, are you sure you’re not having twins?” “If you carry so low the baby is likely to come early!”. People also enjoy telling delivery-stories, preferable the ones when things went wrong. Try to close yourself off from this kind of advice. If you have questions, ask us and follow your own intuition
Sports
As long as you feel well, you are allowed to do sports. Stomach exercises are inadvisable when your stomach starts to grow. At those times the stomach muscles are pushed aside and you can’t use them that well anymore. At a certain moment you will notice that it is not comfortable anymore to do sports and that you develop a hard stomach. Then it’s time to quit.
Sauna/Tanning booth
If we’re warm we can lose that warmth by sweating. A child in the stomach can’t do this. When you go to the sauna it’s advisable not to spend too much time there and afterwards find something to cool you off. It’s possible that you will feel sick or dizzy in the sauna. Your blood pressure is lower due to the pregnancy and the warmth can decrease it even further. The same counts for the tanning booth. In addition, under the influence of pregnancy hormones the pigment of the skin can react stronger. As a result, you might get spots on your face (a pregnancy-mask).
Vacation
In case there is no medical reason for you to stay at home, you are welcome to go on vacation. However, make sure you think about the choice of your vacation destination. Is medical care at the same level as in the Netherlands? Airlines have a maximum pregnancy-duration that pertains to if they will let you fly. Make sure you ask about this. Pay attention to what you eat on vacation and hygiene.
Work

In general, your working-life will continue during pregnancy and this is no problem.

There are a few working conditions that require extra attention:

    •    You come into contact with poisonous materials
    •    You work somewhere where you might contract an infection
    •    You work irregular hours (such as nightshift)
    •    Your work is physically tasking
    •    You have unhealthy stress (when you can’t recover from work pressure)
    •    You work in an environment with radiation, noise, increased barometric pressure, body trembling, extreme heat or cold

If you doubt whether or not your work place is safe for your pregnancy and the health of your child, ask us or your company doctor for advice. Together with you we can decide if you need extra protection. For more informatie you can download the Werk & Zwangerschap app from the FNV.

Also think about what would be a good time for you to go on maternity leave. You have to stop working 4 weeks before your due date, but for a lot  of pregnant women it is better to already stop at 6 weeks before their due date.

Sexuality
Sex during pregnancy is not dangerous. The baby is well-protected by the uterus. Sometimes a little blood loss can occur after making love. This, due to the fact that blood flow through your genital organs is increased during pregnancy. It is nothing to be worried about. During pregnancy your body goes through a lot of changes. Emotionally, you and your partner often aren’t the same as you were before your pregnancy. Keep in mind that this might affect your desire to have sex.
Mothers for Mothers

These days one out of every six couples is confronted with reduced fertility. Artificial insemination can increase their chance of becoming pregnant. During those procedures doctors use, among others, medicines that contain hCG. This hormone can be distracted from the urine of pregnant women. Mothers for mothers collects this urine.
For more information you can visit www.moedersvoormoeders.nl. (Dutch)

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