Pregnancy Facts Every Woman Should Know

Pregnancy facts that all women should know:

I've had three children and a couple of miscarriages too. So I'm reasonably well equipped to advise on pregnancy.

The key for all pregnant women to remember is that every pregnancy is different. What happens in your first pregnancy may be very different from your second and subsequent pregnancies. Your births can be very different too. You need to arm yourself with as much information as you can - so that you can be aware what is normal or not during your pregnancy. Here's a few things that I think every women should know:

INITIAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY. Sometimes you can be completely unaware that you're pregnant, other times it is very obvious indeed. For me the main indicator of all my pregnancies have been swollen and painful breasts, and feeling very tired all the time. But the clincher has always been a very heightened sense of smell.

FOOD: The most critical period of foetal development is right at the start of your pregnancy. So good nutrition is vital. By 3 months gestation your baby will have multiplied in size 2,600,000 times. Any nutritional imbalances during this stage will affect the developing foetus.

CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS . Don't. The cells of the developing foetus multiply rapidly. Any toxins can have detrimental effects on the foetus, causing anything from miscarriage to birth defects. And tea and coffee are not a good idea either as they are stimulants and large amount have been linked to birth defects.

HERBAL MEDICINES: Again proceed with caution as some will cause miscarriages and birth defects. Seek expert advice. Also bear in mind that a mixture of seemingly harmless herbs can, when combined, have completely different and possibly toxic effects on a developing foetus.