women are often not well prepared
Most pregnant women will know that smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs during pregnancy is not allowed. But in the run-up to pregnancy and the first weeks after conception, future mothers don’t take it very seriously, according to research by Erasmus MC.
40 percent drink alcohol
What seems? Too few women take folic acid beforehand, 40 percent say they drink alcohol during the first three months of pregnancy and 7 percent smoke during the same period. Veronique Maas of Erasmus MC conducted this PhD research among 3700 women. “They only stop with a positive test, but then they are already a few weeks pregnant. And the crucial phase is just the beginning,” Maas tells RTL Nieuws.
Read also: Children of smoking pregnant women have smaller brains at the age of 10
Fathers-to-be
Women should start living healthier if they want to become pregnant and increase their chances of having a healthy baby, says Maas. “You have a lot of influence on this. There are many things you can do before the start of pregnancy,” she says. But it’s not just the women who can pay attention. Even the fathers-to-be can do a lot prior to a pregnancy. Obstetrician Suze Klapper says: “Alcohol, drugs, smoking and medication all influence the quality of the sperm. For example, we see problems in children of men who use cocaine. This can lead to placental detachment, skeletal abnormalities and spina bifida.”
Taboo for pregnancy
Maas doesn’t think it’s surprising that it’s all not taken so strictly: “Where do you get this information? It is too early at school and the doctor often does not mention it either. You just have to hear it from friends or relatives.” For example, 40 percent of pregnant women only start taking folic acid after a positive test, while it is important to do this four weeks before pregnancy. It is a vitamin that reduces the risk of spina bifida and cleft lip in the baby. Many parents are not aware of this and do not take it up until they are pregnant.
Obstetrician Klapper is shocked by the percentage. “That is worrying. Every woman should do this before getting pregnant.” She recommends that you visit the midwife before you want to become pregnant. “Get good advice about what you can and can’t use. Prevention really is better than cure here. And remove the taboo. It would be good if you could just say: I’m not drinking wine tonight because we want to have a baby. But yes, then a lot is asked about it and people find that uncomfortable.”
Source: RTL News.
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