here - Health Promotion Agency
here - Health Promotion Agency
here - Health Promotion Agency
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Thinking about the next baby?<br />
contain this important vitamin, such<br />
as green, leafy vegetables and<br />
breakfast cereals and breads with<br />
added folic acid. (See symbol on<br />
this page.) To make sure you get<br />
enough, you should also take a 400<br />
microgram (0.4 milligram) tablet<br />
every day. You can get these tablets<br />
from a supermarket or pharmacist.<br />
If you already have a baby with spina<br />
bifida, if you have coeliac disease or<br />
take anti-epileptic drugs, ask your GP<br />
for more advice, since you will need<br />
to take a bigger dose of folic acid.<br />
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT<br />
Here are some things that are worth<br />
doing before having your next baby.<br />
Rubella (German measles)<br />
Rubella can badly damage a baby<br />
during pregnancy. If you were<br />
not already immune, you should<br />
have been offered immunisation<br />
immediately after your baby was<br />
born. Before trying for another baby,<br />
think about having a blood test to<br />
check that you are immune to<br />
rubella. The blood test will measure<br />
if you have enough protection<br />
(antibodies) against rubella. Women<br />
with low or uncertain levels of<br />
antibodies can be immunised again.<br />
Long-term medication<br />
If either of you has a chronic illness<br />
or disability and has to take longterm<br />
medication, talk to your doctor<br />
in advance of pregnancy about any<br />
possible effects on fertility or<br />
pregnancy. It may be possible to<br />
cut down the dosage.<br />
Diabetes and epilepsy<br />
If you have diabetes or epilepsy,<br />
talk to your doctor in advance.<br />
Medicines and drugs<br />
These may endanger your baby’s<br />
health. Don’t take any over-thecounter<br />
drugs at the time you hope<br />
to conceive without making sure<br />
they are safe to take in pregnancy.<br />
Addictive drugs will affect your ability<br />
to conceive and, if you do conceive,<br />
are likely to damage your baby’s<br />
health. See page 148 for organisations<br />
which can help you to stop.<br />
Sexually transmitted infections<br />
(STIs)<br />
STIs can affect your ability to<br />
conceive as well as affecting you. If<br />
t<strong>here</strong> is any chance that either of you<br />
has been in contact with an STI, it’s<br />
important to get it diagnosed and<br />
treated before starting another<br />
pregnancy. STIs, including HIV,<br />
hepatitis B and hepatitis C, can be<br />
passed on through:<br />
• sexual intercourse with an<br />
infected person, especially<br />
without using a condom, and<br />
some STIs can be transmitted<br />
during sex without penetration;<br />
•<br />
HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C<br />
can also be passed on by sharing<br />
equipment for injecting drugs.<br />
If you’re HIV positive, you could pass<br />
the virus on to your baby in the<br />
womb, at birth or by breastfeeding<br />
(see box, page 54).<br />
WORK<br />
HAZARDS<br />
If you think that t<strong>here</strong> may be a risk<br />
involved in your work, ask for a<br />
risk assessment. If a significant risk<br />
is found, your employer should take<br />
reasonable steps to remove the risk<br />
or prevent your exposure to it (see<br />
box). If the risk cannot be avoided,<br />
your employer should offer you<br />
suitable alternative work on similar<br />
terms and condition as your present<br />
job. If no safe alternative is possible,<br />
you should be suspended on full pay<br />
(i.e. given paid leave) for as long as<br />
necessary to avoid the risk.<br />
Foods carrying this mark<br />
have added folic acid.<br />
VAGINAL BIRTH<br />
AFTER CAESAREAN<br />
SECTION<br />
The majority of women who<br />
have had a Caesarean<br />
section are able to aim for a<br />
vaginal delivery for their<br />
next baby. This depends,<br />
however, on the reason for<br />
the first Caesarean section.<br />
Women who are thought to<br />
have a small pelvis, for<br />
example, may be advised to<br />
have a ‘planned’ (elective)<br />
Caesarean section next time.<br />
Your GP, or midwife, will be<br />
able to advise you. Most<br />
women who are advised to<br />
try for a vaginal delivery in<br />
subsequent pregnancies do<br />
have normal deliveries.<br />
SOME WAYS OF<br />
AVOIDING RISK<br />
protective clothing<br />
•<br />
or dust<br />
avoiding skin contact<br />
•<br />
avoiding breathing fumes<br />
temporarily altering your<br />
working conditions or<br />
hours of work<br />
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