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If you are or want to get pregnant, we recommend that you have a healthy and balanced diet. This is important for you as a mother-to-be, because such a diet will give you more energy during your pregnancy. Subsequently, you will be stronger when you have to give birth. A healthy diet will also facilitate a speedy recovery after the delivery. A healthy diet is important for your baby as well, because your body provides all the necessary nutrients for your baby.
The healthy diet of the mother provides the foundation of the further development of the baby. Women gain approximately 10-20 kilograms during their pregnancy. If you have a BMI higher than 25 the advice is not to gain more than 6-8 kilograms. If you lose or gain a lot of weight, please discuss this matter during your checkup. We advise against purposely losing weight before or during the pregnancy.
We recommend that you take 0,4 – 0,5 milligrams of folic acid a day from the moment that you decide that you want to get pregnant until you are 10 weeks pregnant. This dosage reduces the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect, which is also known as spina bifida.
The Dutch health council recommends that pregnant women take 1 gram of calcium a day. New research shows that pregnant women who take 1200 milligrams of calcium a day at 12 weeks pregnant and onwards, have a 55% lower chance of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a complication that can disrupt the pregnancy. The main symptom of preeclampsia is high blood pressure.
You can calculate your daily intake of calcium with the help of the calcium calculator. Based on the outcome, you will know how much extra calcium you need a day.
We recommend that you consume only a small amount of products containing vitamin A, such as liver and liver products like pâté or liver sausage. High concentrations of vitamin A can be toxic.
Pregnant women need extra vitamin D. This vitamin is produced in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. Butter and margarine are examples of products that contain vitamin D. When you are pregnant, your body needs 10 micrograms extra vitamin D a day. This extra dosage of vitamin D enables the body to better absorb calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is important for the mother-to-be, but it is also essential for the formation of the bones, teeth and molars of the baby. Vitamin D is available at drugstores or pharmacies without a prescription.
f you have a healthy and balanced diet, it is not necessary to take vitamin supplements. Folic acid and vitamin D are exceptions. If you feel that you need more vitamins, please make sure to take a vitamin supplement especially for pregnant women. The concentration of vitamin A in such a supplement will not be too high. For more information about vitamins and minerals, please read more here: Vitamine Informatie Bureau (Dutch).
Smoking and alcohol are bad for your unborn baby. It is wise to stop smoking when you want to get pregnant or as soon as you know that you are pregnant. The same accounts for consuming alcohol.
Women who smoke are less fertile and have miscarriages more often. Babies of women who smoke are often born too early and have a lower weight at birth. Babies of women who smoked during their pregnancy have an increased risk of congenital defects, such as a cleft lip and/or cleft palate or clubfeet. Babies of mothers and fathers who smoke have a greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Are you pregnant, would you like to quit smoking and would you like to get some extra support in doing so? If the answer is yes to all three questions, you can participate in the program 'Rookvrij! Allebei?', which consists of phone coaching (in Dutch). Specialized coaches with knowledge and experience in the field of smoke-free pregnancies will help you to quit smoking during your pregnancy and to stay a non-smoker. Partners who smoke can also participate in this coaching program.
To participate in the program, fill in the contact information sheet on the website www.rookvrijallebei.nl.
More information on the effect of smoking on the pregnancy and the effect of secondhand smoke on your baby, see https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/smoking-pregnant/
If you do not succeed to quit smoking (entirely), we recommend that you take 500 mg of vitamin C a day. Research has shown that babies of smoking mothers who took vitamin C during their pregnancy have better functioning lungs than smoking mothers who did not take vitamin C.
If you want to get pregnant, alcohol reduces the fertility of you and your partner. The consumption of alcohol increases the chance of a miscarriage at the moment of fertilisation. Alcohol is harmful to the development of the brain of the baby. This also accounts for the alcohol in breast milk.
For more information on alcohol and pregnancy, see: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/alcohol-medicines-drugs-pregnant/.
Young mothers and pregnant women who come into contact with small children, risk getting infected with the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Babies of women who get infected during the first half of their pregnancy, have an increased risk of being adversely affected by the virus. One in a hundred children is born with a CMV infection. Only a few of the children born with CMV infection get health problems. So the risk is small. CMV is present in urine, blood, saliva, breast milk and tears. To minimize the risk of contamination, it is important to frequently wash your hands with soap. Especially after changing diapers. To minimize the contact with saliva, let toddlers use their own plate and cutlery.
Pregnant women who work at, amongst others, a child day care, preschools or hospitals, can get fifth disease. Many women have had this disease as a child and are therefore protected for life. The midwife can order a blood test that will determine whether or not you had fifth disease. If you have no antibodies against fifth disease, and you regularly come into contact with children at work, then we recommend that you avoid the workplace and that you consider the options for suitable alternative work.
During your first consultation, the midwife will ask you whether you had chickenpox. If you ever had chickenpox, then you are protected for life. If you are not protected against chickenpox and have been in contact with a person who has chickenpox, please contact the midwife on call immediately.
Whooping cough is dangerous for babies.You can protect your baby from whooping cough by getting vaccinated yourself during your pregnancy. The vaccine is available starting from the 22nd week of your pregnancy. Since the vaccine is included in the National Immunisation Programme, the shot is free.
After you are vaccinated, your body makes antibodies. These antibodies are shared with your unborn baby via the placenta. As a result, your baby will have enough antibodies to protect against whooping cough for the first few months. Until your baby gets his or her first vaccination. The vaccine protects your baby, but it also protects you. You won't be able to get whooping cough or infect others.
Another benefit: if you get vaccinated, your baby might not need te be vaccinated as often. In that case, your baby will get the first vaccination at 3 months instead of 2 months.
Protect your baby against whooping cough and flu
Download the flyer from the RIVM here.
Pregnant woman can be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. That applies to all pregnant women. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. Based on research data and on how these vaccines work, there is no reason to assume that the use of these vaccines would be harmful during pregnancy. By now, we know that 130.000 pregnant women in the USA have been vaccinated with the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. No serious side-effects have been reported in that group. For that reason, the recommendation is for all pregnant women to be vaccinated when they receive their invitation.
Vaccinations can be given throughout the pregnancy. There are no indications that vaccination during the first 12 weeks will lead to complications. Would you rather not be vaccinated during the first 12 weeks? Then schedule your vaccination after that. You should preferably not wait until the end of your pregnancy. If you are infected towards the end of your pregnancy, you have an increased risk of complications from COVID-19.
Time between COVID-19 vaccination and other vaccinations:
For more information check COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy van Evidence Bases Birth.
A Zika virus epidemic has emerged in Latin America and South America. This epidemic could be dangerous for pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant. The virus could potentially be harmful to unborn children. Adults can become ill, but always recover without serious consequences. Mosquitos transfer the virus. The RIVM states that the Zika virus epidemic has emerged in 27 countries in Central and South America and in the Pacific Ocean. These countries include Brazil, Suriname and Mexico.
The RIVM recommends that pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant do not travel to countries where the Zika virus is going around. The RIVM states that these women should consider postponing travelling to these countries unless the journey is absolutely necessary.
You can continue to do sports at the beginning of your pregnancy. Regular exercise during your pregnancy is a good thing, your physical condition will stay good and your muscles will stay firm. With regular exercise, you will suffer less from haemorrhoids, varicose veins and constipation. But listen to your body; don't put too much strain on your body.
Once you are further along in your pregnancy, it might be necessary to take it easy. In your pregnancy, you are more vulnerable to injuries. Take it easy when doing sports such as squash or aerobics. We recommend that you wear a good support bra and maybe even a pregnancy belly band. It is better to avoid dangerous sports, such as horse back riding, gymnastics, martial arts or skiing. Endurance sports, such as running marathons, are also not good for pregnant women. Pregnant women are not allowed to go scuba diving.
You can continue to swim and cycle throughout your pregnancy. These activities support your physical wellbeing. Going for walks is also fine
Your work situation can influence or have a damaging effect on your pregnancy. That is why it is important to discuss your work situation with your midwife. How do you deal with the influence of work on your pregnancy, how can you minimize any possible damage? The following factors could have a damaging influence: working with chemical substances, heavy physical work, stress, irregular working hours, risk of infection and the influence of physical factors, such as noise.
Pregnant women have the right to maternity leave. Maternity leave lasts 16 weeks. Fathers have five days of leave after birth.
Information about maternity and paternity leave according to the Government of the Netherlands.
