MONTH ONE

Weeks One - Three

Your Baby
During weeks one to three your fertilised egg travels down the fallopian tube and will become implanted in your uterus wall by the 7th day. The fertilised egg is now referred to as the blastocyst and is made up of 2 layers (one will become your baby and the other the placenta) and it is around 0.2mm in diameter. In order to provide nourishment to your baby until the placenta is formed, a yolk sack has developed. Amazingly, the baby's gender has already been determined!

You
The increased production of progesterone from the ovaries from this time is known as the "pregnancy maintaining hormone" and at around 12 days after fertilisation, a pregnancy test will be able to detect that you are pregnant. Some women may experience spotting during this time and this is completely normal.

Week Four

Your Baby
By the fourth week a number of small changes have occurred in your baby and the heart, blood circulation and digestive tract are beginning to develop.

WHAT TO AVOID

Smoking

• Babies born to mothers who smoked up until they were born may experience withdrawal symptoms in the week after birth
• There is NO safe level of smoking
• Couples who smoke may take longer to conceive
• Smoking decreases sperm count and inhibits the sperm's motility (or the ability for sperm to move or swim)
• Smoking during pregnancy may increase your chance of miscarriage
• Smoking constricts the blood vessels going to the placenta which reduces the amount of blood, oxygen and nutrients reaching the baby which may lead to low birth weight infants
• Women who smoke and breastfeed may find that their breast milk production is decreased and they cannot keep up supply to the baby.

Caffeine

• Caffeine is present in chocolate, cocoa, cola, energy drinks, coffee, many teas as well as various over-the-counter medications including some cold and allergy tablets, medicines for headaches, stimulants aimed at helping you stay awake, and some weight loss medications and herbal remedies.
• Excessive intakes of caffeine may make you restless, anxious and irritable, and may also possibly cause you to experience heartburn
• If your body is dependent on high amounts of caffeine, stopping your usual caffeine intake may give you headaches and make you feel depressed, tired, irritable, angry or upset
• Caffeine does pass from the woman's blood stream to her baby. It can stimulate the baby and make it more active while in the uterus
• De-caffinated coffee is available if it is the taste you enjoy!

Alcohol

• Couples trying to conceive a baby are usually recommended not to consume any alcohol
• There is no recommended safe level of alcohol intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Alcohol readily passes from the woman's blood stream to her baby through the placenta
• Alcohol passes through to breast milk which can affect a baby's developing brain and nervous system

Recreational drugs

• Women who use recreational drugs during pregnancy have an increased chance of premature birth, poor growth, birth defects and behavioural and learning problems in their baby.

Prescribed and over-the-counter medications

• All medications should be discussed with your doctor if you are trying to conceive.

Foods that may contain Listeria

• Listeria is a bacterium that is found in the environment and in some foods. If you eat foods that are infected with Listeria you can develop a Listeria infection. The infection causes no or few symptoms in healthy people, but can be very dangerous to your unborn baby. Listeria infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labour or it can make a newborn baby very ill. You can reduce your chance of getting this infection by avoiding certain foods and following guidelines for safe food preparation.

Tips to prevent Listeria infection

• Eat freshly cooked or well washed freshly prepared foods
• If you have leftovers, put them in the fridge straight away and eat them within 12 hours
• Ensure cooked food is served steaming hot and cooked all the way through, as this kills the Listeria bacteria
• If you are reheating leftovers, then make sure you reheat them to steaming hot all the way through, as this should kill the Listeria bacteria
• Avoid foods that are past their 'best before' or 'use by' date
• Only buy ready-to-eat food if it's steaming hot
• If eating out, order hot meals
• Ensure hygienic preparation, storage and handling of food

Some foods are more likely to carry the Listeria bacteria and should be avoided. These include:

• Cold meats (both unpackaged and packaged sliced ready to eat)
• Cold cooked chicken purchased ready to eat
• Refrigerated paté or meat spreads
• Pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads (e.g. salad bars or smorgasbords)
• Chilled raw seafood (e.g. sashimi or sushi)
• Raw oysters, including oyster kilpatrick and oyster mornay (as they are not cooked, only heated)
• Smoked ready-to-eat seafood (canned are fine)
• Ready-to-eat peeled prawns (cooked) e.g. in prawn cocktails, sandwich fillings and prawn salads
• Soft, semi soft and surface ripened cheeses e.g. brie, camembert, ricotta, fetta and blue
• Soft serve ice cream
• Unpasteurised dairy products

Month Two