As you hold your new baby in your arms, it may be impossible to imagine that you will ever have the energy to go through it all again. Or you may be eager to increase your family as soon as you can. Either way, this is the time to stop and think about how you and your partner can prepare for the next pregnancy. Nobody can guarantee that a baby will be born healthy. However, if you had a low birthweight baby or a baby with a disability or special needs, or a miscarriage or stillbirth, you may be particularly anxious to do everything you can to create the best possible circumstances for your next pregnancy. You'll want to talk to your doctor about this. If both parents are in good health at the moment of conception, that is the best start you can possibly give to a new life. There are a few other steps you can take as well.

 

Fathers too

A bad diet, smoking, drinking and unhealthy working conditions can affect the quality of sperm and stop pregnancy from happening at all. Try to make your lifestyle as healthy as possible before you try to conceive.

Getting and Staying Heathy

Re-read Chapter 1, Your health in pregnancy, about diet, smoking, alcohol and exercise. The advice is even more effective if you start well before the next baby is on the way. You will need to prepare for pregnancy by taking extra folic acid from the time you start trying to conceive right up until you're 12 weeks' pregnant. Choose foods that contain this important vitamin such as green, leafy vegetables and breakfast cereals and breads with added folic acid. (See symbol on this page.) To make sure you get enough, you should also take a 400 microgram (0.4 milligram) tablet every day. You can get these tablets from a supermarket or pharmacist.

If you already have a baby with spina bifida, if you have coeliac disease or take anti-epileptic drugs, ask your GP for more advice, since you will need to take a bigger dose of folic acid.

Things to think about

Here are some things that are worth doing before having your next baby.

Rubella (German measles)

Rubella can badly damage a baby during pregnancy. If you were not already immune you should have been offered immunisation immediately after your baby was born. Before trying for another baby, think about having a blood test to check that you are immune to rubella. The blood test will measure if you have enough protection (antibodies) against rubella. Women with low or uncertain levels of antibodies can be immunised again.

Long-term medication

If either of you has a chronic illness or disability and has to take long-term medication, talk to your doctor in advance of pregnancy about any possible effects on fertility or pregnancy. It may be possible to cut down the dosage.

Diabetes and epilepsy

If you have diabetes or epilepsy, talk to your doctor in advance.

Medicines and drugs

These may endanger your baby's health. Don't take any over-the-counter drugs at the time you hope to conceive without making sure they are safe to take in pregnancy. Addictive drugs will affect your ability to conceive and, if you do conceive, are likely to damage your baby's health. See this page for organisations which can help you to stop.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

STIs can affect your ability to conceive as well as affecting you. If there is any chance that either of you has been in contact with an STI, it's important to get it diagnosed and treated before starting another pregnancy. STIs, including HIV and hepatitis B, can be passed on through:

• sexual intercourse with an infected person, especially without using a condom, and some STIs can be transmitted during sex without penetration;
• HIV and hepatitis B can also be passed on by sharing equipment for injecting drugs.

If you're HIV positive, you could pass the virus on to your baby in the womb, at birth or by breastfeeding. Up to 1 in 6 children born to mothers with the virus are likely to be infected.

 

Work hazards

If you think that there may be a risk involved in your work ask for a risk assessment. If a significant risk is found your employer should take reasonable steps to remove the risk or prevent your exposure to it (see box). If the risk cannot be avoided your employer should offer you suitable alternative work on similar terms and condition as your present job. If no safe alternative is possible you should be suspended on full pay (ie given paid leave) for as long as necessary to avoid the risk.