Pregnancy Facts Every Woman Should Know

I've had three children and a couple of miscarriages too. So I'm reasonably well equipped to advise on pregnancy.

The key for all pregnant women to remember is that every pregnancy is different. What happens in your first pregnancy may be very different from your second and subsequent pregnancies. Your births can be very different too. You need to arm yourself with as much information as you can - so that you can be aware what is normal or not during your pregnancy. Here's a few things that I think every women should know:

INITIAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY. Sometimes you can be completely unaware that you're pregnant, other times it is very obvious indeed. For me the main indicator of all my pregnancies have been swollen and painful breasts, and feeling very tired all the time. But the clincher has always been a very heightened sense of smell.

FOOD: The most critical period of foetal development is right at the start of your pregnancy. So good nutrition is vital. By 3 months gestation your baby will have multiplied in size 2,600,000 times. Any nutritional imbalances during this stage will affect the developing foetus.

CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS . Don't. The cells of the developing foetus multiply rapidly. Any toxins can have detrimental effects on the foetus, causing anything from miscarriage to birth defects. And tea and coffee are not a good idea either as they are stimulants and large amount have been linked to birth defects.

HERBAL MEDICINES: Again proceed with caution as some will cause miscarriages and birth defects. Seek expert advice. Also bear in mind that a mixture of seemingly harmless herbs can, when combined, have completely different and possibly toxic effects on a developing foetus.

MORNING SICKNESS - In some pregnancies morning sickness lasts a few weeks at the very outset of the pregnancy, in others it lasts the whole nine months! In my first and third pregnancies I was fine until about the eleventh week. Then my 'morning' sickness started - from the minute the sun went down, till about two in the morning. Then after about six weeks of abject misery it completely disappeared. In another pregnancy I was slightly nauseous in the morning for few weeks. The amount of nausea you have or time that you have it by no means indicates that the baby is a certain sex either!

TEETH: You may start to suffer from bleeding gums early on. Take calcium supplements and see your dentist regularly throughout your pregnancy.

CRAVINGS: You may have some or none at all. And they can be bizarre. In my last pregnancy I ate my way through kilos of salmon marinated in lemon juice, garlic and coconut. I haven't touched the stuff since! In another I had a terrible need for mashed turnips, usually at 2.a.m. Whatever craving you have, just make sure that what you eat will not damage your health or that of your developing baby - e.g. if you have a craving for milky puddings sprinkled with nutmeg - which was once used to induce abortions. And don't use your pregnancy to indulge your favourite chocolate or ice cream cravings - otherwise you'll spend years trying to lose the excess weight you gained during pregnancy.

SHAPE AND SIZE OF YOUR BUMP: The shape and size of your bump is no indication of the sex of your baby.

STRETCH MARKS - some people get them some don't. You can rub creams and oils to keep the skin supple but unfortunately if you're prone to stretch marks you'll get them anyway.

ULTRASOUNDS AND AMNIOCENTESIS: You can choose to have them or not. There are risks of miscarriage , particularly with Amnios. I've had Ultrasounds for all my pregnancies. They were useful in determining the stage of foetal developments and checking for abnormalities. I have never had an amniocentesis - where they take a small amount of amniotic fluid for analysis of chromosomal disorders such as spina bifida and Down's syndrome. However had an Ultrasound indicated possible problems I would have had one.

EXERCISE. Do it in moderation. Walking, swimming and yoga are great. Keep off trampolines at all stages of your pregnancy! If you start getting Braxton Hicks contractions whilst doing any sort of exercise, even walking, stop and rest.

And above all don't be embarrassed to ask questions or seek medical advice at any stage of your pregnancy.