If you have a varied and balanced vegetarian, vegan or plant-based diet, you should have all the nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy.

A varied and balanced vegetarian diet should provide enough nutrients for you and your baby during pregnancy. But you might find it more difficult to get enough iron and vitamin B12.

Talk to a midwife or doctor about how to make sure you’re getting enough of these important nutrients.

If you’re vegan or you follow a restricted diet because of food intolerance (for example, a gluten-free diet for coeliac disease) or for religious reasons, talk to a midwife or GP. Ask to be referred to a dietitian for advice on how to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need for you and your baby.

If you are vegan and eat a plant-based diet, this can be a healthy choice in pregnancy. But it is important to make sure you have a variety of plant-based protein foods and taking some additional supplements is recommended. Good sources of protein for vegans include soya products, beans, peas, nuts and seeds and grains. You should try to eat a variety of these every day. 

Other key nutrients to be aware of are:

• Iron
• Calcium
• Vitamin D 
• Iodine
• Vitamin B12 

You may also want to include fortified foods in your diet. These might include mineral and vitamin-enriched, unsweetened soya milk or other plant milk alternatives and cereals. Many of these include vitamin B12. Sources of vitamin B12 for vegans are limited, so you may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Special diets and allergies 

Some people need special diets, for example, if you:

• Have to avoid certain foods because you have coeliac disease
• Have an allergy that means you cannot eat certain foods or food groups
• Have a medical condition that limits your food choices.

If you have a special diet, ask your GP to be referred to a dietitian. They can advise you on how to make sure you are getting everything you and your baby need during pregnancy. 

If you are diabetic, your healthcare team will help you manage your diet during pregnancy.

How We Can Help

We have a range of live online classes which you can attend from the comfort of your own home where you will get the chance to ask a midwife any questions you have throughout the class making you well-prepared for labour birth and more. You can see our range of available classes by clicking the button below.

Eating a healthy, varied diet in pregnancy will help you get most of the vitamins and minerals you need.

• Folic Acid

When you’re pregnant, or there’s a chance you might get pregnant, it’s important to also take a folic acid supplement. Folic acid reduces the risk of problems in the baby’s development in the early weeks of pregnancy.

When taking folic acid, it’s recommended that you take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day – from before you’re pregnant until you’re 12 weeks pregnant.

• Vitamin D

It is also recommended that you take a daily vitamin D supplement. You’ll need 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day and especially during the winter months from September to March. 

Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are needed to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. 

Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to summer sunlight (from late March/early April to the end of September).

It’s not known exactly how much time is needed in the sun to make enough vitamin D to meet the body’s needs, but if you’re in the sun take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you start to turn red or burn.

You can also increase your Vitamin D intake through your diet. Some great sources of Vitamin D include: 

• Oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines)
• Eggs
• Red meat
• Vitamin D is added to some breakfast cereals, fat spreads and non-dairy milk alternatives. The amounts added to these products can vary and might only be small.

Because Vitamin D is only found in a small number of foods, whether naturally or added, it can be difficult to get enough from foods alone.

Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.

• Iron

Iron deficiency (anaemia) can result in you feeling very tired, pale, weak and short of breath. A lack of iron means your body is unable to produce enough haemoglobin – a substance that carries oxygen in red blood cells.

Iron supplements can be taken to help iron deficiency anaemia in most cases. 

Iron can also be found in lots of food, including: 

• Lean meat, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts contain iron.
• If you’d like to eat peanuts or foods that contain peanuts (such as peanut butter) during pregnancy, you can do so as part of a healthy, balanced diet unless you’re allergic to them or your health professional advises you not to.
• Many breakfast cereals have iron added to them. If the iron level in your blood becomes low, a GP or midwife will advise you to take iron supplements.

• Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps your body form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and collagen in bones,  vital to your body’s healing process. Your body doesn’t produce vitamin C, you need to get it from your diet. It’s found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, and a balanced diet can provide all the vitamin C you need.

Good sources include:

• Oranges and orange juice
• Red and green peppers
• Strawberries
• Blackcurrants
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Potatoes

Severe vitamin C deficiency can lead to a disease called scurvy, which causes anemia, bleeding gums, bruising and poor wound healing.

• Calcium

Calcium has several important functions such as helping build bones and keep teeth healthy, regulating muscle contractions, including your heartbeat, and making sure blood clots normally. You should be able to get all the calcium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Sources of calcium include:

• Milk, cheese, and yogurt
• Green leafy vegetables, such as rocket, watercress or curly kale
• Tofu
• Soya drinks with added calcium
• Bread and any foods made with fortified flour
• Fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards

FREE Antenatal Class

We have a range of live online classes which you can attend from the comfort of your own home where you will get the chance to ask a midwife any questions you have throughout the class making you well-prepared for labour birth and more. You can see our range of available classes by clicking the button below.

You could be wondering why you potentially may need stitches in the first place…

First things first do not fear the thought of a perineal tear or an episiotomy they are very normal. In fact, up to 9 in 10 first-time mothers who have a vaginal birth will have some sort of tear, graze or episiotomy.

Wait what is an Episiotomy?

Definition: A surgical cut made at the opening of the vagina during childbirth, to aid a difficult delivery and prevent rupture of tissues.

Sometimes a woman’s perineum may tear as their baby comes out. In some births, an episiotomy can help to prevent a severe tear or speed up delivery if the baby needs to be born quickly. If your doctor or midwife feels you need an episiotomy when you’re in labour, they will discuss this with you first.

So you’ve had an Episiotomy or tear, how should you care for your stitches?

How to care for stitches:

The stitches that are used to repair a perineal tear or episiotomy are dissolvable and may take 7-10 days to dissolve. The care of the stitches in the postnatal period involves keeping everything clean and dry, it is not recommended to put any lotions, creams, spritzes directly on the stitches, change your maternity pads regularly, when you are showering for the first 7-10 days it is best to not put any shower gels or soaps directly onto the area but rather just let the suds from your shower flow down naturally after it is recommended to pat dry and not rub dry with a towel.

Top Tips:

• Keep the area clean.
• Use soothing products.
• Change sanitary pads regularly.
• Start pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel able.
• Keep an eye out for abnormalities.
• Wash your hands.
• Take regular pain relief.
• Eat healthily and drink water.

Call your midwife or GP if you’ve had an episiotomy or tear if:

• Your stitches get more painful
• There’s a smelly discharge
• There’s red, swollen skin around the cut (incision) or tear – you can use a mirror to have a look
Any of these may mean you have an infection.

Going to the toilet with stitches:

• You want to keep the stitches and the surrounding area clean to prevent infection. After going to the toilet, pour warm water over your vaginal area to rinse it.

• By pouring warm water over the outer area of your vagina as you pee may also help ease the discomfort while you’re peeing!

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is just what it sounds like — a written plan that communicates your wishes and goals for before, during and after labour and delivery. In it, parents-to-be can offer up their best-case birthing scenario: how they’d ideally like labour and delivery to play out if all goes according to “plan.” 

Why do women have birth plans? 

Many women choose to have a written birth plan so they can be sure every detail goes as close as possible to how they’d planned. Some are concerned about how childbirth is supposed to go and want to make sure that happens. 

Whatever your reason for wanting a birth plan, you’re certainly not alone. 

Having a birth plan can be beneficial for both you and your partner. Make sure that your partner knows exactly what you want before the big day arrives. The more information given, the better. It’s good for both of you to know what your wishes and goals are. If you are in need of some ideas about how to approach this subject, speak with your midwife.  

What information should a birth plan include? 

Birth plans can be as detailed or as general as you’d like them to be. Most commonly, they track your preferences during labour and delivery, but they can also include details about your postpartum care.  

Below are several examples of statements you might include in a birth plan: 

Where to give birth: What location would you prefer to give birth? This can be at home, in a midwifery unit, in a maternity team unit in hospital, not sure yet etc.  

Companions: Who would you like to be present during your birth. This can include your birthing partner, husband, wife, children etc.  

Assisted Delivery: Would you like your companions present during this method of delivery?  

Caesarean Section: Would you like your companions present during this method of delivery? 

Birthing Equipment: You may find certain equipment will help you during labour. You should try and specify which equipment you would like to try. For example, mats, beanbags, birthing balls etc.  

Special Facilities: Some hospitals have special facilities that you may plan on using during your labour. Try and specify whether you plan on using them or not. For example, LDRP room, birthing pools etc.  

Posture: How you would prefer to sit up during labour and delivery. Do you want an epidural? What side do you want your partner to position your body on? How much do you want to move around throughout labour?  

Positioning: Do you want to stay on one side throughout labour? This is important for those who may need a C-section.  

Skin-to-skin Contact: After the birth, you can have your baby lifted straight onto you before the cord is cut so that you can be close to each other immediately. If you prefer, you can ask the midwife to wipe your baby and wrap him or her in a blanket first. 

Pain Relief Options: Planning what pain relief options you would like to use (if any) is important so that the maternity hospital staff know. Some women use a combination of methods. You may find that you want more pain relief than you had planned, or that more effective pain relief may be advised to assist with delivery. You can use several different methods at different times. Having a plan in the first place is helpful. Please note: Your plan can change during labour. You may go into labour planning for a natural birth and then request any pain relief from your midwife. You will not be denied this based on your original plan.  

Feeding Your Baby: Breast milk is the best form of nutrition for babies as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs and has lasting benefits for the health of your child. Infant formula milk can be used as an alternative to breast milk. Including your preference will help the staff to plan. Remember, the method which you choose will always be supported by hospital staff.