1st timer and totally clueless - please help!

[Spideryplant]

We only started trying this month and I wasn't expecting for it to all happen so fast.. now it has I am quickly realising that I know sweet FA about staying healthy/keeping the feotus healthy and it's really panicking me. We've already found that my thyroid is too low (seeing a specialist about this and now on levothyroxine) and that my B12 and folate is too high (apparently a risk factor for ASD??). I stopped using my sun tan lotion because of the chemicals (have ordered a physical one) but I am certain that there are other things that I am doing totally wrong (I even had a slightly runny omlete last night without even thinking about it!).

Can anyone give me the low down on what to avoid (food and cosmetics wise) and anything else I should really know/do to keep my baby safe/reduce risk?

I have signed up with maternity services online but no sign of an appointment email yet and I understand that the first trimester is the most important.

Thanks!

Download a pregnancy app I have the pregnancy + app on my iPhone and it has lots of information about things to have and things to avoid, each day it will have information on different things to expect in your pregnancy and also shows you how your baby looks week by week and compares the size to animals, fruit and sweets which is nice! There's so much information that it would be difficult to type it all out for you so best to download an app or research on the web..

I am in the same situation! TTC and conceived cycle 2. Never been pregnant before!

Can eat everything pasteurized when it comes to cheeses (so not Brie, blue cheese etc but the rest is fine as long as pasteurized), and try to have eggs and meats well done. Preferably no charcuteries and not too much fish (few servings a week ok, cooked). No raw fish like sushi and no raw shellfish.

Beauty products, don't use creams with retinol in it. And nothing wit paraben.

I also firmly believe in that women have been pregnant since the beginning of time, and most people back in the days wouldn't know what we know today! A few slip ups really wouldn't make a difference I think.

The NHS website covers a lot of what you need to know: www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/

I second getting an App like Glow Nurture (only one I can think of right now, lots of others exist!)

Mumsnet itself even has guides for first timers: www.mumsnet.com/pregnancy

The antenatal clubs on here are brilliant. Lots of people at the same stage as you to chat with. Many who are second+ time mothers. It's like having a bunch of friends to ask, and you can guarantee there are other first timers in the group worrying about the same thing too.

What to Expect is a good website: www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/looking-good/everything-need-know-pregnancy-proof-beauty-routine/

There's also a book by the same name (what to expect when you're expecting, and another book that everyone raves about called Expecting Better)

HTH for starters

Ps the placenta hasn't formed yet if you're only 4w, 5w pregnant so nothing really passes to the baby if i remember correctly so don't worry about those eggs for now.

If they were supermarket bought in the uk, you more than likely ok anyway as they'll be lion stamped. (So salmonella free)

Thanks!
It's weird isn't it SunStruck - great to be able to get pregnant so quickly but I really don't feel prepared! We only DTD without protection twice!

I didn't know about paraben and will download the app

my B12 and folate is too high (apparently a risk factor for ASD??).
It really isn’t.

MyDcAreMarvel of course I wouldn't want to influence anyone to stop taking folic acid unless they've been told so by a doctor.

I've been taking pregnacare vits plus (probably too large) doses of feroglobin liquid and my B12 is over the top of the range so I'm cutting out the feroglobin

Wildflower that is all really helpful, thanks

Hey - I am in exactly the same position found out yesterday and now just feel completely lost! Any info that can thrown our way that would be great.

What was the name of the pregnancy ap?

@Spideryplant my concern wasn’t that you would put people of folic acid. My concern was for you, I feel very angry that someone had suggested a link to you of asd. It’s absolute rubbish.

@MyDcAreMarvel - are you medically trained? If so I would be very interested to hear your views on the issue. I read an article - Maternal Multivitamin Intake, Plasma Folate and Vitamin B12 Levels and Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Offspring.
Raghavan R, et al. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2018 - which worried me, but I may be taking the results out of context..

No sorry, I have four children with asd so I have spent a lot of time taking with various consultants and other specialists.
Everyone i spoke to is adamant that asd is not caused by something you did or didn’t do in pregnancy be that medication, food, exposure to chemicals, stress.
There is a genetic link that they need to research more. My dh and I do not have asd however my mum and one of my sisters do.
Please try and put the asd “ link” out of your mind, if your child does have asd it won’t be because of high B12 and folate.

@MyDcAreMarvel ah Ok thanks. I am discovering that there are so many conflicting papers written about pretty much everything to do with pregnancy! As you say - it's better to trust the consultants who have actually studied all this stuff properly rather than conduct your own mini literature review!

Pregnancy + (it's pink) is s good free app. My advice would be stop googling everything and just relax.... you can go mad with worrying about everything but what does that achieve? I ate seafood, runny eggs in the U.K., had the occasional small wine in 3rd trimester, had my nails done and hair dye and am sitting here feeding my perfect boy. You have to learn to make a judgment call as there will always be someone criticising or disagreeing. Try to enjoy your pregnancy and just be sensible.

@spideryplant I have also seen a few papers on B12 levels (I looked for them because I have been supplementing with high B12 due to an underlying health condition). My GP initially told me to only supplement at levels that were similar to Pregnacare (or similar), so I cut out B12 and my problem worsened. I had blood results from a year ago which showed my levels were middle of the normal range (despite high dose supplementation!) so queried it with my GP who has taken another blood test. From what I saw in those papers, the increased risk was very small and the levels reported were right at the high end of what the NHS quote as 'normal' and were taken right at the end of pregnancy. I'd speak to your GP about it if you're worried.

Your medical professionals, the NHS website and the book Expecting Better will give you good quality info aimed at the layman, OP.

You can find anything you do or don't want to on Google (but we've all done it, me included 😂).

I knew nothing about parabens until I read this thread. I've used a moisturiser that contains them throughout. I live in a country where we follow US health recommendations and they're not banned by the FDA. So the whole what to avoid thing is so country specific - it just goes to show how difficult it is to always get it right. If you live in Australia you shouldn't be eating ready made sandwiches. I think you just have to try and make reasonable and sensible choices as much as possible. Soft cheeses, raw meat and fish and liver are a no no everywhere as is retinol so I'm pretty sure that those ones are the best to avoid.

It's a bit early yet but get yourself booked in to a good antenatal class that's close to you and go along with your partner. The ones that go over several weeks give you more chance to make mum friends than the one day/one weekend versions. Set up a coffee group from it after it finishes, even if it's before your babies start to arrive. I thought I had zero in common with the people in our one but we have become so close and the support of others going through it all together around the same time was amazing. Some are on to their second now and people have moved, gone back to work etc but we're all still in touch and supporting each other 2years on. It was also great for the dads as they got some support too and had a couple of dad catch ups.