You will find when you are pregnant well meaning people will try to offer you tips and advice concerning your pregnancy and what you can and cannot do. Some of this information will be outdated and could potentially cause harm to your baby, so if you are given any advice you are unsure about, always check with your midwife first.

Whilst they mean well they may try to inform you that when they had babies they could eat and drink what they liked and their babies were fine!! Whilst this was true for their generation it was due to the fact that the doctors back then did not have the benefit of medical and scientific advances. Now they know that some miscarriages could have been prevented by women avoiding certain foods.

Tattoo designs for women are popular but are to be avoided during pregnancy. Good tattooists will not tattoo a pregnant women anyway as it can cause a variety of problems and potential chain reactions such as the pain causing a pregnant women to go into early labour, or the risk of infection from the tattoo itself could cause the baby problems. If you have previously had a tattoo done on your stomach you will find that it is unrecognisable as your skin stretches on your stomach over the duration of the nine months!

An early pregnancy guide will often advise against caffeine intake, there is also conflicting advice regarding this. Some studies have shown that drinking a few cups of coffee per day in early pregnancy can increase the miscarriage risk. Other studies dispute this; it is recommended that if you still want to drink coffee in the first trimester that you have less than three a day. Some women choose not to drink it altogether in the first three months, mainly due to ‘going off’ the taste and smell.

Acne very commonly occurs during pregnancy due to hormones raging around your body. Be careful about what you use and always read the labels to ensure it is safe to use in pregnancy.

Instead try using a glycolic acid skin care regime that you can buy over the counter. If this fails to work you may need to go and see your doctor and they can prescribe a topical skin treatment which should do the trick.

Remembering to check what is safe to eat in pregnancy is vital. Certain foods can cause food poisoning in expectant mothers and cause harm to the baby. Avoid prawns and other shellfish, blue veined and soft cheeses, unpasteurised milk, and food like sushi containing raw fish and undercooked meats such as blue steak.