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 Some of this information will be outdated and could potentially cause harm to your baby, so if you are given any advice you are unsure about, always check with your midwife first.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!

It is a good idea to limit your caffeine intake during the early stages of pregnancy. There are conflicting studies surrounding this. An early pregnancy guide may recommend that you either drink no caffeine at all or that you restrict your coffee consumption to less than three cups per day if that. Many women find themselves feeling sick at the mere thought of tea and coffee whilst they are still within the first three months and hormones are causing morning sickness, which can occur at any time of the day.

You may find that the pregnancy hormones cause you to break out in acne. Should this happen do not use products that contain salicylic acid or retinoid as these are unsafe to use in pregnancy.

A glycolic acid skin care treatment is a safe and effective way to manage pregnancy acne. If this is not treating the problem effectively, a prescription for creams from the doctor is the best bet.

It is essential to your babies and your health that you eat well and healthily. Read about the foods that are best avoided and bear this in mind when cooking and eating out. In general do not eat shellfish such as prawns, unpasteurised dairy products such as soft cheese like brie, all types of pate and raw or undercooked meats.