Pregnancy

The risks of smoking during pregnancy are serious as it can cause premature delivery, increased risk of miscarriage, still birth or sudden infant death
Smoking is much more harmful than any stress quitting may bring.
When you smoke your breath has more than 4000 chemicals and the smoke goes straight from your lungs into your bloodstream, this blood then flows to your placenta and umbilical cord right into your baby's body. This causes the baby to struggle for oxygen.
Another chemical found in the cigarette is carbon monoxide, when this dangerous chemical reaches your bloodstream it restricts the supple of oxygen that is essential for your baby's health and development and causes your baby's heart to pump even harder.
Your baby's body is completely dependant on yours so if you smoke throughout pregnancy your baby will go through nicotine withdrawal when brown, this makes the baby stressed and you may not be able or stop them from crying.
Smoking when pregnant increases the risk of cot death by 25%.
If you stop smoking then both mother and baby will benefit immediately as there will be more room in their bodies for oxygen.

When you drink alcohol passes from your blood through the placenta and to the baby.
A baby's liver is one of the last organs to develop and doesn't mature until later stages of pregnancy.
Your baby can't process alcohol as well as you can and it can affect their development
Drinking alcohol, especially in the first 3 months, increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and your baby having a low birth weight
Drinking after the first 3 months of pregnancy could affect your baby after they're born
The risks are greater with the more you drink and the effects include learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
Drinking heavily during pregnancy can cause your baby to develop a serious condition called foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Children with FAS have:
Poor growth
Facial abnormalities
Learning and behavioural problems

Chickenpox - when coming into contact with your child you could pass on the infection, a blood test will easily establish if your child is immune to infection or not.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) - it's a virus which is part of the herpes group of viruses which can cause cold sores and chickenpox. It can cause problems for unborn babies such as hearing problems, visual impairments, Blindness, learning difficulties and epilepsy.
Group B Srep - a bacteria when carried by a woman it's found in the intestine and vagina that causes no problems in most pregnancies but in some it affects the baby in ways such as, premature labour, fever and your baby carrying GBS.
Infections transmitted by animals - cat faeces contain toxoplasma that causes toxoplasmosis infections. Sheep carry an organism called chlamydia psittaci which is known to cause miscarriages, they also carry toxoplasma. Pigs can be a source of hepatitis E but there's no risk of getting this through eating pork.
Hepatitis B - a virus that affects the liver and all women are offered a blood test for this during pregnancy. If you have hepatitis B or you're infected during pregnancy you can pass on the infection to the baby at birth.
Hepatitis C - a virus which infects the liver and is transmitted by direct contact of infected blood, this can be passed onto the baby.
Herpes - genital herpes can be dangerous for your baby as it can cause painful blisters or ulcers, a Caesarean section may be recommended.

HIV - this can be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy, birth or through breast feeding. If ou have been diagnosed then doctors will strongly advise you not to breastfeed.
Parvovirus B19 (slapped cheek syndrome) - is a common infection in s children that causes characteristics like the red rash on the face.
Rubella - if pregnant and you come into contact with someone who has rubella you should contact a GP or midwife immediately.
STI - they have no symptoms but can affect your baby's health during pregnancy or at birth.
Toxoplasmosis - an infection through cat faeces, treatment can be given for this.
Zika Virus - a virus which causes birth defects, if the mother ha sir when pregnant then the baby may have an abnormally small head. You can reduce your risk by using insect repellent.

No special diet required but it is important to eat a variety of different foods to ensure that you get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need.
You need to take folic acid supplements.
There's no need to eat for 2.
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables as these provide vitamins, minerals and fibre which helps digestion and prevents constipation.
Starchy foods are an important source of energy, some vitamins and fibre can help you fill up without having too many calories.
Pregnant women can now eat runny eggs as long as it has the 'lion' stamp on it.
Choose lean meat, remove the skin from poultry and try not to add extra fat or oil when cooking meat. Make sure lamb, beef and rook are cook all the way through.
Try to eat 2 portions of fish a week.
Dairy is important during pregnancy because they contain calcium and other nutrients that you and your baby need.
Choose low fat varietys when possible.
You have to avoid some cheeses.
You should eat foods which contain high fats and sugars as it increases the amount of cholesterol in your blood.
Make sure that no bacteria is able to enter your body when pregnant.

Genetic or inherited causes include:

Chromosomal defects such as Down's syndrome and sex hormone abnormalities
Single gene defects
Dominant inheritance, when one parent lasses on a faulty gene such as Marfan syndrome
Recessive inheritance - when both parents who don't have the disease pass along the gene for the disease to the child, such as cystic fibrosis.
Environmental causes can include drug or alcohol abuse or a disease that the mother has that can increase the chance for the baby to be born with a birth defect.
An agent that can cause a birth defect is known a teratogen.
Preconception examinations include:
Checking family history
Genetic testing
Vaccination
Infection screening
Offering treatment
Gene therapy
Prenatal treatment.