Your Care Instructions

When you are pregnant, each thing you eat, drink, or take into your body may affect your developing baby. Try to eat healthy foods and drink lots of water while you are pregnant. There is no safe amount of alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, nicotine or other drug use, such as meth, cocaine, or heroin, while pregnant. Even a small amount can harm your developing baby and slow your baby's growth. Alcohol and other drug use during pregnancy can cause life-long health and behavioral problems in your child.

If you are thinking about getting pregnant, stop drinking alcohol, using cannabis, tobacco, nicotine and other drugs. You may not know when you get pregnant and using substances can cause problems before, during and after pregnancy. If you need help to quit, talk to your healthcare provider or call the Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322 for support.

How can you care for yourself at home?

• Stop drinking alcohol. Tell your doctor or midwife if you need help to quit. Counselling, support groups, and sometimes safer medicines can help you to quit. If you have tried quitting before, tell your doctor or midwife. Depending on how much you drink, some people may also need medical help to quit alcohol safely.
• Do not smoke, vape or let others smoke or vape around you. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking and vaping programs and medicines. This can increase your chances of quitting for good.
• Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. If you are struggling with appetite, talk to your healthcare provider.
• Drink lots of water every day. This can help reduce premature contractions.
• Take a daily vitamin with folic acid. A vitamin meant for anyone who is pregnant can help prevent birth defects.
• Increase calcium in your diet. Good choices include skim or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you can’t eat milk products, you can get calcium from calcium-fortified products such as orange juice, soy beverage, and tofu. Other sources of calcium include leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, and brussels sprouts.
• Limit the amount of caffeine you get to 300 mg or less each day. That's about 2 cups of coffee or tea. Coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate all have caffeine.
• Get regular exercise during pregnancy. Try to get 2½ hours a week. Walking and swimming are good exercises during pregnancy.
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve minor problems, such as a mild headache or backache or a mild fever with cold symptoms. Do not use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as any type of aspirin product, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve), unless your doctor says it is OK. Do not take any other medicine unless your doctor says it is OK.
• For over-the-counter products, consult the pharmacist to see if it is safe to use during pregnancy.
• If you are prescribed any medication, use as directed, to ensure safety.
• Go to all scheduled doctor or midwife visits while you are pregnant.