Your baby’s development
Your baby is now around 2cm long. Their arms and legs are growing fast and already moving around. Their eyelids are forming (although they can’t open yet) and their ears are developing. They now have little separated fingers and their tooth buds are continuing to develop. They’re becoming more active too – turning their head, curling their toes and opening and closing their tiny mouth.
You & your body
Healthy eating during pregnancy is as much about what foods to avoid as what foods to eat. Some food may harm your baby as well as making you ill, so food safety needs to be a priority. The Points below are some of the foods to avoid during pregnancy.
Foods which carry a risk of food poisoning and could make you ill:
• Undercooked or raw eggs or foods likely to be made with them, (including home-made mousses, ice cream and mayonnaise)
• Undercooked or very rare meat, chicken and fish
• Raw fish or meat in dishes like sushi or steak tartare and smoked salmon
Even though antenatal classes are a long way off, if you’ve got a particular class in mind or a specific time, it’s a good idea to book your place well in advance. There are all kinds of classes available – your midwife should be able to tell you more about the ones in your area.
Foods which contain elements that could harm your baby:
• Unpasteurised milk, cheese or yoghurt, soft cheeses like brie, camembert, ricotta or blue veined cheeses (ordinary cheddar cheese or cottage cheese is fine as long as they are made with pasteurised milk - check the label!)
• Pâté or liver – these can have excessive amounts of vitamin A which can harm your baby. There’s also an increased risk of these foods containing listeria.
• Swordfish, marlin, shark and tuna. These fish can contain mercury which can harm your baby’s developing nervous system. If you can’t live without tuna, keep it to twice a week at most