Questions often asked.

We have listed the questions most frequently asked at the practice during surgery, when on duty and by telephone.

Question 1:
When is my baby due?

Question 2:
Will an ultrasound be made to determine the due date?

Question 3:
Pre-natal diagnostic?

Question 5:
How can I make an appointment ?

Question 6:
What else must I keep in mind?

And by subject:

Nutrition .
When you are pregnant it is not necessary to eat for two. In principle you should use the 'disk of four'. See to it that you eat sufficient vegetables and fruit and take in the recommended dosage. You will find more information about nutrition on www.voedingscentrum.nl.

There are a few things you should avoid eating during pregnancy because these can have a negative influence on the development of your baby, i.e.:

• Cheese made with raw milk (au lait cru); these can contain a listeria bacterium. Practically all the cheeses you get at the supermarket are pasteurised or sterilized. These are not prejudicial to the development of your baby. If you are in doubt, ask the cheese merchant or read the information on the packet.
• Listeria can also occur on vegetables and fruit. Therefore you should heat/cook your vegetables well. It is necessary to rinse (raw) lettuce and vegetable and fruit thoroughly (even if the vegetables have already been washed according to the label on the packet.).
• Toxoplasmosea is a parasite that occurs in the faeces of (young) cats. If you have a cat, have someone else clean the cat-litter for you. The same parasite can also occur in raw meat (In the shops you will find, for instance, carpaccio, osseworst, filet americain and steak). Don't eat any of these.
• Vitamin A occurs in liver, liver products ('leverworst, pastei, paté) and other offal like kidneys. Too much vitamin A can lead to brain damage in the foetus. You can eat these products, but limit yourself to once every two weeks. A 'leverworst' sandwich every day is too much of a good thing.

Roken.
Liefst stoppen of in ieder geval minderen met roken, als je rookt!!!!!!
Roken in de zwangerschap is schadelijk voor de foetus. Iedere sigaret minder telt. Roken kan groeiachterstand veroorzaken en problemen met de placenta (moederkoek) opleveren en op die manier voor schade bij de foetus zorgen.
Roken na de geboorte van de baby kan wiegendood veroorzaken. Kijk ook op de website www.stivoro.nl voor meer informatie en mogelijkheden om te stoppen met roken.

Alcohol.
Opinions are divided on imbibing alcohol during pregnancy. A safe limit to alcohol intake cannot be given.

Medication.
If you wish to have children and are using medication for a certain disease, it is a good idea to discuss with your doctor whether or not that medication can be used during pregnancy. If you are already pregnant and you don't know whether the medication concerned may be used, please contact your doctor or us. This is important because some ingredients can influence the development of the foetus early in pregnancy.

Folic acid.
An exception to the rule not to take any medication during pregnancy is the vitamin folic acid. Women who are or wish to become pregnant are advised to take folic acid until after they have been pregnant for 10 weeks. This lessens the chance of having a baby with spina bifida (a congenital defect of the spine in which part of the spinal cord and its meninges are exposed through a gap in the backbone), a harelip or cleft palate. You can get the tablets without a prescription at the chemist's or the pharmacy. A daily dose of one tablet of 0.5 mg. is sufficient. If you want to take extra vitamins (during a healthy pregnancy this is not necessary) you should buy multivitamins specifically for pregnant women. That way you can be sure to get the right dosage of vitamins.

Breastfeeding .
Breastfeeding is no longer a matter of course. If you intend to breastfeed your baby it is advisable to look into the way breasts work, which techniques there are to give the baby a breast, how you will know whether or not the baby gets enough, what to do when you want to start work again, etc.

You can find more information on www.borstvoeding.nl and/or www.borstvoeding.com , but also at various informative meetings. These meetings are organised by volunteers for breastfeeding (Borstvoeding Natuurlijk which can be reached via 0343-576626) and by the 'Borstvoeding' Centre in Amsterdam (020-4700321, open between 09.00 and 13.00 hours). In the 'Borstvoeding' Centre there are lactation experts who are specialized in assisting you when breastfeeding. In the shop you will find aids for breastfeeding and literature about breastfeeding

This website is meant to give you basic information. We are always available for questions. We wish you a good pregnancy and delivery.