What You Should Know About Your Pregnancy

If you’re wondering about healthy eating, which pregnancy supplements to take, or whether you should be sleeping on your back, this guide is for you. We’ve gathered the questions our therapists hear most often into one editorial reference — check back from time to time for new answers, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

Disclaimer: All information provided here is presented for educational purposes only. We believe the information published is accurate but it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Please seek the help of a qualified doctor if you have any health concerns. We offer this guide without any warranty, express or implied, and Beauty Mums & Babies is not liable for its accuracy, mistakes, errors, or omissions.

Healthy weight gain in pregnancy

Weight gain in pregnancies varies from person to person — it also depends on your weight before you become pregnant. Most pregnant women gain between 10 kg and 12.5 kg (22 lb to 26 lb), putting on most of the weight after week 20. Much of the extra weight is due to your baby growing, but your body will also be storing fat, ready to make breast milk after your baby is born. Putting on too much or too little weight while you’re pregnant can lead to health problems for you or your unborn baby. But don’t worry, it’s easy to make healthy food choices.

Most pregnant women gain between 10 kg and 12.5 kg — most of it after week 20. Your obstetrician will check you’re tracking against your individual band.

Pregnancy supplements: vitamins & minerals

You’ll get most of the vitamins and minerals you need by eating a healthy, varied diet. But when you’re pregnant (and while you are trying to get pregnant), you also need to take a folic acid supplement. Folic acid is critical for the development of the baby’s neural tube and dramatically reduces the risk of neural-tube defects when taken from the start of pregnancy — ideally even before conception.

Also, because we’re indoors a lot of the time, we might not be getting enough vitamin D from sunshine. You should consider taking a vitamin D supplement — available from most pharmacies, supermarkets, and other retailers. You just need 10 micrograms a day. Always check supplements are pregnancy-safe with your pharmacist before starting.

Sleep positions in pregnancy

Foods to avoid (and what to enjoy)

Some foods can pose risks during pregnancy — not because they’re harmful in normal life, but because pregnancy lowers your immune response and certain bacteria, parasites, or toxins can cross the placenta. The headline list to avoid: unpasteurised milk and soft cheeses, raw or undercooked eggs and meat, certain fish high in mercury (king mackerel, marlin, swordfish, big tuna), liver and liver products in high quantities, and excess caffeine (cap at around 200 mg/day — roughly two cups of coffee).

What you can enjoy more freely: a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain carbs, lean meats and fish low in mercury (salmon, sardines), pasteurised dairy, eggs cooked until both yolk and white are firm, and beans and pulses for fibre. Eat little and often — six small meals a day reduces nausea and reflux better than three large ones.

You don’t need to eat for two — you need to eat thoughtfully for two. Quality over quantity, every single meal.

Pregnancy seatbelt positioning

Yes, you should keep wearing your seatbelt for the entire pregnancy — it’s safer for you and your baby than going without. The lap belt should sit under your bump, low across your hips, and the shoulder strap should run between your breasts and to the side of your bump. Never run the strap across your bump or under your arm. If your standard belt isn’t comfortable, a maternity seatbelt positioner can help maintain the right alignment as your bump grows.

Exercise & staying active

Regular gentle exercise is one of the best gifts you can give yourself in pregnancy. It boosts mood through endorphin release, helps you sleep better, reduces back pain, supports a smoother labour, and shortens recovery. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week — walking, swimming, prenatal yoga, and stationary cycling are all excellent. Stop and rest at the first sign of discomfort, and avoid contact sports, hot yoga, and any activity with a meaningful fall risk.

Prenatal massage & bodywork

Pregnancy puts new demands on your spine, hips, and pelvis. A pregnancy-safe massage from a trained prenatal therapist eases lower-back compression, relieves leg swelling, calms anxiety, and improves sleep. At BMB our prenatal massage therapists use side-lying positioning from the second trimester, pregnancy-safe oils screened on the day, and pressure points chosen to avoid any that are contraindicated for your stage.

Antenatal classes & birth preparation

Antenatal classes — covering labour stages, breathing and movement during contractions, pain-relief options, partner roles, and what to expect in the early days with a newborn — are one of the most valuable investments you can make in pregnancy. Most mums book a Bump-to-Birth course in their second or early third trimester, paired with an Infant First Aid Workshop closer to your due date. The combination demystifies the moments most expecting parents are most anxious about, and gives you and your partner a shared language for what’s about to happen.

BMB runs a small-cohort Bump-to-Birth Hands-On Crash Class at our Orchard studio — we keep numbers tight so every parent gets hands-on time with the therapists. Reach out for the next date.

Breastfeeding preparation & lactation support

Most first-time mums find breastfeeding harder than expected — not because they’re doing anything wrong, but because the early days involve a real learning curve for both mum and baby. Doing an antenatal breastfeeding workshop (week 28 onward is ideal) means you arrive at delivery with a sense of what a good latch looks like, how to position your baby for the most common feeds, and how to spot the early signs of common issues (engorgement, blocked ducts, low supply, oversupply).

If problems do come up postpartum, our IBCLC-aligned lactation consultants can usually resolve them in one or two sessions. Don’t struggle in silence — reach out early. Most lactation problems are far easier to fix when caught in the first two weeks than after a month of pain.

Postnatal recovery: setting the foundation now

Decisions you make in the third trimester make a real difference to your postnatal recovery. Book your postnatal massage package before you give birth so it’s ready to start at week one (jamu massage, lymphatic drainage, and bengkung wrap work best when started early in the recovery window). Pre-arrange home-service appointments so you’re not coordinating logistics with a newborn in your lap and broken sleep behind you. Talk to your GP about pelvic-floor recovery and whether you’d benefit from a postnatal physiotherapy referral — particularly if you’ve experienced any incontinence or pelvic pressure in the third trimester. The mums who recover fastest are almost always the ones who’ve laid the groundwork before delivery, not the ones who scramble afterwards.

When to call your doctor

Trust your instincts — call your obstetrician or midwife if you experience: bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina, severe abdominal pain, severe persistent headache, blurred vision, dramatic reduction in baby’s movements after 24 weeks, contractions before 37 weeks, persistent vomiting, sudden swelling of hands and face (could indicate pre-eclampsia), or a sense that something is genuinely wrong. Trained ears would much rather take a phone call that turns out to be nothing than miss one that turns out to be something.

Beyond physical symptoms, please don’t dismiss persistent low mood, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts — these matter just as much as the physical signs. Antenatal depression and anxiety are common, treatable, and not a reflection on you as a mother. Reach out to your obstetrician, GP, or a perinatal mental-health specialist. Early support makes the rest of pregnancy and the postpartum window dramatically easier for both you and your baby.