Pregnancy & breastfeeding

No alcohol is the best and safest choice
Drinking alcohol when you are pregnant can harm your baby. When you drink alcohol, so does your baby. There is no safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy and there is no safe amount of alcohol. Alcohol can also prevent your body getting the vitamins and other nutrients your growing baby needs. If you have diabetes or gestational diabetes, drinking alcohol makes the blood sugar level harder to control.

You may have heard about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD can happen when a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy. Drinking anytime during pregnancy can be harmful to baby. Babies with FASD may have problems with brain development, behaviour, language and communication, mental, social and emotional delays and abnormalities of the face. These disabilities are permanent.

It is never too late to stop drinking during your pregnancy
If you have been drinking, try to safely stop as soon as you can to increase your chances of having a healthy baby. It can be dangerous to stop drinking abruptly so have a yarn with your doctor or midwife. They can help you to safely slow down or stop.

Getting help

The free Get Healthy in Pregnancy Program can help provide you with the support and motivation you need during your pregnancy and after bub is born.

Visit the Get Healthy website to find out more.

If you smoke, the best thing for the health of your baby and yourself is to quit. The poisons in tobacco smoke cause serious harm to you and to your baby. Your baby can be born too soon, too small or there may be an increased risk of your baby dying unexpectedly. Children are more likely to develop chest infections, asthma and ear infections if adults smoke around them.

Pregnancy is a good time to give up smoking for good. Talk to your Aboriginal health worker about quit smoking programs such as Quit for New Life. You can also call the Quitline on 13 78 48.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug in energy drinks, coke, chocolate, coffee and tea. There are concerns that too much caffeine may increase the risk of miscarriage and sometimes can make babies unsettled. Avoid energy drinks, coke, tea, coffee.

​​​Some drugs (either prescription drugs or medicines you buy from the chemist without a script) may be harmful in pregnancy.

If you are thinking of taking any medicines in pregnancy:

• check with your pharmacist, midwife or doctor first
• use the lowest dose
• be aware that some common pain killers including aspirin and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (eg Nurofen) may cause problems in pregnancy
• paracetamol is considered the safest option
• avoid over the counter drugs if possible

For more information call the Mothersafe telephone service on (02) 9382 6539 (Sydney) or 1800 647 848 (outside Sydney) (See ‘How do I know what’s safe and what is not below).

Don’t stop taking your regular medicines before checking with your doctor or pharmacist.​​​

Many people think that herbal products are safer because they’re natural. But herbs can have very strong effects, so it’s best to be as careful with them as you are about other medicines.

Unlike medications made in a lab, herbs made by nature can vary a lot in their strength so it can be difficult to know for certain whether the dose you are taking is safe or not. The safest thing to do is to ask your doctor before you take anything, whether it’s a herbal product or medication from the chemist.

Most drugs taken during pregnancy will reach the baby exactly what’s in illicit drugs such as cannabis, speed, ice, contain more than one type of drug and/or be mixed with other substances. This makes it hard to know what effect they may have on the pregnancy or the developing baby, but we know they increase the risk of complications for you and your baby.

Using more than one drug, as well as alcohol is another concern because the effects on the pregnancy or the baby are unknown. Regular use of some drugs, including cocaine, speed and heroin can also cause withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth.

The safest option for a pregnant woman is to not use any illicit drugs. People who inject illicit drugs or steroids can be at risk of catching viruses such as hepatitis C and hepatitis B. If you are using drugs, speak with your doctor or midwife as soon as possible to discuss your choices in pregnancy care.

These drugs not only hurt you but can cause major problems for your baby. Your baby may have problems learning to talk and problems learning at school. Have a yarn to your midwife, Aboriginal health worker or doctor, they can help you cut down safely. There are services that may be able to assist. (See ‘How do I know what’s safe and what isn’t?’ below).

If you took drugs before you knew you were pregnant, it’s important not to panic. Speak to your midwife, doctor or contact MotherSafe, a counselling service for women and their healthcare providers about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding, on 9382 6539 (Sydney Metropolitan area) or 1800 647 848 (non-metropolitan area NSW)

(Valium, Normison, Serepax, Hypnodorm, Xanax, Temaze)

• these drugs cross the placental barrier and can affect the growth and development of the baby.
• they can produce withdrawal symptoms in newborn babies.
• if you have been prescribed benzodiazepine, it is important that you speak with your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.
• these drugs can also be passed from mother to baby through breast milk. The baby’s body cannot process these drugs quickly and they can build up in high doses.

• smoking cannabis with tobacco means you inhale carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals that may cause problems for the baby.
• it increases the risk that the baby will be born prematurely and with lower birth weight.

• cocaine use increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
• it can narrow the blood vessels in both the mother’s uterus and in the baby which reduces the blood supply to the baby, causing growth problems, and can cause the placenta to detach from the uterus.

(speed, ice, crystal meth)

• methamphetamines increase the heart rate of mother and the developing baby.
• like cocaine, these drugs can narrow the baby’s blood vessels causing growth problems and may also cause the placenta to detach from the uterus.
• smoking cigarettes can increase the effect of speed on the baby’s blood vessels.
• using these drugs during pregnancy has been linked with bleeding, early labour, miscarriage and an increased risk of fetal abnormalities.

• ecstasy causes a rise in blood pressure and body temperature which can cause complications in pregnancy and problems for the baby.
• the use of these types of drugs during pregnancy has been associated with delayed development and subtle abnormalities.

(heroin, morphine, pethidine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone, tramadol)

• opioid use in pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

If you use heroin or other opioid drugs, talk to your midwife or doctor about replacing them with a methadone program. Using methadone or bupe (buprenorphine) rather than heroin can:

• improve the health of you and your baby
• reduce risks to your baby
• reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy
• help to stabilise drug use and lifestyle.