Pregnancy

Eating healthy and making nutritious choices is especially important while you are pregnant. Eating well gives your baby the nutrients they need to grow and develop. It also helps lower your risk of having health problems during pregnancy, such as low iron or high blood pressure.

Find out more about Healthy Eating for a Healthy Baby.

How much weight should you gain during pregnancy? The ideal amount of weight gain during your pregnancy depends on your BMI (Body Mass Index) before pregnancy.

The Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator will help you determine the weight gain that will promote a healthy pregnancy.

Mild nausea and vomiting is a normal part of pregnancy. It usually starts around the sixth week of pregnancy and improves by the twelfth week. For some women it persists throughout pregnancy. While it can be very unpleasant, the good news is that mild nausea and vomiting is not harmful to you or your unborn child. There are many ways of easing your nausea and vomiting.

Here are some tips to help you feel better during pregnancy.

There has been an increasing belief that cannabis is natural, harmless and can relieve some of the symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness, nausea and vomiting.

There is no known safe amount of cannabis use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Cannabis reaches your baby during pregnancy and may cause harmful long-term effects on your child’s development. The safest approach is to not use cannabis.

Talk to your health care provider if you have severe nausea and vomiting or before taking any medications to help you cope.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and most pregnant women can and should exercise. Exercise provides many benefits such as:

• Helping your body be strong and fit for labour and birth.
• Helping you sleep better.
• Helping you manage healthy weight gain.
• Boosting your mood and your energy level.
• Helping with constipation.
• Reducing backache.
• Reducing the likelihood of getting gestational diabetes.

Pregnant women should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. Speak to your health care provider if you have questions about exercising during pregnancy.

Read more about exercise in pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes happens when your body is not able to produce enough insulin during pregnancy. This may lead to health problems for you and your baby. There are things you can do to prevent and treat gestational diabetes.

• Find out more about Gestational diabetes.
• For tips on managing gestational diabetes, visit Diabetes Canada.

During pregnancy, prenatal screening tests help check if there is a chance that your pregnancy and/or baby have certain health conditions or complications. The results of these tests are used to personalize the care you receive in pregnancy. 

Find out more at My Screening Pathway and Prenatal Screening Ontario.

• Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can have serious effects on your baby.
• No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

If you drink alcohol while pregnant it can enter the baby’s bloodstream and may lead to the development of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which can cause lifelong physical, mental, and behavioural disabilities for the child.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) can impact the baby in many ways:

• Impair vision
• Damage brain causing difficulty learning and remembering
• Increase the risk of hearing loss
• Damage the heart, kidneys, liver and other important organs
• Cause bones to not form properly

If you need help with your alcohol use during pregnancy talk to your health care provider.

Quitting or reducing smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby. Smoking and second-hand smoke, including vaping and e-cigarettes, are harmful to both you and your baby during and after pregnancy.

Smoking while pregnant can cause:

• Miscarriage.
• Early labour and birth.
• Low birth weight baby.
• Increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• A child more likely to have asthma, behavioural problems, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Quitting smoking while you are pregnant is safe for both you and your baby. Talk to your health care provider for help.

More information on smoking and vaping.

Cannabis, also called marijuana, weed or pot, is the most commonly used recreational drug among pregnant women. Cannabis in all forms, whether smoked or vaped, eaten, applied as a cream, or taken as a pill, may affect your baby’s brain development and can result in learning and behavioural issues that last throughout their life.

There is no known safe amount of cannabis use when pregnant or breastfeeding.

Using cannabis in pregnancy is not safe because your baby:

• Might not get enough oxygen to grow well.
• Can be born too early, or too small.
• Can have long term heart problems.
• Can have mental health concerns throughout their life.
• Can have withdrawal signs at birth, like problems sleeping.

Using cannabis in pregnancy can affect your child's:

• Memory and learning.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Emotions and behaviour.
• Ability to focus and pay attention.

Learn more through our free online prenatal classes.

• What you need to know: cannabis, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Thinking about using cannabis before or during pregnancy? Get the facts here.
• Frequently asked question about cannabis use in pregnancy.

Opioids refer to several drugs, including prescription opioids for pain control, such as hydromorphone and oxycodone, and unregulated drugs, such as heroin.

Opioid use during pregnancy can affect your health and the health of your baby. Opioids can alter your baby’s brain development and may lead to learning and behavioural problems that last throughout their life.

If you suddenly stop taking opiates during pregnancy, it may cause early labour or miscarriage. There are safe and effective treatments available to help women manage opioid use during pregnancy. Speak with your health care provider to learn more about your options.

Learn more about pregnancy and opioids and opioids and overdose prevention.