Are you aware of dietary advice in pregnancy?

Where do you access this information? Are you replacing caffeinated tea and coffee for herbal teas? Did you know that herbal teas should also be limited to four cups per day as some herbal teas can interact with certain drugs and some can reduce the absorption of iron.

From a questionnaire, carried out during the PEAR Study (Pregnancy, the Environment And Nutrition), more than 10 per cent of midwives were ‘Not at all confident/Don’t know’ in providing advice about 10 of the 23 items we asked about, including game meat/game birds, herbal teas and cured meats. Only 32 per cent correctly recalled overall advice on eating fish and only 38 per cent recalled the advice on tinned tuna (it was commonly thought that the recommended maximum is two medium-sized cans per week, when it is actually four (NHS 2020a)). (Advice on foods and drinks to avoid or limit in pregnancy: perspectives from midwives and women in the PEAR Study. Caroline Taylor, Linda Mottram, Lucy Beasant MIDIRS Midwifery Digest 33:4 2023).