Family health advice
Deciding to start a family can be an exciting time, but the journey along the way can be a bumpy one. Discover our bank of expert advice to support you from pregnancy to the healthy development of yourself and your children.
Your health in pregnancy
Modifying your diet and exercise routine when you're pregnant may be necessary, but it can be hard to know what to do and what to avoid.
Diet
It's well known to avoid alcohol, raw meat and cheeses during pregnancy, but what else should you consider during the trimesters? From minimising morning sickness to increasing your iron intake, discover our pregnancy diet tips.
Exercise
Regular exercise can help you build strength for when the baby is born and help the baby too. Discuss your exercise routine with your midwife, and discover our safe, recommended exercises for all trimesters.
Prenatal Mobility Workout
Why not try our 20-minute prenatal workout, which has been developed by Nuffield Health experts in pregnancy fitness. It's designed to build strength and mobility to help you through labour and the demands of motherhood.
Coping with lifestyle changes
From bonding with your newborn to embracing a new life stage, there are lots of changes to accommodate when you start a family. Some changes will come naturally, others will require more adjustment.
What changes can you expect?
Sleep deprivation, hormonal changes and aches and pains are all to be expected in the first few months of parenthood. The emotional toll of responsibility for a new life and changes in lifestyle can be challenging.
Discover some emotional support techniques to help you through.
Try the STOP technique in challenging situations:
S – Stop. Take a minute to notice what you can see, hear and feel.
T – Take a deep breath.
O – Observe. Notice your breath, and how it makes you feel.
P – Proceed. Now you’re more aware, you can respond more intentionally and mindfully.
Relationship changes
A new baby can bring couples, families and friends closer together, but changed priorities and a lack of time can create challenges.
In the beginning, your relationship with your partner may be impacted by lack of sleep, and practical issues that cause tension between you.
It can also cause friction between you and your family and friends if they don't get involved as much as you expected, or you may even feel they're involved too much.Handling relationship problems
Finding time for you
When you’re so focused on being a parent and putting other people first, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself. But when you're feeling good and refreshed, you're better equipped to care for others, so don’t feel guilty about enjoying some time out.
Relaxation
Taking just five minutes a day can make a big difference to your wellbeing and how you cope with situations. Learn about the technique of mindfulness.
Massage
Relaxation, better circulation, easing of tension, better sleep, improved focus and moisturised skin are all benefits of having a massage.
Exercise
Many parents find fitting in time for exercise on a daily basis is difficult. Making time for your health will always pay off for your health.
Children's food and exercise
Many parents worry their children aren’t getting enough exercise or eating the right food. It can be worrying if your child won’t eat certain foods and with constant access to screens and electronic hobbies it means children can be sitting down for longer periods.
Feeding the family
Family meal times can be stressful, particularly if you have a fussy eater. Discover quick and easy recipes for children:
5 easy packed lunches
Packing a nutritious lunch
Build a chicken wrap
Salmon bites with sweet potato mash
Keeping active
Children should have at least one hour of exercise a day, but it can be tough convincing them to get out of the house. Here are a few exercise ideas that feels like fun:
- ✓ Football in the park
✓ Swimming
✓ Bike riding
✓ Going for a long walk
- ✓ A game of frisbee
✓ Playing at the park
✓ Roller skating
✓ Playing music to dance to.
Choosing a nursery
When it comes to choosing a nursery for your child, it’s important you feel you’ve made the right decision; but where do you start? Leaving your child in the care of someone else is never easy, so discover our top tips for choosing a nursery.
- 1Check the nursery’s Ofsted rating
2Take a tour
3What else is on offer?
4Staff turnover
5Nutrition
6Outdoor space
7Costs.
Being a fit grandparent
Being a grandparent can be hard work. Chasing after little ones can get more difficult as we get older. The best way to keep your body strong is through diet and exercise, but as we age our bodies change and you may want to adapt the exercise that you do. This might mean opting for lower impact exercise or building and maintaining strength.
Exercise classes
Exercise classes are a great way of keeping your body strong with low Impact exercise. 5 of the best exercise classes for the over 55s:
Discover more classes