Infections That May Affect Your Baby

There are certain infections which a pregnant woman may already have when she conceives, or may catch during pregnancy, which can affect her unborn baby. Here are some:

Rubella

Rubella (German measles) caught in the first four months of pregnancy can seriously affect an unborn baby's sight and hearing. In severe cases it can cause brain and heart abnormalities.

In the UK all children are vaccinated against rubella at 13 months old and again before starting school.

Your GP can check your immunity.

Sexually transmitted infections

You can have an STI and show no symptoms, but an STI can affect an unborn and newborn baby's health. If you have any doubts, about you or your partner, arrange for a confidential check-up with your GP or at a sexual health clinic.

HIV and AIDS

All pregnant women are offered an HIV test during antenatal check-ups. An HIV-positive woman in good health and without symptoms can have a normal pregnancy and it is possible to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to a baby during pregnancy and after birth. However HIV-positive mothers can pass on the virus through breast milk.

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are viruses infecting the liver.

Some people with hepatitis B have no symptoms, but they can be carriers and pass the infection by having unprotected sex or through their infected blood. Mothers can pass the infection on to their baby at birth.

A blood test to check for hepatitis B is offered to all pregnant women during antenatal care.

Babies who are considered at risk are given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth to prevent infection or liver disease in later life.

Although the associated risks are lower with hepatitis C a pregnant woman can pass it to her baby who will need specialist assessment and treatment if infected.

Herpes

Genital herpes can be caught through genital contact with an infected person or from oral sex with someone who has cold sores (oral herpes) and it can be very dangerous for an unborn baby.

If infection occurs in pregnancy, treatment is available. If it is only diagnosed during labour, a caesarean section may be carried out to avoid passing the infection to the baby during delivery.

Chickenpox

If you are pregnant, are not sure if you've had chickenpox and have come into contact with an infected child or adult tell your GP immediately. Chickenpox in pregnancy can be dangerous for both mother and baby.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis can be caught through contact with cat faeces and it can damage an unborn baby. Most of us catch it at some time and are then immune.

Group B streptococcus

This bacteria, carried by a third of the population, rarely causes symptoms. In women it's found in the intestine and vagina and in a small number of pregnancies it infects the baby, usually just before or during labour, leading to serious illness. Antibiotics can protect the baby from being infected.

Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma's Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. Debra writes on pregnancy related topics such as baby and pregnancy , baby infections, pregnancy complications and etc. She also writes on women's health and beauty issues and contributes travel articles to glossy magazines in London and the Home Counties.

Infections That May Affect Your Baby

There are certain infections which a pregnant woman may already have when she conceives, or may catch during pregnancy, which can affect her unborn baby. Here are some:

Rubella

Rubella (German measles) caught in the first four months of pregnancy can seriously affect an unborn baby's sight and hearing. In severe cases it can cause brain and heart abnormalities.

In the UK all children are vaccinated against rubella at 13 months old and again before starting school.

Your GP can check your immunity.

Sexually transmitted infections

You can have an STI and show no symptoms, but an STI can affect an unborn and newborn baby's health. If you have any doubts, about you or your partner, arrange for a confidential check-up with your GP or at a sexual health clinic.

HIV and AIDS

All pregnant women are offered an HIV test during antenatal check-ups. An HIV-positive woman in good health and without symptoms can have a normal pregnancy and it is possible to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to a baby during pregnancy and after birth. However HIV-positive mothers can pass on the virus through breast milk.

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are viruses infecting the liver.

Some people with hepatitis B have no symptoms, but they can be carriers and pass the infection by having unprotected sex or through their infected blood. Mothers can pass the infection on to their baby at birth.

A blood test to check for hepatitis B is offered to all pregnant women during antenatal care.

Babies who are considered at risk are given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth to prevent infection or liver disease in later life.

Although the associated risks are lower with hepatitis C a pregnant woman can pass it to her baby who will need specialist assessment and treatment if infected.

Herpes

Genital herpes can be caught through genital contact with an infected person or from oral sex with someone who has cold sores (oral herpes) and it can be very dangerous for an unborn baby.

If infection occurs in pregnancy, treatment is available. If it is only diagnosed during labour, a caesarean section may be carried out to avoid passing the infection to the baby during delivery.

Chickenpox

If you are pregnant, are not sure if you've had chickenpox and have come into contact with an infected child or adult tell your GP immediately. Chickenpox in pregnancy can be dangerous for both mother and baby.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis can be caught through contact with cat faeces and it can damage an unborn baby. Most of us catch it at some time and are then immune.

Group B streptococcus

This bacteria, carried by a third of the population, rarely causes symptoms. In women it's found in the intestine and vagina and in a small number of pregnancies it infects the baby, usually just before or during labour, leading to serious illness. Antibiotics can protect the baby from being infected.

Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma's Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. Debra writes on pregnancy related topics such as baby and pregnancy , baby infections, pregnancy complications and etc. She also writes on women's health and beauty issues and contributes travel articles to glossy magazines in London and the Home Counties.

Can Your Eating Habits Affect the Sex of Your Baby?

Studies show that a mother's diet at the time of conception influences whether she conceives a boy or a girl. Although sex is genetically determined by whether sperm from the father supplies an X or Y chromosome, it appears that a mother's body can favor the successful conception and development of a male or female embryo.

The first of these studies was conducted by researchers from Oxford University and the University of Exeter in England. This study established the initial evidence that a child's sex is related to a mother's diet. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences and showed a link between higher energy intake around the time of conception and the birth of boys. This helps explain the reduction in the birthrate of boys in industrialized countries (a falling conceive baby boy rate), including the United States and Britain.

The findings of this study were based on an analysis of 740 first-time pregnant mothers in Great Britain who didn't know the sex of their fetus. These women provided records of their eating habits before and during the early stages of their pregnancy, and researchers analyzed the data based on estimated calorie intake at the time of conception. According to the study, among women who ate the most, 56% of them had sons, while among women who ate the least, 45% of them had sons. As well as consuming more calories, women who had sons were more likely to have eaten a higher amount and larger variety of nutrients. There was also a strong correlation between women eating breakfast cereals and producing sons. Other studies show that high levels of glucose enhance the growth of male embryos while inhibiting the growth of female embryos. Male embryos appear to be less viable in women who regularly limit food intake, such as skipping breakfast, which results in depressed glucose levels. A low glucose level may be interpreted by the body as indicating poor environmental conditions and low food availability.

The consistency of the trend offers an explanation for the consistent decline in the proportion of boys born to girls born in industrialized countries over the last 40 years, where even though women in general appear to be consuming more, eating habits have changed. In the United States, for instance, the proportion of adults eating breakfast fell from 86% to 75% between 1965 and 1991. And although women may be eating more overall, a nutrient-poor diet could be less favorable to a male embryo (resulting in a falling conceive baby boy rate). Glucose levels also may fluctuate in women who are dieting and trying to lose weight prior to pregnancy. Similarly, as with animals, more males are produced when a mother ranks high in the group or has plentiful food resources.