Pregnancy questions: alcohol, sickness and headaches

Common pregnancy worries: alcohol, sickness and headaches | Questions during pregnancy | First trimester

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Carol Cooper, GP and author of Your Clever Baby: How to make the most of you child's potential answers common questions from the first trimester of pregnancy.

1. I've only just found out that I'm 8 weeks pregnant. I had a couple of big nights out with friends, will this harm the baby?

The evidence says that binge drinking or drinking regularly may harm a baby, and the more you drink the more risk there is.

But don't beat yourself up if you've been out, there's no evidence that the odd drink will harm your baby. Remember in the old days women used to drink all through their pregnancies.

I doubt a few nights out would harm your baby, but it's safest to not drink from this point onwards.

2. I've had awful morning sickness and have hardly eaten a thing for weeks. Will this affect my baby? What can I eat?

Some people believe that the worse the morning sickness, the better the baby is growing - because the sickness is due to the hormones.

Morning sickness tends not to affect your baby. But if you're being sick all the time and not getting any nutrients you should see your doctor. In very extreme cases you might need to go to hospital to go on a drip.

To stop morning sickness try eating little and often, avoiding fried food, avoid travelling and avoid strong smells like paint. Ginger is good for sickness so try eating a ginger biscuit.

3. I've got a constant headache - is it ok to take paracetamol? Is there anything else that might help?

Headaches are really common in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Paracetamol is safe, but I'd recommend a low dose as a precaution - maybe just 4 or 6 a day. An ice pack or a cold compress on your head could help too.

If you've got a constant headache or later in pregnancy you have a severe headache it's a good idea to tell your doctor or midwife.