Advice on foods/drinks to avoid or limit in pregnancy: perspectives from midwives and women in the PEAR Study

The consequences of not following advice on
foods/drinks to avoid or limit in pregnancy can
be serious. As trusted providers of information,
midwives need to able to communicate the
guidance confidently, effectively and accurately to
women. As part of the PEAR Study (Pregnancy,
the Environment And nutRition) (pearstudy.
com/), we have investigated the role of midwives
in advising women and identified the barriers they
experience when delivering advice on foods/drinks
to avoid or limit in pregnancy.
Midwives lacked confidence in being able to pass on
advice about many foods and drinks to avoid or limit,
and there were some items about which they were
mistaken when asked to recall the guidance. They
would like to be able to access appropriate training
and resources on the guidance on foods/drinks to
avoid or limit, and to have adequate time available in
appointments to discuss this. In this article, we will
also describe our ongoing work investigating how
effective the guidance is for women.