Published: 26 March 2013 Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality
and Morbidity 2011 Published: 27 November 2012 Births in
Scottish Hospitals, year ending 31 March 2011 Published: 28
August 2012 Healthy Birthweight, year ending March 2010 The
health of a woman is an important factor in pregnancy, as we
know from evidence that in general, healthy women have healthy
babies. There are many lifestyle factors relating to the
physical and emotional well-being of a woman during pregnancy.
For example, maintaining a healthy diet and taking regular
exercise are known to be beneficial to the health of the woman
and the baby. Medical care is also important during pregnancy
and through regular antenatal care and screening, the health of
the woman and the baby can be monitored. There are also factors
associated with risk to the health of the mother and baby e.g.
smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, age and deprivation. Maternal
smoking can influence the health of a woman and can influence
the risk of having a low birth weight bab