Nurse

A study produced in partnership with the BPSU has found that very few babies become dehydrated or seriously ill because they are not getting enough milk from breastfeeding.

Severe hypernatraemia is a rare but potentially fatal condition which occurs when dehydration causes levels of salt in the baby’s blood to rise dramatically. If left untreated it may lead to seizures, gangrene, brain damage – and in the worse cases death.

Researchers have claimed that pregnancy can forever change a woman's shoe size, which could lead to arthritis.

Feet grow up to 1cm longer while women are pregnant, possibly because of extra weight and looser joints, and between 60% and 70% of women are affected.

First-time mothers are more susceptible.

Even after labour their feet do not return to their normal size.

A study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has claimed that women taking folic acid supplements in early pregnancy can cut their child's risk of autism by 40%.

To get the full benefit, women should start taking the supplements four weeks before attempting to conceive and for eight weeks after conception.

The study said this timing played a key role in the impact made by the supplements.