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It's certainly true that a double pregnancy is more work for your body than one, and that there is an increased risk of developing pregnancy-related complications than with a single pregnancy. But just as with single pregnancies, being pregnant

is essential for healthy fetal development. In fact, some studies have shown a link between low levels of maternal cholesterol in early pregnancy with serious malformation of the fetus' brain, limbs and central nervous system. Avoiding cholesterol

that you realise it's a multiple pregnancy. So you might want to find out more about any special circumstances of a twin pregnancy, find out how fetal development differs for twins and make doubly sure that you eat well. Fetal development in the first

AlcoholWhy you should avoid itAlcohol passes through the placenta and into the fetal system, but the fetus is far less able to process alcohol than the mother, so a few drinks for you means a lot of drinks for your baby. There’s plenty of evidence

Month Four | Month Five | Month six The Fourth MonthWelcome to your second trimester! This is usually the part of pregnancy that women enjoy most as the 12-week scan - and the most critical phase of fetal development - is safely behind them

Need to Know? Pregnancy by Harriet Sharkey A useful week-by-week guide to your pregnancySome of the pictures may be a bit graphic if you're still getting your head round pregnancy! Features: Week by week development and pregnancy issues, A to Z

12 is important for fetal growth and development. Most people can draw the right amount of this vitamin from a good diet, but some people do need to have a supplement.B6 is valuable to help the fetus develop a good nervous system.Getting the right

but if you do, check out our article on why eating fish is good for fetal development but also, why you should moderate your intake of oily fish.In the UK (and the West in general) our diet tends to be quite protein heavy, but if you have got used to a diet

their due date, and therefore the due date is a good point for you to focus on in terms of giving yourself time by which to get yourself organised. It also gives your midwife and hospital care team a fairly good idea of how your baby is developing (at scans