Which websites can help me with my pregnancy?
If you are pregnant, or thinking about having a baby, there are numerous websites on the internet that offer practical advice on a whole range of topics. There are also lots of online communities, forums and message boards where people can share their experiences of pregnancy issues.
As well as getting advice and support from websites, you can also shop online for baby wear, cots, buggies, and all pregnancy-related goods.
Don’t forget to search for product reviews in a search engine. Just type in the product “name” and “review”. It could save you money and make sure you get the right product for your child.
BBC Health website
The BBC Health website, bbc.co.uk/health, is an excellent place to start your online search. If you're looking for some pregnancy advice or just want to find out about pregnancy, there is a wealth of information in their pregnancy guide:
BBC message boards
You can share your thoughts and experiences – whether you’re already a parent or thinking of becoming one - on the BBC Parenting message boards. Topics include:
Also remember that you can search the whole of bbc.co.uk by using the search box found on every BBC web page. Type in “pregnancy” to see the results. You might find the latest TV or radio programme covering issues around health and pregnancy, or come across pregnancy-related features on other BBC websites.
Teenage pregnancy
Type “teenage pregnancy” into the search box on bbc.co.uk and plenty of results will come up which should offer you some useful information. There will also be links to videos from the latest TV and radio programmes featuring young parents and mums-to-be.
Disability site
The BBC Ouch website has advice for disabled mums and dads, or parents of disabled children. Talk, get advice and ask questions on the message boards.
Other useful sites
It is important when using pregnancy and parenting forums to remember that the information could be biased and be based on one person’s view, and could therefore not be accurate.
You should look for a range of information from different websites and check out any comments left by other visitors to that website. Also, look to see if the information is backed by an official source such as the Royal College of Nursing.
The National Childbirth Trust is the UK's leading charity for parents. They help over a million mums and dads each year through pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood. You can use their website to locate your nearest NCT branch, where you’ll be able to find out about local learning and support meetings and nearly new sales of baby equipment.
Direct.gov is a useful site - it is the one place where you will find all government advice and resources regarding pregnancy (eg information on maternity and paternity leave). For disabled parents, you can visit the Direct.gov section for all aspects of disability, pregnancy and parenthood among disabled parents.
Take a look at NHS Choices - the comprehensive National Health Service website. It has plenty of antenatal information, including common pregnancy questions and an interactive pregnancy care planner.
JustParents and Mumsnet are two more websites which offer expert articles, blogs and communities where you can learn about and share your thoughts on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting in general.
And, of course, many of these websites have Facebook or other social media groups that you can join.
Tim Furby
Tim produces broadcast and social video, builds websites, designs mobile apps, and trains media professionals. He has many years of experience in working in digital media, including 10 years at the BBC as a producer and commissioning editor.
