The most important thing to do is to make sure that you are following a strict gluten free diet.  Many people with coeliac disease have never seen a dietitian for advice.  If you have never seen a dietitian or if it has been a few years since you were last seen, do ask your GP to refer you to your local HSE dietitian or you can find a list of private CORU registered Dietitians at www.sedi.ie. The Coeliac Society now has a specialist dietitian clinic where you can see a CORU Registered dietitian.  Make sure you do see a CORU registered dietitian as they are the only nutrition experts in Ireland who are qualified to treat coeliac disease and it is important that you get the right advice at this stage.

Along with following a strict gluten-free diet you may need some additional supplements.  Although all women who are thinking about having a baby should take 400mcg of folic acid everyday, women with coeliac disease may need more.  You may need up to 5000mcg of folic acid per day.  This is only available on prescription so do talk to your GP and Dietitian about whether or not you need the higher dose.

People with coeliac disease can have difficulty absorbing all of the calcium that they need so it is important to make sure you are eating enough foods that are rich in calcium during your pregnancy.  Milk, cheese and yoghurt are all good sources.  Calcium-fortified plant milks and tofu are useful sources of calcium. You will also find calcium in tinned salmon and sardines.  Although there is calcium in green vegetables, it is very difficult to eat enough of these to get all of the calcium that you need (you would need around 5 bags of rocket a day…).  Do talk to your dietitian about calcium in your diet.