In 15 years of mediation work, the pattern I see repeatedly is Roma women visiting a doctor for the first time when they are already 6 or 7 months pregnant — often because they feel fine, because they fear the hospital, or because no one explained that prenatal care is free and their right. By that point, dangerous conditions like pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes may have been silently developing for months.
Go to your GP or midwife the moment you miss your period and suspect pregnancy. The first trimester is when folic acid prevents brain and spine defects in your baby. Waiting costs you the most critical window. If you do not have a GP, your health mediator can help you register — this is a core part of what we do
Folic acid 400mcg daily should start when you are trying to get pregnant, or as soon as you learn you are. It is free or very cheap at any pharmacy. I carry packets with me on home visits because this simple pill prevents devastating birth defects
Iron-rich foods prevent the anemia I see in nearly half the pregnant Roma women I work with: beans, lentils, dark leafy greens, liver, red meat. Anemia makes you exhausted, makes delivery more dangerous, and affects your baby's brain development
You have the right to receive prenatal care in your language, to be treated with dignity, and to have someone accompany you to appointments. If a doctor is dismissive or disrespectful, you can file a complaint and request another provider. Document the name, date, and what was said. I help families do this regularly
Roma women in Europe are 3 to 5 times more likely to experience pregnancy complications than the general population, largely because they access prenatal care later or not at all. In communities where I have worked to connect pregnant women to care in the first trimester, complication rates dropped dramatically.
If you are pregnant or know a pregnant woman in your community who has not yet seen a doctor, make that appointment today. If she is afraid or unsure how, go with her or connect her with the local health mediator. That one visit can change everything.