Pregnancy and Childbirth
On pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and caring for a newborn during wartime.
On pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and caring for a newborn during wartime.
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Family Care Centers
Due to the emergency, Tipat Halav clinics provide local and accessible services throughout Israel for anyone who is away from home. For further information, call the Ministry of Health's Hotline… -
Pregnancy and Labor During Wartime
At times of emergency, such as war, we are exposed to stressful situations that affect the health of the mother and the fetus. It is crucial to follow the pregnancy… -
To Breastfeed is to Provide Resilience
Especially during emergency and crisis situations, breastfeeding was found to be especially healthy both for the breastfeeding mother and the nursing baby. All information about breastfeeding during stressful and emergency… -
Traumatic Stress While Pregnant or Breastfeeding
All the information for women who are coping with stress and trauma while they are pregnant or breastfeeding. Tips for coping with stress, emotional support hotlines and more. -
Mothers' Milk Donations
What babies are eligible for donations of mothers' milk units? What are the eligibility criteria? How can I donate my milk? Click here for further information. -
Donate Mothers' Milk
Due to the situation, there are babies whose mother is absent and cannot breastfeed them. Who can donate, what are the donation criteria and how to donate.
Pregnancy and Labor During Wartime
In every pregnancy, especially during wartime, there is great importance for pregnancy follow-up—first and foremost, it is intended to reduce possible complications for the mother and the newborn. During emergencies, such as war, there is great exposure to stressful situations that can affect the mother's health, as well as the fetus's health. Therefore, and especially now, it is crucial to adhere to regular pregnancy follow-up and get support.
Important actions during pregnancy
- Pregnancy follow-up: regular follow-up, according to your accompanying physicians and nurses, including monitoring weight, blood pressure, urine protein, blood tests, and ultrasound, according to the instructions and your pregnancy week.
- Routine vaccination: whooping cough vaccine (in the third trimester), flu vaccine, and COVID-19 vaccine, according to recommendations.
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle: a balanced diet, physical activity adapted to the pregnancy and your physical condition, consumption of the dietary supplements recommended during pregnancy, and avoiding alcohol and drugs.
Due to the war, there may be changes in the maternity wards and in the regular hospitalization options: zero separation, full-time rooming-in, and partial or flexible rooming-in.
Labor and hospitalization
The Ministry of Health recommends that the mother and newborn stay together as much as possible. Staying together has many advantages that contribute to the mother's and the baby's health and advance the recovery. During wartime there is an additional advantage in being close to the baby: moving together to the protected space, if necessary.
During wartime, hospitalization duration may be shorter in certain clinical situations that enable it. It is recommended to arrive for labor with the necessary equipment for leaving the house: clothing for the mother and the newborn, infant car seat, parents' documents, etc.
Emotional support
Stressful situations can increase the risk of mood swings, which may reach the point of postpartum depression. Support from the people surrounding the mother is important for building resilience and reducing the phenomenon: care for the mother's physical needs, such as nutritional food, drinks, and sleep, and give her emotional support, including conversations, breathing and relaxation exercises, and more. If the woman's partner is not around due to the war, this should be taken into account, and assistance should be given.
Hotlines
- HMOs' hotlines.
- Hotline for young children—for parents and family members by the Duet Institute and the World Association for Infant Mental Health.
- By telephone: 054-7503970
- ERAN
- By telephone: 1201
- NATAL
- By telephone: 1-800-363-363