Kirsty Gipson, 38, East Dulwich, south London

The English teacher, who has a two-year-old, Beatrice, and is expecting a second child in the new year, said the NHS advice was impossible for pregnant women to follow if they lived in cities.

"I can't not go out. I can't not take Beatrice out, and I can't not be pregnant."

Gipson said she was unaware of the new NHS advice "until I woke up this morning and turned on the radio. I heard that they were advising that women with children under five, and those that were pregnant, should stay away from crowds as much as possible, and not travel unnecessarily."

She joked to her husband, "I'll just go up to my bedroom for the next nine months. I'll see you later."

But, she added, she was unsure whether the recent alarm over the risk to pregnant women was down to media hysteria.

"From what I can gather the NHS are reiterating what they have been saying all along. But it is possibly a bit more prominent because of the woman that died after giving birth.

"I haven't actually read the NHS documentation so I need to see that to see for myself.

"I am very laid back about this. The symptoms haven't changed, the risk hasn't changed, the nature of the pandemic is what we've known it would be. It can't be contained. It's just the angle that has changed."

"For me, I can't follow the advice. I live in London, and it's not practical. It's not an option."

Sophie Hutton-Squire, 34, Petts Wood, Kent

The freelance book editor said she was "slightly confused" over the advice which "seems completely impractical".

With a three-year-old due to start pre-school in September, and due to give birth to her second child in two weeks, Hutton-Squire said: "I've been trying to look at what the NHS have actually said. But I haven't seen their website updated yet." She had been monitoring developments and reaction on Mumsnet.

"I am hoping the government have something more conclusive to say. They tell you to avoid crowded places. Does that mean I shouldn't go to any social groups, stay inside the house and garden, not even go and see friends?"

"And how long for. If those under one are at risk, should we stay inside for a whole year? Or just during the winter months?"

She was irritated that newspapers were announcing details first, but there was a delay in checking that information on official NHS websites.

"Also, if I am more vulnerable when I am pregnant, how long after I give birth am I less vulnerable? These are the things you need to know. There needs a better system for getting detailed information out."

Mary Harrod, 30, from Hammersmith, west London

Studying for PhD in film studies, Harrod, who is expecting her first child in October, said her first reaction was relief as she works from home.

"A while ago, when it first came out that pregnant women could have lower resistance, I looked at the NHS guidelines and they said, 'Don't worry' and that it was OK to take Relenza [an antiviral] because it is inhaled. And I think I read somewhere that the exposure is, something like, you have to be two hours with somebody.

"But now I am really glad that I don't go out on the Tube very much because I work from home.

"The other thing that concerns me is that my baby is due in October, which is when they say it's going to get a lot worse. So I think it would be better to have it in a maternity hospital rather than a general hospital, where possibly there is less risk of infection.

"I think people are being a bit alarmist. That is inevitable. But at the end of the day, there is not really a lot you can do. So it's best not to panic.

"I know there were the headlines the other day about a mother giving birth who died. I'm afraid, really I don't really want to know that. But it is just one case, isn't it."

Alice Moles, 25, Bexley, south-east London

Moles, a television producer who is expecting her second child this week, said initially she was quite calm about swine flu, but her fears have mounted in the last two weeks.

"I haven't been given any advice by my midwife, or anything like that. But in the last couple of weeks I have really tried to stay away from everyone, just in case. I think it is inevitable that we will all get it at some point. I'd just rather not get it at this stage. One of my friends rather helpfully rang me up to tell me that a woman had died after giving birth, and that was a bit frightening.

"I have been looking at the NHS website. I've got a three-year-old as well, and I took him to a party and one of the people there later went down with swine flu. So I checked, and was quite reassured.

"But the advice to stay away from crowds, and not to travel, well, most people have to. Before I stopped work I had to be on a train every day in London.

"I think it is more alarming now because more people I know have had it. And although they are fine, it does make you more aware. If you look at the Netmums website, on the message boards, its everywhere. That's making me more scared, because everyone is telling you about it."