feeling down about just how much stuff is forbidden

[oranges]

Hi, I know this sounds silly but I am getting really down about the sheer amount of stuff that is off limits in pregnancy. I've given up my adored glass of wine, never smoked, and see the point of avoiding raw meats. But peanuts, icecream etc? I don't even like peanuts but they are in my favourite muesli, and in tracker bars which I love. I don't have any allergies but my husband has asthma and exzema so I know I have to avoid them but its all getting a bit much.

Sorry, just needed to rant.

[bonym]

Why icecream? I ate loads of the stuff when I was pregnant. The occasional small glass of wine won't hurt either.

[felicity24]

I must admit i flt like ow on earth did the human race survive with out knowing all the dos and donts, i was pretty well behaved, but will admit to the odd glass of wine after 4 months and eating brie (i figured i had never had listeria before so wasnt about to start) one pleasure i couldnt do without. I did avoid peanuts like the plague though both while pregnant and BF just to extreme an allergy

[zippitippitoes]

Isn't it just soft ice cream from vans?

They didn't use to have all these rules, I think there are too many tbh

[hunkerpumpkin]

Ice cream's not off-limits - only the soft stuff from ice cream vans if you are worried about food poisoning (which I am - I know others who aren't).

[crunchie]

I ate soft eggs, ice cream, peanuts etc. didn't eat raw meat, but am veggie anyway. I did eat shellfish too. Also drank the odd glass of wine!!

[GeorgieVickyLou]

Must say i ate tons of ice cream, and the last few months i found myself eating Egg mayo sarnies, medium cooked steak and lots more of limit foods (also craved diet coke and drank about 4 cans a day!)

[mandymac]

I is really frustrating isn't it. I'm sure that icecream only means the soft stuff from the icecream van - I'm sure you can still eat haagan daz, ben & jerrys etc! I did my best to find alternatives to things (Holland & Barret do a muesli without nuts), I ate pumpkin & sunflower seeds instead of nuts.

Stuggled a bit more with an alternative to wine, although luckily it tasted foul for most of my pregnancy. I did have the odd glass in the third trimester (one a week), or very week lager shandy if we were at the pub ('cause I felt I could have 2 halves and it would be ok).

It was great when you can start eating them all again though - rediscovering the brie, pate, sushi, prawns and especially the wine . Although I'm still off the peanuts as bfeeding.

Good for you for getting it off your chest - and enjoy the things you can eat (chocolate & cakes goe down a treat I found) .

[JonesTheSteam]

I remember feeling like that too oranges - went to my best friend's wedding and the buffet was absolutely gorgeous - but most of it out-of-bounds (e.g. homemade pate, mayonnaise, lots of smoked salmon, soft cheeses etc.) and I could eat very little of it.

Was absolutely gutted!!!

When pregnant the second time round was much less worried about what I ate, particularly after the first three months!

[felicity24]

I think it would b hard to find people who avoid everything books tell us you would have to be pretty saintly i found one wine was much better when out for night than drinking OJ and Irn-bru and running to loo very five minutes

[hunkerpumpkin]

Egg mayonnaise sarnies OK if mayo's made with pasteurised eggs.

[mandymac]

at my spelling - week, goe?????? blame the lack of peanuts!

[JonesTheSteam]

Is the peanuts thing still going then - thought they'd decided peanut allergy was to do with the amount of peanut oil in eczema cream, and not to do with eating it while pg.

One of my work's colleagues was gutted when she discovere you couldn't eat peanuts when pg the second time - had been addicted to peanut butter during her first pregnancy!!

And my cousin (who's a nurse) didn't even know you couldn't eat peanuts when pregnant with her second - was quite happily eating them at my dd's christening!!!

[moondog]

Noone should eat ice cream from those vans (which serve as a front for drug dealing in any case),pregnant or not. Once read an horrific expose of the whole industry.
Machinery is full of convoluted pipes which they can never get clean so the powder that they make it from is rotting gently in all the crevices.
Another thing-check out the filthy grey scummy wated that the bloke will invariably keep his scoop in.

[expatinscotland]

Another reason why I'm glad we're only having two children. I don't enjoy being pregnant.

[hunkerpumpkin]

And they'll all nip round the back of the van for a slash, knock the drips off, then get ready to hand you the next Mr Whippy...you just know it

[GeorgieVickyLou]

Hmm, Nice..

[zippitippitoes]

definitely means that if they are playing a tune then they've run out

[moondog]

oranges,don't worry too much.
Just plan what you will have when the baby arrives.
As soon as mine were here,dh was sent off with a shopping list-Champagne,soft cheese,rare beef,the works.
It was the best meal of my life.

[oranges]

wow - what a response. Thank you! Think I should give myself the odd glass of wine when I feel like it - I did try a sip the other night but it made me ill. JonestheSteam, is that true about eczema cream? I did read that peanut allergies increased in countries obsessed with hygiene.

[fruitful]

There was a thread on here a long time ago, listing all the things that different countries said you shouldn't eat. If you'd put them all together you'd starve. I remember feeling glad that I don't live in NZ (no cold cooked meat) and envying the French (a glass of wine a day is encouraged).

Its worth finding out why each thing is 'banned' and then deciding whether you are happy to take the risk. Like peanuts - well, I'd stuffed myself with Snickers bars and peanuts one evening at the pub before I knew I was pg (wondered why I was starving!). So I decided the baby had already been thoroughly exposed to them and eating a few more wasn't going to hurt. Plus if you're going to stay off things for allergy reasons you have to keep off them till you stop bf'ing too.

Pate is because of eating too much Vit A and actually you'd have to eat about a tonne to eat too much.

Check out the reasons and then decide for yourself what is off limits.

Obviously, once you've had the baby you get to live on cold toast and reheated tea. Yum.

[JonesTheSteam]

I do remember seeing a news story on the BBC about how they were investigating whether there was a link between the amount of peanut oil in eczema creams and the increase in peanut allergy.

I don't remember being told not to eat peanuts when pregnant with DS (now 2) although was told not to when expecting DD (now 4.5).

So I don't know what the current advice is - and whether they just forgot to tell me what not to eat because I'd been pg before and they assumed I'd just remember.

Find it odd though - I'm sure that loads of people ate peanuts years ago whilst pg and the peanut allergy increase is a recent thing (as is probably the amount of creams prescribed by drs for people with eczema)

Sorry can't be more help!!

[oranges]

Well rather comically, I live in Kenya, so am also exposing myself to malaria, hep b and god knows what else. My doctor here is totally bemused when I ask him what foods to avoid - says the main problem here is making sure pregnant women get enough food of any kind.

[hunkerpumpkin]

They used to put peanut oil in nipple cream...!

[JonesTheSteam]

here's the story

[moondog]

Well oranges,that certainly puts our foolish Western paranoia into perspective doesn't it?