Curious as to how strict you all are?

[MyGossip]

Hello ladies,

Just found out I'm pregnant with baby #1 and hubby and I are super excited!!

I was making dinner as normal last night and didn't even think and had lots of feta cheese which I've now seen I probably shouldn't have eaten. And it got me thinking, how strict are you all being when it comes to food you can't/shouldn't/can eat?

For example, I love tuna and although the NHS website says it's ok to eat it, my friend has said she was told by her MW to only eat 1x tin a week max.

Be interested to hear all your thoughts around food restrictions or any great alternatives you've all found too!

[GreyishDays]

I’d just use the nhs info tbh.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/foods-to-avoid-pregnant/

So feta is fine.

There will always be someone who says something is bad for you.

[Peach1204]

I am definitely going over the top and reading everything! If it's a might be ok I still don't eat it. Only found out last week so everything is still early days so I'm doing anything I can to minimise the risk. Xxx

[WhatWouldPennyDo]

I use the NHS guidelines and just do my best to eat healthily like I normally would. I’ve had a couple of glasses of champagne now I’m in my second trimester too.

[Megan2018]

I followed the NHS advice 100%

There’s nothing wrong with Feta though!

[Peach1204]

It does mean I am cooking more fresh things though. There's things like fish fingers in the freezer which I won't be having. The pasteurised/unpasteurised is what's getting to me at the moment because its not written on anything that I have looked at! Cheese is a worrying me - like pasta filled with cheese i am avoiding even though I think it's ok. Xxx

[MyGossip]

@GreyishDays @Peach1204 @WhatWouldPennyDo @Megan2018 yes I've been checking the NHS website with a couple of google searches here and there!

@Peach1204 cheese is confusing me too! 🙈 and I love cheese too.

@WhatWouldPennyDo oh really? Did you feel ok afterwards?

I think this is where everyone loves to give you all their 2 pence worth but sometimes it just makes things worse. Or guilty if you've eaten something 🙄🙄

[youngestisapsycho]

I started drinking coffee when I was pregnant, didn't know I wasn't supposed to, had about 4/5 cups a day. I also went off most food and ate from the cheap chinese buffet about 4 nights a week... buffet food that had probably been sitting there lukewarm for hours! I also had the odd alcoholic drink once or twice a week. From 5 month pregnant I had an intense craving for cigarettes... I had stopped when found out pregnant, couldn't stand the smell... so i started smoking again 4/5 a day, doctor said was OK. DD was a healthy 8lb6oz, didn't breastfeed, she's never been ill, just the odd cold and sniffle. She is now 18 and fit as a fiddle!

[Peach1204]

@MyGossip I have screenshot it and DH has it too so knows what is and isn't ok/what to question.

Cheese is so hard! I know they say if it's cooked it's ok but I still don't want to risk it. Even said no to cheesecake! Xxx

[GreyishDays]

Feta is specifically listed on the nhs site

[BeMorePacific]

Drugs, alcohol & cigarettes are the big ones to avoid. The rest are just potential risk.
I’m avoiding haggis (which I always crave when pregnant!)
I take food info as recommendations rather than rules x

[Malaysiatrulyasia]

I've been fairly relaxed! A bit of tuna, ate goats cheese when I was confused about pasteurised/unpasteurised, have eaten some salami, cup of coffee/cokes every now and then and a couple of glasses of wine during 2nd trimester. I read the book 'Expecting Better' by Emily Oster which helped me weigh up the risks although I've been more cautious than she suggests. Would recommend it just for understanding the research behind the recommendations!

[Soubriquet]

Use your own common sense and the nhs website

I did know someone who asked if she could eat Yorkshire puddings...cos they have egg in them

[Oatmilk1]

If the cheese is cooked it is fine (so cheese in ravioli/pasta is no problem). I think the NHS site is clear and is generally good guidance. Stick to the guidance of the country you live in as water and food quality varies around the world.

Remember though that even if you eat something you shouldn't there is still only a very small chance it will make you ill or impact the baby (listeria/ toxoplasmosis etc) so try to keep the stress levels down. Emily Osters book Expecting better outlines this quite well.

I have had some non pasteurised soft cheese... and the occasional glass of wine... i have a double espresso every morning... my burgers/steak are medium-well rather than well done... I would eat sushi if I could get my hands on some high quality stuff right now...

These are all risks that I and my husband are prepared to take. You decide what you are willing to do and then dont listen to anyone else.

[sel2223]

I follow the NHS guidelines and ignore the rest. There's actually not much that you absolutely cannot have in the UK during pregnancy.

Cheese - feta is fine, so is most cheese (i love cheese too). Just be aware of unpasteurised/soft veined as you should only really eat those when cooked (Stilton is fine).

Eggs, milk etc. The items bought from a normal shop are fine and British lion stamped eggs are no problem so don't fret about home baking or anything like that. It's only really an issue if you buy fresh from a farm or eggs from your mate at work or something.

Caffeine. Up to 200mg a day is fine. I have a nice cup of coffee every morning.

Tuna. Absolutely fine to have a couple of times a week.

Google brings up results for uther countries so stick to the NHS for official UK advice.

[Poppyismyfavourite]

reading this with interest - I'm being quite careful.
We're having a new roof and they put the fibreglass on the dormer today - the roofers said it gets you high and it smells really strong so I've been shut in the living room (other side of the house) with the windows shut all day!

[haveyoutriedgoogle]

Please ignore the advice of posters who think that 4/5 cigarettes a day while pregnant is ok. It clearly isn’t, by any stretch of the imagination.

[Poppyismyfavourite]

^ obviously I wasn't planning on eating the fibreglass, this was in reference to drugs!

[dementedpixie]

Hard cheese - fine even if unpasteurised
Soft blue/mould ripened cheese - only ok if cooked, even if its pasteurised
Other processed soft cheeses are OK

[sel2223]

As pp said as well,even if you do eat these things, the risk of harm to your baby is really miniscule!

It's mostly to do with a higher risk of salmonella, e-coli etc from those foods. The risk is higher when you're not pregnant too but you probably wouldn't think twice about it as it's still so rare. It's no more likely when pregnant, its just that if you were really unfortunate and did get it, it could be harmful to baby.

[SpunBodgeSquarepants]

Not strict at all, am looking forward to my tea of brie and oatcakes later. I've never got sick from eating mould-ripened cheese and have never heard of anyone else doing so, I'm willing to take the risk.

[Frazzlerock]

I'm pretty strict but only because DP and I are massively neurotic due to losing 4 babies - none of which were lost because I ate the wrong cheese but it gives me some control at least.

I know caffeine is okay in small quantities but I don't go near it even though I adore a good coffee. I won't even sniff alcohol.

But, like I said, I am a paranoid android!

[Cheeseoncheese]

I just go by the NHS guidelines - so have had plenty of feta and there have been weeks where I have definitely had my NHS tuna limit! Read the NHS advice and then don't overthink it - you'll drive yourself mad with worry otherwise x

[passthemustard]

I'm currently 13 + 3 and I'm trying not to obsess about stuff.

Switched to decaf tea and coffee as soon as I found out I was pregnant (before 4 weeks!) still have an occasional coke though.

I've had cravings for smoked salmon so probably have had more than recommended of that.

I just had some salami and Parma ham and a little bit of Brie at a picnic and I've had a couple of glasses of wine in the last 4/5 weeks.

When I was pregnant with my first (she's nearly 19) the alcohol recommendations were one or two glasses of wine once or twice a week!!! So I basically drank all the way through my pregnancy with her. She's off to a very prestigious uni in September - she was ok thankfully but I'm def not drinking that much this time 😬

[MyGossip]

Well you have all made me feel absolutely normal for having a little wobble! I have been checking the NHS website but I think it's the people that tell you that you can't have this and can't have that and then that immediate guilt feeling starts.

Thanks for the support, this is why I love Mumsnet. As a first time pregnant woman, it's a mind field and being able to hear all your thoughts and opinions is really helpful.

I'm glad you all agree feta and tuna are fine! I can still get my fix 😎😎

@Poppyismyfavourite eating the fibreglass 😂

@Frazzlerock sorry about your losses 😢

[Superscientist]

I have kept to the NHS guidelines but aside from switching from caffeinated to decaffeinated tea/coffee and not drinking alcohol I don't think there is anything else that I have had to change from my diet. Food standards in the UK are pretty high, things like mayonnaise - if it is designed to be safe sat on a shelf and not in the fridge for months it is going to be pasteurised. The vacuum packets of feta etc they have a long shelf life - that wouldn't be possible if they were listeria or salmonella risks - they must be pasteurised to give a long shelf.