Fear of food.

[Vi37]

Hi ladies, I’m 33 weeks pregnant, I’ve got antenatal depression and anxiety which I’m getting help for. I’m now getting major food fear. I’m scared to death of getting listeria at the moment. I had a panic because I thought my fridge was too warm but the thermometer says it’s fine. Before I knew I was pregnant I’ve eaten fruit and salad that I’d not washed and had two prepacked sandwiches so I’ve been worried about that all throughout. I’ve just had dry cereal this morning because I looked on the back of the milk bottle and it says consume within three days of opening I never knew this and I must have been drinking it all through my pregnancy after three days. I’ve even gone vegetarian now because I’m scared of undercooking meat. Seriously need help.

What help are you getting for your anxiety if you don't mind me asking as I'm suffering to

I know you've heard this before but your unborn baby is much more likely to suffer due to your stress and anxiety than from anything that you've eaten or will eat.

I’ve just finished a cbt course which hasn’t helped at all. Now I have a community mental health nurse coming to the house once a week.

I'm feeling the same. I am completely overwhelmed by the feeling I will get toxoplasmosis or listeria. I'm having cbt too but not finding it helpful. I rinse everything before I use it. I wash my hands so much. I cannot have raw meat in the house and I wash all fruits and veg to within an inch of their lives.

I feel exactly the same, I am so terrified of toxoplasmosis I can barely bring myself to eat. I can't eat food I've touched with my hand, I can't eat raw fruit or veg. I'm also not finding CBT helpful, I just don't know what to do for the best.

What kind of CBT did you have? There is low intensity CBT and high intensity CBT. I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks, the first attack I had was so severe I actually thought I was having an allergic reaction so something I ate. Since then I developed a phobia of some foods and still get a little funny about some foods and cautious about how I feel when eating, although I know it wasn't an allergy. I has both types of CBT but the low intensity didn't really work, the high intensity CBT on the other hand was amazing. It does take dedication and persistence though, and sometimes you will have to accept that you are going to have to put yourself in situations that will make you feel uncomfortable in order to get to the other side of it. Easier said than done though I know, especially when you have all the pregnancy hormones making your emotions even more elevated and harder to control. Explore high intensity CBT it's worth a shot.