Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Research: what food do you miss most when pregnant?

71 replies

Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 16/11/2010 01:07

Here's the question. If I were going to give you a food hamper as a gift when you give birth, which foods did you miss most and what should I put in it?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
daisystone · 19/11/2010 19:56

gin and tonic - can't wait to have one of those.

Also pate. I had a bite of pate on toast last week (well I was nearly full term) and it was divine.

I haven't had much brie but have actually had a couple of slices now and again.

I do miss runny eggs - can't put those in a hamper though.

Also carpaccio - my DH went out to eat when I was about 5 months pregnant and I REALLY wanted it but had to have something safe instead Sad

scubamummy · 20/11/2010 18:12

oysters mmmm

ReshapeWhileDamp · 21/11/2010 11:11

Pate, and soft goat's cheese. I'm not keeping off anything else! Grin I don't like tuna or swordfish, but if I did, I'd have avoided them because of the heavy metals issue.

My MW and I agreed that given I'm a lifelong cat owner and have guzzled cured meats and rare steak most of my life (when I can get them!) I have almost certainly had toxoplasmosis - as have, indeed, many many people who had no idea at the time. Listeria is almost an infinitesimally tiny risk, and incidentally, the largest proportion of listeria poisoning in pregnancy across the EU in recent years was linked to badly washed salads. Still, I do keep off the pate (don't really fancy ready meals at room temperature anyway). Incidentally, if you make (non-liver-based) pate from fresh ingredients yourself, and then eat it at once, that's absolutely fine. It's the chilled stuff from the supermarket that you're advised to avoid. Tinned pates are fine, as well.

Runny eggs are FINE if they have the lion mark on (have been bought in a supermarket)! They are from salmonella-vaccinated chickens. Have been enjoying soft scrambled eggs and soft-yolk boiled eggs throughout. Just as well, given that whenever I make a cake I forget about the eggs and lick the spoon! Blush

Sushi is almost universally made (in this country) with pre-frozen fish. Supermarket sushi is absolutely fine.

But I know a lot of pregnant women are more circumspect than this. I'd put smoked salmon, sushi, pate, some good wine and maybe some extremely good chocolate in a hamper (assuming it'll be chilled until you give it to her!). Chocolate because, though it's 'safe' you can never have too much good chocolate when up all night with a newborn! Grin

Unbuffy · 21/11/2010 11:42

I miss TEA!! And bacon sandwiches - have gone right off bread, bacon and tea, am just waiting for baby to arrive (come oooon baby...) and then dh is under strict instructions to bring me a MASSIVE bacon buttie and the biggest cup of tea there is!

Otherwise Camembert and Stilton and Red Wine.

Laska · 23/11/2010 08:40

Pate. And port. And stinking mouldy cheeses. And Parma ham.

cloggs142 · 24/11/2010 17:14

Salami!!! and wine :)

lindy100 · 25/11/2010 07:56

Stilton and parma ham.

Mdeoude15 · 30/05/2015 19:34

Soft boiled eggs, but really miss booze.I did not drink a lotbefore I conceived but that nice relaxing Oh fuck it felling I had after a couple of glasses of wine means I cannot turn my bloody brain off and relax especially as my sleep is screwed up too. Husband not giving booze in solidarity so I am booking a session with a good wine and some sushi after baby comes. he will just have to cope!

TakesTwoToTango · 30/05/2015 22:26

I haven't got anything to add to great suggestions above, but to those missing cheese, you can have it cooked. This pg I have been indulging by microwaving cambazola over pasta or jacket potato until it's liquid and bubbling like mad. Yes, I know, it's no substitute to the real thing at room temp, oozing over a crusty French loaf, but it's a pretty good (and pg-friendly) substitute for now Grin

catnip85 · 31/05/2015 09:19

My sister brought me a bottle of champagne, a really ripe brie, a bake in the oven camembert and two crusty baguettes when she came to visit post-birth. It was the best gift I was given :)

Hobbit19 · 31/05/2015 13:33

Ladies, you have had me worried for a minute... just been to check on the NHS website and smoked salmon is fine in pregnancy (PHEW! I had just ordered two packs ha ha). Each to their own if you are choosing to avoid it but if you are missing it then feel free to indulge.... Grin

LBOCS · 31/05/2015 13:43

The only thing I stopped eating was liver-based pate as high levels of vitamin D can cause organ development problems (and I couldn't find any guidelines as to what the problem level was).

I ate everything else I wanted; soft boiled eggs, rare steak, sushi, etc. the risks of getting ill from any of those are very low and the last cases of listeriosis were (as pointed out by a pp) caused by poorly washed fruit and veg - not something I'd been advised against eating!

I did miss white wine though. It gave me terrible heartburn so I couldn't even have one small glass occasionally.

OhahIlostmybra · 31/05/2015 19:59

Pate pate pate pate

annatha · 31/05/2015 20:37

For me it would contain a six pack of John Smiths, some Ethiopian coffee and all the forbidden cheeses.

If you're making it for a friend, maybe ask her DP what her favourite tipple is and other treats that don't need a fridge, then make a little invitation for a cheese and wine night when she's feeling up to it? You could also ask her DP what her favourite foods are and take over a couple of cooked meals for them? If it wasn't for my MIL DH and I wouldn't have eaten very well at all in those early days. She arrived with a boot full of lasagnes, spag bol and stews. She's amazing!

Bear in mind if she's breastfeeding though she'll still have to take it easy on the booze or may choose not to drink at all. I was bought lots of wine that didn't get touched until I stopped BFing as I wanted to enjoy it properly without worrying about pumping and dumping. So if she is Bfing maybe some flapjacks and other snacky bits she can eat one handed? My MIL made the most amazing chocolate flapjack for me and it was very appreciated while doing night feeds.

HappyIdiot · 01/06/2015 11:37

pate and booze. they were the only things I really gave up. I ate soft / blue cheese and rare steaks occasionally. and I ate shellfish all the way through the pregnancy because I was confident of its quality and how it had been cooked. and I never gave up my morning coffee Grin

MummyBexta · 08/06/2015 22:40

Soft poached eggs!

HazleNutt · 09/06/2015 12:20

you can eat soft eggs, lion stamped ones would be vaccinated against salmonella.

You can also drink when breastfeeding and don't need to pump and dump, unless you're absolutely comatose. The amounts of alcohol that get into breastmilk are minuscule.

Also, this thread is 5 years old.

MummyBexta · 09/06/2015 21:49

HazleNutt surely it doesn't matter how old a thread is if people are still finding it an interesting read and would like to contribute!

Mangobubbles · 10/06/2015 16:31

Parma ham and all those other lovely cold meats that we aren't allowed!

LilyWasThere · 10/06/2015 16:57

Soft cheese. We're going to Normandy in September and it's going to be awful!

Also, not food related as such, but I miss being able to read threads like this without crying.

9 wks pg!

nomez92 · 15/06/2015 16:11

Runny eggs are definitely top of my list...Fry ups just aren't the same! Sad

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread