IJust Want A Bath!!! What Do You Miss During Pregnancy?

[midori1999]

My back is achey and I haven't been sleeping properly for ages. I would really, really, really, really love a soak in a nice warm bath, but I am not allowed because of my waters breaking early in my last pregnancy (14+5) and infection risks. It is so tempting to just have one, chances are things would be fine, but it's obviously just not worth the risk, if something happened after I'd never forgive myself. I am 13+4 today, so only 25 weeks or so to go... (hopefully!)

What do you miss whilst pregnant?

Can someone PLEASE tell me why you aren't meant to eat salami when pg? I wasn't told that in my previous pregnancies, and got given no additional info this time (they tend to leave you to it by dc4!). I really need someone to tell me what the risks are and why you aren't meant to eat it. Pretty please!

It is because it is cured rather than cooked I think.

I have been eating though - too nice not to! :)

Runny eggs are ok as long as they are fresh and have the red lion stamp, which means they have been pasteurised.

I miss pate, smoked salmon and WINE lots of it!

But WHY is cured meat meant to be bad in pregnancy? I was never told this in my previous pregnancies (dc are 12yo, 8yo and 7yo) so I genuinely don't know what problems it's meant to cause?

I've been eating salami for the whole 38+5 weeks of my pregnancy without knowing I wasn't meant to, so need a bit of clarification on what the actual risks of eating it are, as I'm worrying lots that I may have done something that might affect the baby.

(Am very paranoid as my last pregnancy ended in a SB at 19+5). Please can someone tell me WHY I'm not meant to have eaten salami?

Loudlass the risk is toxoplasmosis, which obviously would make you ill and can cause problems with the unborn baby. But the risk is really tiny. Between 1981 and 1992 there were just 423 cases in pregnant people in the UK, during which time 667,000 babies were born.

One study suggests that, in the UK, about three in every 100,000 babies are born with congenital toxoplasmosis.

The thing is though, that one of the main ways of contracting toxoplasmosis is through handling things like cat litter and soil that might contain traces of it etc. There is no figure for the number of pregnant people contracting it from eating cured meats, which would I think be a more useful figure for most pregnant people.

I got the stats from the NHS website. Don't go googling though, you will probably needlessly scare yourself. As you say you have had three healthy children, and the SB was probably completely unrelated. I'm not meaning to say 'your three are fine, so there's no risk', I just mean if you choose to stop eating salami now, that's up to you, but there is no point beating yourself up about having eaten it for the last few months. That way lies madness!

D

2x2 - smoked salmon is perfectly alright to eat! The smoking process is sufficient to kill any bugs.

Delia - that is annoying that there are no figures, although vast majority of cases likely to have come from cats I would have thought?

AliBaba I would have thought so. I mean you can come into contact with cat litter just by doing gardening etc. and also sheep can carry it so walking/picnicking in a field/park where sheep have been etc.

I would imagine that the number of cases from eating salami must be miniscule. It's for this reason that I have carried on eating a number of contraband foods through my pregnancy as the actual risk of baby being harmed from a pregnant lady eating e.g. brie, fresh from M&S, is just so miniscule it's barely a statistic, it's more of a theoretical risk (i.e. it could happen but it probably never has) from what I have gleaned from the research. I've been more careful about e.g. food that has been sat out on a buffet for hours etc. and things from sandwich bars where things are in difficult to regulate 'open' fridges.

D

Most cases of human toxoplasmosis arise from eating undercooked meat (or unwashed salad/veggies), not directly from cat faeces. You'll find in countries where eating rare meat is common (e.g. France) the incidence of toxoplasma in humans is much higher.

I think the cured meats are also a potential listeria risk.

However, if they are cooked then they're fine.

AllBelly ah OK, that's surprising.

Solution - have salami in cooked things like pasta dishes etc.!

D

Or on pizza :)

I'm adding a good immune system to my 'I miss...' list. I'm currently on my third cold since November, it seems someone only has to sneeze near me and I'm ill for at least a week.

I miss sleeping on my back, and rolling over in bed without it being a massive exercise involving several pillows.

I also used to enjoy the odd nice glass of wine and loads of long country walks up mountains. Not that either of these things are remotely appealing now but I miss the enjoyment I used to get from them. Also a social life though I guess that's gone for some time.....

I think the Salami thing is because the meat is cured and hung so basically still raw, as opposed to cooked. So I assume the same would apply to things like Palma Ham.

I'll admit, I'm more than a bit odd, but I miss my exercise of choice. I hula hoop. It's the only aerobic exercise I can even remotely stand, but swishing a weighted hoop about my belly seems like a rather silly idea.

I miss being able to choose what I want to wear from a range of different things.

Am feeling a bit skint at the moment so have a "capsule" wardrobe of maternity clothes - ie I wash em, wear em and wash em again.

Didn't like not being able to drink at Xmas and New Year and missed Stilton.

Happily eat Salami, cured meats etc - esp since the ones I buy come ready sliced from supermarkets.

It strikes me reading this, and similar threads on MN, how much confusion there is on what to eat, and how many people are denying themselves their favourite foods as a result. It's sad that the whole thing is so mired in mystery - those people not eating things with no idea why not (and I include myself in that).

For me, it's felt like I started off with a huge list of 'banned' products and one by one I've found out that they're OK, or once I've had the reasoning behind them explained, have made my own decisions on the risk that I'm comfortable with - which will vary from person to person of course.

So for me, what I am missing is lovely bloody rare steak, pate, and more than an inch of wine with a meal.

I'm being terribly, terribly strict with myself when it comes to cleaning the cat's litter tray though.

StiffyByng, I agree totally, I also started by denying myself loads of things, then actually read the data, did my own further research and realised that a lot of it is the stuff of myths and legends.

I also have made some decisions myself about acceptable risk, and actual proven risk versus theoretical risk.

mslucy agree about capsule wardrobe. My whole washing schedule is based on a very dull squad rotation system of the three pairs of maternity jeans/trousers I have and the three tops/T-shirts. I feel like I have a uniform.

D

Stiffy you are spot on.

I think the problem is that a lot of the info online and in all the pregnancy books is very American in origin, where they ban so much for fear of litigation etc.

People are worried - especially initially - and so follow bizarre rules without much understanding of why they exist in the first place.

I also think that women do an excellent job of making each other feel guilty. This thread has been very refreshing, but similar ones are often littered with very judgemental and sanctimonious comments from women who have decided to deny themselves X and want everyone else to do the same!

food.

Walking up hills and stairs without puffing and panting. Country walks in the hills. Pate (though I will be shamelessly copying the pate and crackers in hospital bag idea - genius! The moment that cord is cut DP is under strict instruction to crack open the pate!)

Like the earlier wise lady, I am assiduously leaving the litter tray cleaning to DP. Not worth taking the risk now is it?

Oh, and thanks for the Lion mark advice. Runny poached eggs for breakfast tomorrow - can't wait!

wine, fags (only a few at weekend evening/drinking), rolling on tummy, running, feeling free...

i could go on and on, its taking forever! i much preferred having a newborn to being pregnant. you can always run outside whilst your oh is in the house for ive minutes on your own...

not long ladies
xxxx

Stiffy, same here. The only things I have avoided are blue cheese (have eaten pasteurised soft cheese, such as pie, in abundance) and pate. Although I nearly punched my DP for eating lovely pate in front of me the other day, so the baby would do well to greet us soon, for everyone's sake!

I am not missing anything at the moment, because I'm very conscious of all the pregnancy myths out there so I've done quite a lot of research. It never ceases to amaze me of the things women deprive themselves of just because they read somewhere that something is "banned".

I still enjoy sushi, smoked meats, medium rare steak, runny and even raw eggs - but I am cautious about the source. I still have the occassional unit of alcohol (and I mean unit, not glass!!)

I still wear underwired bras, high heals, take lots of excercise.

Frankly, I think it's ridiculous that so many people worry about eating runny eggs but don't think twice about eating a mars bar.

My friend who lives in Australia had the "deli meats" advice, we don't have it here...

Glad to see so many like-minded people gathered! I went crazy without sushi when I initially thought it was banned - I think it was the nearest thing to a craving I've had - and it was such a happy day to find out there wasn't a problem!

I only like steak really that's been barely warmed. I did eat some rare steak early on but it made me feel guilty so for that reason only I'm avoiding it; once it's medium-rare I lose interest so beef as a whole is out of the window. I was a bit gutted to find out I'm not toxo-immune despite a lifetime of cats.

LWOA - I was told by my cheesemonger friend that anything called stilton is pasteurised and therefore fine - also a good moment, although I mostly eat it hot anyway which isn't a problem. When I was in France early in pregnancy, the advice there was pasteurised cheese only which was rather good because you can get some fantastic smelly pasteurised stuff over there.

Oh, and no raw oysters. I only eat them occasionally anyway, but I do miss them now I've decided against.

I am missing being able to lie on anything other than my left side (back ache and an odly lying baby prevent anything else).

I'm missing being able to reach my own feet without huffing and puffing before giving up and asking DD to put my socks on for me again.

I'm also missing meeting people I haven't seen for a while and being greeted with 'you are looking well' or something similar, rather than the 'You are huge!' that I currently get. Thanks. I had noticed.

As for food, I do stay away from runny/raw eggs, pate, uncooked meat and various cheeses (I can't stand Stilton, but I miss a bit of brie now and then). This is more because I really don't know enough about all the research/evidence/risks involved and work on the principle that if I simply avoid them then I don't need to worry about it. I think that the one thing that would really do me harm is the stress that it would cause to over think all these things (blood pressure problems last time and really don't want to get it again). I also think that since pregnancy only lasts a relatively short time (35+4 now so not long to go) I can make do without for a bit.

Above all, during pregnancy you have to make your own choices - its your body and your baby, so only you can choose which advice to follow or ignore.