6 wks and ate some Parma Ham - worried

[SVR28]

Hi

This is my first baby after an ectopic last March. I am fearful of everything and can't believe I'm pregnant again! Happy but nervous.
I didn't know you should not eat cured meat and had some Parma Ham and Biltong (dried meat) last week Friday. Now I've discovered this is really bad and can cause all sorts of horrible problems.
I am worried.
Does anyone know anything about this?
Also I am constipated and strain when I have a bowel movement. After my last two BM I have noticed very light vaginal blood on the toilet tissue however when I go to the loo later in the day there is nothing. Is this something to be worried about?
Hope someone can help.

Hi SVR28,

It may be worth chatting to a midwife about the bleeding, but I really, really doubt it is connected to the ham or biltong.

Parma ham and biltong aren't "really bad" but just pose a teeny, tiny risk.

I'm sure you'll be fine :)

Anyway, I'm no expert - just trying to reassure. Hopefully someone will have something more knowledgeable to say :)

Pippa

I take a pretty relaxed attitude to diet in pregnancy, & have been eating parma ham (I'm 7 weeks). If I could get hold of some biltong I would eat it too! It is very unlikely to have had any ill effects, but perhaps avoid it from now onwards.

I get constipated in pregnancy too - are you sure the blood on the tissue is vaginal? If you are straining it could be from your bum.

It's not bad and it doesn't cause all sorts of horrible problems.

There are risks with everything. Diet drinks are particularly nasty but you don't get told to avoid them. Excessive consumption of brocolli and spinach.

The trick to it all is not to over-indulge on anything and everything in moderation. Also good general hygiene and some consideration for where food has come from, how it has been prepared and how long it might have been stored for.

I went skiing when I was 6 weeks pregnant, drank redwine there and ate runny french cheese. Really, risks are very small indeed.

Stay informed and try not to worry. Stress is much more of a risk.

I didn't even know about parma ham ... have made it to 16 weeks and all is ok. I'm actually eating everything . I think if you were going to get sick from it you would have listeria symptoms, like vomiting, fever etc.

GOOD LUCK and I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe get some prune juice to help things along?

Congratulations on your pregnancy :)

You're not supposed to eat Parma ham? Oops. I'm 24 weeks and have been eating that and Bresaola all along - love 'em!

As for the bleeding - you should always mention that to your midwife if you're sure it's vaginal. Could be nothing (lots of women get a bit of spotting in the first few weeks - which is terrifying as it can also mean something bad - but I had it several times with my DS and he was fine).

"The risk of getting toxoplasmosis when you?re pregnant is very low. From 1981 to 1992, a total of 423 cases of toxoplasmosis related to pregnancy were reported in England and Wales. During this time, on average about 667,000 babies were born each year.
One study suggests that, in the UK, about three in every 100,000 babies are born with congenital toxoplasmosis. Congenital means present from birth." (from NHS24)

The chances of you having infected yourself is very low.

It is up to yourself if you want to continue to avoid the risky factors:

undercooked or raw meat
raw cured meat, such as salami or parma ham
unpasteurised goats? milk
cat faeces
soil or cat litter contaminated with infected cat faeces

I missed not being able to eat some food, but it is only for 9 months, and I preferred not to take the risk.

Oh, and as to the constipation/bleeding - are you sure it is vaginal bleeding? It could be from the constipation.

Try eating more fibre, drinking lots, apple juice always makes me looser of bowel.

Thank you, thank you. You all sound so sensible and I think its the calming reassurance I needed.
Glad I found mumsnet.

I am pretty laid back, but while I took most of the advice to heart, I had no idea about parma ham for DS1...and ate quite a lot of it. DS2 had the same treatment! The only thing else I ignored was my Dr telling me I couldn't have soft boiled eggs.

The DSs are the healthiest boys I could have hoped for.

Others will have a different view, but that's my perspective. As for the other issue - lots of veg, fibre and water!

On the bleeding, I had this exactly at 8-9 weeks a couple of times. Straining with constipation and vaginal (definitely vaginal) bleeding. It was very scary at the time, but having googled it and spoken to my doctor, it seemed very likely that the straining was aggravating my cervix - had already been diagnosed previously with cervical erosion and cervixes are very sensitive in early pregnancy. I had an early scan and all was fine, and I'm now 33+5.

Doc gave me some lactulose to ease the constipation and I never had any more bleeding.

I also ate some parma ham quite early in pregnancy and lived to tell the tale.

Take care and good luck.

As most others have said, relax about the food. Its not the same as cigarettes and alcohol whre we know they can do harm if taken in quantites. Chances are you could eat a truckload of all the banned food and be totally fine. Constipation very common, apparently something to do with preparing for the pushing stage of labour?? Don't really know about the bleeding but others sound sensible. Good luck, relax and enjoy your pregnancy.

Thanks spaceal. I was told years ago I had erosion of my cervix so maybe that is it. I have made my first appointment with my midwife next week so will ask then about that and the lactulose to help.
I do feel calmer about the parma ham and biltong now - thank you all.

My poor husband - after the ectopic last year and now my nerves with this new pregnancy, I don't think he knows if he is coming or going!

hi,

I'm five 1/2 weeks and I also have the bleeding from vagina when straining on the loo. I spoke with my midwife this morning who suggested a possible cervical erosion.

I'm drinking more water today and will have to get some suitable foods to help. The blood that I had was always brown but last night it was watery and red which really scared me.

Maybe i'll have to ask about lactulose if that's whats recommened?

I found the best thing was prune cube things, I seem to remember in the Health Food aisle of supermakets. Little chewy fruit squares. Really help prevent constipation.

As I said earlier, everyone has to decide for themselves whether to eat parma ham, or boiled eggs. I didn't as I did not want to take even such a small risk.

www.newstatesman.com/200207150046

I'm on the "it'll be fine" end of the spectrum and have eaten runny/raw eggs, cured meat, soft cheese, shellfish and pate during this pregnancy.

This isn't because I'm a reckless, crazy fool but because I made a personal decision that (having done a bit of research) the possible risks felt too minor to justify the worry of avoiding food.

Everyone is different, though, and I reiterate that this is my personal stance and I definitely think every woman should set their own boundaries.

Good luck with the pregnancy. I really hope it is uncomplicated and enjoyable :)

For the constipation issue, I am sure that it will resolve itself in a few weeks, but other than that I recommend a couple of prunes a day (Tesco do nice soft ones), lots of water and a little stool that you can put your feet up on whilst on the loo.

Regarding food, I am sure that you have not done any harm, but I can understand your angst having had a problem previously. But remember stress is not good for bubs either! Do your research regarding food and come up with a set of rules you feel happy with.