I want Brie and pate .......

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Just got back from waitrose and couldn't help but stand at the Brie and pate and imagine I was eating them. Very rare for it to bother me but today, [stamps foot] I want it

[icravecheese]

msChanandlerbong....I was about to post the same p.s. about no salad or raw veg advice when eating out in france too, but thought I might add more fuel to the fire

[Bartimaeus]

"Coffee, Pate, Brie, Runny eggs, smoking, red wine.....I am always curious as to what pregnant French women survive on..."

Erm stereotype much? Sorry but like MsChanandler these threads annoy me.

So for once and for all, in France pregnant women are very careful about what they eat and drink. It is totally acceptable to ask for a well-done steak if you are pregnant. In fact you have a lovely little conversation with the waiters about how frustrating it is to have to eat meat like that!

I get my blood tested every month to check I haven't got toxoplasmos. At the hospital there are signs up saying zero alcohol in pregnancy.

A colleague of mine recently outed her pregnancy by giving up cigarettes and changing to decaf. We politely waited 'til she annonced it at 3.5 months, but then everyone confessed they'd already guessed!

Whenever I go to a party, the hosts have provided lots of soft drinks for me. No one expects me to drink even half a glass of champagne.

I live in France and have no trouble whatsoever finding enough food to eat! Even if French women normally eat some Brie and pate they don't eat lots of it as it's invariably very fattening food. So cutting out unpasturised cheese, cured meats and pate (and rillettes for the PP) is not hard.

From what I've seen on French forums, the only frustration is around Christmas when it's traditional to eat foie gras and they can't. But apart from that, it's totally accepted that you change your eating and drinking habits when pregnant.

[MsChanandlerBong]

icravecheese Ah to hell with it - I'm fed up of people telling me that I am being controlled by the Government (or whatever) because I have chosen to follow their advice and avoid foods with certain risks attached. And I am REALLY fed up with the view that French women are all sitting there over the channel, sucking on cigarettes, glugging red wine straight from the bottle and snorting pate!!!

[Bartimaeus]

And yes for the salad. At restaurants I ask them not to add the side salad to my plate as I'm pregnant and can't eat it and they all nod and say of course! Do you want extra chips in the place?

[Hullygully]

just eat it ffs. everyone has eaten it throughout time whilst pregs (including me but not pate cos it's vile meat) and been FINE

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Bartimaeus sorry to annoy you but I didn't start a thread about French woman was just having a moan cause I really fancied something and IMO the risk is not worth it.

[Hullygully]

JUST EAT IT YOU LOON

[Bartimaeus]

Ok I worded it badly. But invariably on a thread about someone wanting to eat something, someone will come on and say, well French women do it so it must be ok!

That what annoys me, not someone wanting to eat brie.

[Hullygully]

French women eat fags, we all know that.

[MrsRhettButler]

Ummm, peanuts are fine

[MsChanandlerBong]

Lovebeingabletonamechange - Sorry - I don't think any annoyance was pointed at you! I think for me (and Bartimaeus) it is just frustrating when people tell you to eat it anyway when you have carefully weighed up the risks and decided to avoid, and use the French as justification as to why you should go for it!

I'm pretty sure the moment I have finished my last push during the birth, the midwife will come at me with the baby and DH will come at with me with a brie sandwich as he knows how much I love soft cheese!! I miss it too, but I'm with you on showing some self-restraint for a few months just to avoid unnecessary risk!

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Hully has called me a loon , I've made it

[Hullygully]

Only if you now eat a giant wodge of Brie and dance the fandango.

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

MsC - the best but after dd being born was the table full of food my parents had waiting for me when I got home

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Will you join me?

[Hullygully]

[Chandon]

Oh, I did eat Brie and Pate when pregnant.

Almost ALL Brie here is pasteurised, very rare to get non pasteurised Brie actually, you'd have to very (un) lucky to find it.

As to Pate, is it the vitamin A thing? A bit of it is fine, as long as you don't eat a big slab every day. Please not the above is all non scientific, non medical advice!

[luvvinlife]

French women eat babies, small dogs and rodents. FACT.

[ScroobiousPip]

I wondered about that MrsRhettButler. In fact I had a vague feeling they were almost positively encouraged to reduce allergies or something. But then I thought there might be some pregnant women who have to avoid them for other reasons (not sure what, maybe if they already have an allergy??)? Very curious nosey now!

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Ok so luckliy can't be told I am drip feeding but I will tell you why I won't be risking it.

I had a mc 5 days after my dad died, I'd only realised I was pg two days before due to ongoing stress from dads illness. I didn't have another period and was very shocked to realise I was pg again. Lost a month of my pregnancy due to dating. Had a 1:15 ds risk. Dd has a banana allergy which also means she could develop a latex allergy. I have a few different ones myself. I've spent the whole of my pregnancy grieving for my dad and then stressing about, sooo I'm not going to eat something cause not matter how small the risk this is one thing I can control.

[BrainSurgeon]

Catches Brie and wolves it down

[Hullygully]

NOW she tells us.

PUT THE BRIE DOWN!

[BrainSurgeon]

Sorry OP, unfortunate x post
Of course I totally understand why you wouldn't want to take any chances whatsoever
I think it's hard to say what the real risk is for something like pasteurized brie, may not be much of a risk but if psychologically it makes you worry in the slightest, then best avoid it

[BrainSurgeon]

Hully - great minds!