Things you 'mustn't' do when pregnant.

[BummyMummy77]

So this is born from my sil insisting that she will ride her very scatty dressage mare when she's pregnant. Each to their own but I've been told by more than a few ob-gyns and midwives that it's not safe due to the risk of falling and above 12 weeks - placental abruption.

For me, I stopped skiing the minute I found out (gutting, I was in the middle of a month's bloody ski holiday!). I'm 36 and have been trying to conceive for so long, maybe if I was younger I'd have been less paranoid.

What have you ladies given up or not given up?

Don't worry! Cheesecake is cream cheese no? Perfectly safe even by the NHS standards. Baths are fine as long as they're not scorching hot. And even then you'll probably be fine. :)

Baths are FINE. Please don't worry. Even the theoretical risk is the sort of boiling bath that sends you dizzy. Normal baths are fine and lovely and relaxing

Wine, wine and wine

I love those dizzy baths. It's not a 'proper' bath unless I have to sit on the bathroom floor for half an hour afterwards. Combine that with a glass of whiskey and I'm in heaven. Actually, that's probably not safe for a non pregnant person either lol.

I was wondering about cheesecake - Winter - why no cheesecake?!

Only gave up oysters as even under normal circumstances food poisoning is relatively frequent. Dodgy chicken in a corner shop sandwich much higher risk though IMO.
Amanda - pate isn't recommended for similar reasons to tuna/swordfish. As it's always made from liver (except for fish pate I believe) therefore an organ that processes toxins given to animals like antibiotics and other medicine; it has a higher concentration within it. Organic pate is almost non-existent though you can buy fresh organic livers in the UK. My cravings never drove me to homemade pate though :-)

Pate isn't always made from liver. That's my point. Liver is in most meat pates. There are masses of non-meat (e.g. stilton and walnut) pates and fish pates, all of which are specifically included in most lists of banned food. Pressing mushrooms into a terrine with cream cheese does not mysteriously make it more dangerous than spreading the cream cheese on my toast and topping with mushrooms (storage is all) and yet the NHS - see here patronisingly tell me it contains listeria. Not may contain mind. Contains.

Sorry, that's not the link that says 'contains'. Or maybe they've fixed it since I last read it. One gave me the total rage last time round anyway

one mustn't ever grumble/moan/act irrationally when one is pregnant, as it is such a blessing. Yes it is, but

mumnotmaid DP is looking after me and providing the hot Vimto have taken some time off work too so I can get the extra rest. I like your dads idea of the honey raisins!

bummymummy I have heard that aspartame is nasty too! Dear not read up to much about it as I used to guzzle the stuff. Haven't missed it like I thought I would though so hopefully won't be going back to my 4 cans a day habit.

I'm starting to think I am a bit paranoid! I've given up soft eggs, soft cheese, blue cheese, rare meat, cured meat / fish, pate and shellfish. I always check ingredients for mayo, tartare, ice cream, coleslaw etc. Alcohol - I've had one sip of champagne and one of beer (now 36 weeks); caffeine - I've had probably an average of one caffeinated drink per week (no wonder I'm tired!); medicines - two paracetamol in total over the 36 weeks.

I know that I can probably have a lot of these things in moderation, but have chosen to go for the total risk avoidance strategy "just in case". OH has got a list of lovely menus compiled for the first five days after baby arrives, gawd bless him

Each to their own! If it makes you feel comfortable to not eat those things then don't. :)

DH said "you can get smashed as soon as the baby is born! I'll get a couple of bottles of champagne in!" He looked like he was going to cry when I told him there was another year odd of no drinking haha.

Not really given up much this time round, seem to have gotten more chilled out by number 4 lol! Only things I am particularly careful with now are fresh cream cakes (ok if they use pasteurised egg I believe), restaurant mayo and any kind of takeaway/precooked chicken.

Not really a problem with the rest as like my steak cooked, actually prefer scrambled eggs and could count the number of alcoholic drinks I've had in the last 6yrs on 1 hand My main weakness is fizzy drinks! Really should cut down anyway, not just in pregnancy.

Am completely gobsmacked at some of your OHs

Haven't given up much at all except avoiding some things more in first trimester. found Expecting Better a good resource for looking up studies and reading exactly why advice is the way it is or conflicting in different countries. I'm careful about the source of my food and eat steak rare, runny eggs etc. Have given up contact sports, and watch my Mercury / vit a intake. Like Amanda I get very frustrated with patronizing blanket advice on things like caffeine and alcohol.

I'm being slightly careful about runny eggs and only drink decaff tea now (unless i am out and about and then make sure i only have 1 or 2 cups of normal tea)

I don't drink alcohol anyway (apart from a glass of champagne at weddings and i like a pimms in the summer) so thats not been a prob.

I am running a coastal marathon tomorrow though - eek . i'm 18 weeks today and not much of a bump as first dc so hopefully i'll be ok..

BummyMummy - are you referring to breast feeding? You can drink while bf. At our NCT class last week the facilitator said that as long as you can still drive, it's perfectly safe.

Don't go getting wasted, but very little alcohol makes it into your milk. Also, it leaves your milk in the same way it leaves your blood, so if you have a glass of wine while feeding, by the net feed it's most likely left your system

Haven't given much up this time: raw shellfish, liver (due to the Vitamin A content), most alcohol (though have had the occasional small glass of wine with a meal at a weekend after 1st trimester). Still eating dippy eggs, prosciutto and chorizo, sushi (provided it's not tuna or shellfish), tea and coffee, various squishy cheeses. I don't drink fizzy drinks anyway (sugared or artificially sweetened), and am trying not to have too much fruit juice.

Mind you, all this will change when the dreaded gestational diabetes kicks in: last time i had to give up all fruit, vegetables apart from leafy greens, pasta, rice, bread, porridge... (as well as the obvious sweet stuff, of course). I couldn't face red meat, so I spent a couple of months living on fish and spinach, which is ok as long as you're not having it for Every. Single. Meal. I was very, very miserable by the time DS was born!

Stopped drinking didn't drink that much but do fancuy a kopperburg sometimes :( smoking pate faggots :( I've always had my steak well done anyway, nurishment :( didn't eat runny eggs anyway, most things I miss is kopperburg lol will be one of the first things I do when I've given birth smoking will never go back to it. 15 weeks + 1 day

Oh and black pudding love black pudding

osccarwilde Liver isn't on the 'no' list because of the toxins but because it has high levels of preformed vitamin A.
Which makes me sad as I love chopped liver.

I haven't given up anything except regular alcohol. I'm 26+4 and have had precisely 1 half pint of shandy and 1 glass of wine since my BFP. I'm currently really craving a nice cold glass of white and might have one soon. It's my birthday next week, so perhaps then. Although I'll pay for it with heartburn.

I am a big believer in calculated risks. When I became pregnant with DC1 (after 2MCs), I sold my horse because she was a competitive showjumper and it wouldn't have been fair on her to keep her for bumbling around fields on.

But runny eggs/soft cheeses/paté/tea/coffee/the occasional Vanilla Coke/nuts/rare-ish meat etc? Still doing it.

And heaven help anyone who tries to tell me I can't. If my husband tried to 'ban' me from eating/doing anything, or even made a disapproving face, I'd tell him to fuck right off!

I still have runny eggs, caffeine and wine (a glass rather than a bottle though)

Given up steak, if I can't have it rare what's the point! Pâté, Brie and I think that's all!

I haven't really given up anything. 30wks. Went out with some girlfriends last night and had a bloody steak. Still make a runny boiled egg if I fancy it. I don't really drink much anyway but have had occasional glasses of champagne or proseco if I have been at a function.

I suppose I have given up spinning and body pump but thats only because I had I thought SPD between wks 20 & 29 but it appears it was a very bad groin strain from running around the beach playing footie with my DS' on holiday. But I do yoga and am back swimming again. Well I would be swimming this morning if DS1 hadn't vommed everywhere last night.

I am constantly craving pate, cold prawns and brie. :(

I still have the occasional runny egg (lion stamped) and have eaten medium rare steak once this time round. I have no interest in steak if it's well done tbh. Also still drinking Diet Coke, though only 1 can a day, sometimes none. I think you can have a small amount of caffeine, and as I don't have any tea or coffee, I figure the odd DC will be fine.

What's going to be hardest is Christmas. No prawn cocktail/ nice soft cheese/ pate. The Christmas menus at restaurants I'm going to for various Christmas meals all have prawns or pate as starter options, so I have to go for soup. I don't want soup! Grrrr!!!

I didn't drink before, so don't miss the alcohol, but do love alcohol free Kopparberg (though fewer and fewer pubs sell it now, but various supermarkets stock it!)

You can have prawns, Sugar. Even the NHS say so.