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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

don't eat this. Or that. You fancy what? Nope you can't have that either.

102 replies

socktastic · 10/12/2015 18:59

Aaarrrggghhhhhh!!

How on earth did our parents successfully produce us? I'm sure my mum enjoyed soft cheeses and pate when she was carrying me.

FFS!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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mrsmugoo · 15/12/2015 20:26

Yes sushi is fine as long as the fish has previously been frozen, in reality that means salmon is not recommended as it's usually sourced fresh within driving distance ( unlike tuna etc)

Lucy61 · 15/12/2015 20:34

Read Emily Oster's book titled 'why conventional pregnancy wisdom is wrong and what you really need to know'. No scaremongering and based on empirical evidence. I've had Brie made with pasteurised milk, Stilton, runny eggs (lion stamped) and even a small glass of wine.

MrWriter · 16/12/2015 11:31

katharina shellfish is one of those things that seems to go on and off the NHS guidelines, as long as its well cooked I'm hope sure its fine. just before I found out I was pregnant I munched a whole pot of clams in white wine and garlic sauce!

I am reading bumpology at the moment and its a good scientific, fact based book.

MrWriter · 16/12/2015 11:31

katharina shellfish is one of those things that seems to go on and off the NHS guidelines, as long as its well cooked I'm hope sure its fine. just before I found out I was pregnant I munched a whole pot of clams in white wine and garlic sauce!

I am reading bumpology at the moment and its a good scientific, fact based book.

MrWriter · 16/12/2015 11:31

katharina shellfish is one of those things that seems to go on and off the NHS guidelines, as long as its well cooked I'm hope sure its fine. just before I found out I was pregnant I munched a whole pot of clams in white wine and garlic sauce!

I am reading bumpology at the moment and its a good scientific, fact based book.

ricketytickety · 16/12/2015 11:42

The food restrictions are to do with the risks those foods have of carrying bacterias like listeria. You have the same risk as everyone else of catching it (a very low risk) but if you do catch them then you and the baby are at serious risk because your immunity is different when you are pregnant.

I've never met anyone who's had listeria from cheese and I've never had it so the risk is very slim, like salmonella with eggs (because they are all checked) but the risk is not 0 so it is still there and so you might catch it. Honey might have botchelism, like the dented canned foods. Rare beef ecoli. Chicken campylobacter when raw.

The risks are the same for everyone but when you are pregnant your immune system is low because your body is carrying a foreign object (your baby) so you are weaker and more susceptible to getting a violent sickness from these bacterias that could be fatal to you and/or your baby.

I would say the choice is yours. The risk is very small, especially with today's food preparation techniques, but it is still there. I stayed away from blue cheeses, mussels and pate because you are more likely to get bacteria in these foods - the cheese and pate are uncooked after you buy them and the mussels can be dodgy even after cooking.

ricketytickety · 16/12/2015 11:45

Just to add there is a school of thought that morning sickness evolved to stop us eating off food - making us more sensitive to smells of off meat/veg. So there is some sense in staying away from foods that can carry bacteria that you can't necessarily cook out.

mrsmugoo · 16/12/2015 11:52

The thing with listeria is that it's a small bacteria and can pass across into the placenta if you catch it and harm the baby.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 16/12/2015 12:03

Yes, but amongst the sources of recent major outbreaks in the US are:

  • melons
  • bean sprouts
  • ice cream

One of the first recorded outbreaks was from coleslaw (the cabbage was the source, not anything dairy related).

I'm just not that convinced on listeria that avoiding the cheeses has a meaningful impact on your risk of getting listeriosis.

maybebabybee · 16/12/2015 12:17

The risks of listeria are so low as to be not worth considering, IMO.

I think people should be free to make up their own minds about what they do and don't eat in pregnancy, what I object to is the misinformed scaremongering that goes round the internet (and on reputable websites like the nhs one).

I am, as it happens, having sushi for lunch. Salmon, so probably hasn't been frozen.

Tigs0609 · 16/12/2015 12:29

Second pregnancy, with my first I followed all the guidelines. This time I've been craving runny eggs and soldiers, so I've had them a couple of times. I also had a glass of champagne on my partners birthday and a glass of Buck's Fizz whilst we were decorating the tree. Oh and I've also had coke and cappuccinos too! Blush

TheSecondViola · 16/12/2015 14:04

Why the Blush ? As people are trying to explain, there is nothing wrong with any of those things.

You know why most of the guidelines are as they are? Because those in charge of them think we are too stupid to act responsibly. Instead of, for example, saying don't eat very much pate, they say NO PATE!! And we go and prove them right in their assessments by telling other women not to eat pate, and acting as if its a deathly substance while pregnant.

I think its time we started proving them wrong and act like intelligent grown ups that we are.

5hell · 16/12/2015 14:36

I just had some pate ...mmmmmmm Grin ...first time in ages, havn't been particularly avoiding it due to pregnancy (it's not like i normally have it every week!)

my mw advised avoiding pre-packed salad...i mean seriously?!?!

i'm generally just being a bit more careful about food poisoning/food hygiene, and avoiding booze...although v tempted to have a little something at xmas so on friday :)

Monica1972 · 16/12/2015 17:05

I conceived in spring so bump was gone by Xmas, a good plan I thought as meant I didn't miss out at all over the festive season and could indulge along with everyone else! Didn't drink too much as was breastfeeding, but after 9 months of sobriety you don't need much to get squiffy!

ManaFleet · 16/12/2015 17:23

I'm just coming up for 12 weeks and doing absolutely everything advised. We've been trying for so long and I have so many health problems that I just want to know that I gave it my best shot. I do miss runny eggs, very rare beef, cured meats and caffeine, BUT it all seems like such a small sacrifice for such a relatively short amount of time in order to have the very best chance of this all working out. This will almost certainly be my one shot at this so I'm being seriously over-cautious. The excitement and optimism makes it worth it.

TheSecondViola · 16/12/2015 18:57

Well grand do, what you like. As long as you realise there isn't actually any need for most of it and there is no discernable risk. Runny eggs cannot hurt you or your foetus, at all. You can avoid them all you like but it makes zero difference to anything.

5madthings · 16/12/2015 19:19

The royal college of midwives and obstetricians are reviewing the advice re runny eggs to say they are Ok if lion stamped... I read a report about it a while ago. I have always eaten them anyway.

The main salmonella risk was from.not handwashing after touching the egg shell rather than the egg itself iyswim.

Angelmummy2013 · 16/12/2015 19:32

Dont want to rain on anyones paraid but those guidelines are there for a reason . I followed everything i was told in 2013 but my baby still died 8 days before his due date .
Nothing is worth taking the risk for 9 months isnt a long time compared to ur life . I also followed the guidelines with my baby girl who i got here safely the year after . I gave up coca cola runny eggs shelfish u name it all because i knew those guidelines are there for a reason . Just stuff yaself silly on the turkey and pigs in blankets ur baby will love em xx

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 16/12/2015 19:47

Angel- I am so sorry for your loss. But giving up coca cola and runny eggs (if lion stamped) doesn't objectively do anything. If it makes you feel better at a difficult time then great, but it doesn't do anything.

Amy0039 · 16/12/2015 19:57

I'm lucky in that I'm veggie anyway, and I don't like runny eggs or any of the cheeses I'm 'not allowed' to eat so I've not really missed out on anything other than things I now can;t stand the sight/smell of. Up until week 16 I stuck to every piece of advice, and cut our caffeine completely. Once we were out of the red zone I've relaxed a bit. The only thing I've cut out really is alcohol. I've bought a bottle of prosecco and I plan to have ONE glass with my Christmas dinner. I figure one glass won't do any harm; my stomach will be very well lined, and the rest of the day I'm making mocktails for myself, so there will be loads of fresh fruit juice so I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

29redshoes · 16/12/2015 20:47

lucy61 I've seen Emily Oster's "Expecting Better" recommended a lot on here and elsewhere, and I honestly don't get it.

I know she argues that we can be a lot more relaxed about alcohol (I think it's that one drink a day is fine? Which is far more than I drink even when not pregnant).

But some of the rest of it had me worrying for days. The worst is the bit about toxoplasmosis where she basically says any steak not charred to a crisp might kill your baby! I've had a couple of medium steaks in this pregnancy, and I drove DH mad by constantly worrying out loud that I'd done a terrible thing.

To be fair I ended up donating the book before I'd finished it because I found it actually made me more paranoid not less - so maybe I just read the worst parts...

Ughnotagain · 16/12/2015 20:51

This time last year, at a friend's Christmas party, someone actually tried to stop me eating some ham. Despite the fact that his (much more heavily) pregnant girlfriend had just eaten some. He actually stood and got his phone out to google it as I had the ham in my hand. I was just like "mate, look it up if you want, I've done my research". He was obviously just pissed off at his girlfriend but didn't feel he could say anything to her... I was verrrry cross that he felt he could police me!

Ughnotagain · 16/12/2015 20:56

Oh, and re the runny eggs - people do know they're safe if they're lion stamped, right? There's no need whatsoever to avoid them www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/11214685/Its-safe-to-eat-runny-eggs-pregnant-women-told.html

MrWriter · 17/12/2015 12:48

ugh he sounds like a prize wanker.