Worried - ate mussels - is that OK?

[minniemummy0]

I went to a wedding yesterday and ate mussels which were an accompaniment to a cod dish. I was telling my mum about what we ate today and she seemed a bit shocked I'd eaten mussels and seemed to think the could be toxic in pregnancy? I don't remember this being in the banned foods the midwife told me about.

My mum is very sensible, intelligent and not at all melodramatic so was a bit upset after. But she's also 69 so was thinking maybe it's out of date advice? Does anyone know if it's one of those foods that the advice changes about?

If it is dangerous when would I know if there has been a bad affect or not? Would I know by now or are there signs to recognise??

Thank you!!

As long as it's cooked it's fine. NHS site has most up to date guidance www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx#Avoid

Sounds like you can relax 😊

They're fine, ignore her.

Like all seafood- ok if cooked. I'm not sure many people would go around eating most seafood raw anyway

Yep, fine. As usual only eat the ones that have opened during cooking and discard any closed ones.

And even if it wasn't who made your mum the food police anyway?! You ate them because you were fine with eating them. Even if you were mainlining pate she shouldn't have commented on it.

mussels are very healthy during pregnancy, because they contain lots of B12 and iron. over here (in Belgium), doctors recommend mussels during pregnancy. as long as they were well cooked and you didn't eat any unopened one, you just gave your baby a nutrient boost.

Up to you OP but i got horrendous food poisoning from muscles and scallops once from a very reputable national chain of restaurants. So i have never eaten seafood since and to be honest i would have avoided all seafood during pregnancy anyway particularly early pregnancy. I just dont see thats its worth running the risk for a handful of muscles etc to get really ill and potentially endanger the baby. Just my view though! Same reason why I've avoided pate and soft cheeses etc etc.

Not very helpful Fanatical! OP I'm sure you'll be fine. In the fairly rare circumstances that they were in any way dodgy you would have known about it by now! Relax.

Very good for you!

Just being honest. I am sure she is fine this time just explaining why i choose to avoid seafood, i dont see the moment of eating it worth the potential outcome of being extremely ill. OPs choice though, just an opinion.

Well if the NHS say it is OK then I guess it is. But personally I regard all shellfish as sewage filters and never touch them!

Potteringalong - my mum and me are very close and she totally didn't say it in a judgy/arsey way that some people have policing what pregnant women eat, but in a genuinely slightly (but not over the top) concerned way! :)

Anyway I am not ill so I think if I was going to get ill I would have by now! Thank you all for the kind advice!

Having thought it through I probably wouldn't eat them again, though I doubt I'll come across them again as it's not something I wouldn't normally eat!!

When I had dd most shellfish was banned. That advice has changed now and cooked shellfish is fine. Explains the difference in opinion

If you were going to have food poisoning you'd have it by now, so don't fret. I hadn't eaten mussels before and opened a few closed ones (now I know!) and did get food poisoning a month before my first baby was due. I was terribly ill but baby stayed put and is now a strapping 36 year old! So even worse case scenario you'd probably have been fine and so would your baby. Best of luck.