Worried about the foods ive eaten during pregnancy

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Hi everyone. Im looking for a bit of advice. Im 16 weeks pregnant. And i try to be pretty healthy (maybe not so much during xmas though!)

Im worried as my partner has read things saying i cant have pineapple ..... Which i have eaten!!! Also ive read things like all fruits and veg etc need to be washed else im basically going to kill my unborn child 🥺🥺🥺🥺 how true are all these scary stories? Its really worrying, ive tried to be careful and healthy, but now im scared! Help please!!

You don’t need to worry your partner is talking rubbish

Well that's mostly nonsense, you'd know if you'd become so seriously unwell from food that it might harm your baby. It's always good practice to wash fruit and veg though, baby or no baby. Why no pineapple? Bizarre.

Er, no you’ll be fine. You should wash veg, such as salad leaves, more thoroughly to help prevent food poisoning. Dirty veg isn’t going to harm your baby unless you get ill from it. Even if you do get sick it’s not guaranteed to harm the baby. It’s just not ideal for women to get high temperatures and become ill while pregnant (food poising can become very nasty).

I can’t see how pineapple is dangerous?

Pineapple is fine unless you are eating vast quantities. Rinse or peel whatever fruits/veg you normally wash or peel.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/foods-to-avoid-pregnant/

Isn't pineapple suggested as something to eat towards the end to kickstart labour?

Ignore your partner and check out the NHS guidelines, you'll find it's not actually that limiting, more about being sensible about the risks.

Congratulations.

Don't worry about it. It's supposed to be an old wives tale. There is a substance in there that can cause contractions if you rub it directly on the lining of the womb, but I'm guessing you didn't do that.

I was sent 2 pineapples by tesco as a substitute for a mango (apparently that's the going rate - bizarre). I did give those to my parents, because if they stay in the house, I will eat them, and like they say, everything in moderation - I wouldn't go pushing my luck and have a bath in the stuff. But I have eaten pineapple and I'm ok. To be honest, I'm cautious so I wouldn't go out of my way, but if it was in a fruit salad I'd eat it. NHS advice is it's rubbish.

Thankyou everyone! I really appreciate the help and advice. Ill make sure i wash all fruits and veggies etc to ensure theyre clean. And ill stop panicking too 😁
Thankyou all again ❤️

This is info about how pineapple, in theory, could help bring on labour if eaten in large amounts:

Fruits

Fresh tropical fruits like pineapple, kiwi, mango and papaya are high in an enzyme called bromelain, which has been historically used to start labour. This has never been tested in humans, although two small animal studies showed pineapple could have an effect on uterine tissue. Pineapple is the popular one to try but you would need to eat a huge amount. Still, reaching for fresh fruit is a good way to help maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy.

If you’re a fan of dried fruit, eating dates at the end of pregnancy might help to avoid induction. One very small study in Jordan found that eating dried dates could help make women give birth closer to their due date and might help make labour shorter.This is because dates help stimulate the release of oxytocin. Again, more research is needed to say for sure whether it really does help.

There is apparently something in pineapple that can trigger early labour. But the quantities of pineapple you would physically have to eat to get the amount required would probably be making you throw up first.

Everything is bad for you when you are pregnant if you look hard enough.

Honestly, I really wouldn't worry about it. There are obvious things to avoid (alcohol, too much caffeine, soft cheese, undercooked meat/fish) but otherwise its highly unlikely your unborn child will be harmed by what you eat.

My doctor (not in UK) is really strict about what I can and can't eat. A lot of people MIL think it's ridiculous, but but it's basically this:

Heat up cold meats and fish (think paninis not sandwiches), cook eggs thoroughly and always eat meat well done.

Avoid pâté and liver, don't overdo certain types of fish. Stay away from unpasteurised cheeses such as Camembert.

Sushi is ok if the fish has been frozen for a few days (I make my own or buy from our Iceland equivalent - NEVER fresh bought).

And thoroughly wash salad, veg and of course your hands!

Unpasteurised, mould ripened and blue cheeses are ok if you cook them first.

You can eat soft eggs in the UK if Lion Stamped. They’ve changed the rules. A dippy egg is a common lunch for me these days!

It’s also fine to eat cold sandwiches with ham, chicken etc in the UK. They advise against deli meat in the US but not here. I regularly nibble on the cooked chicken you buy in packs for sandwiches. It’s a good bit of protein!

Different countries have different rules which will be based on hygiene/ risk in that particular country.

Just check out the NHS food guidelines. It’s comprehensive & tells you all you need to know!

The majority of guidelines are more of a just incase thing.. like washing fruit, it’s unlikely you’ll get sick from it but if we don’t tell you it could harm you were in the shit logic. A few years ago it was no eggs or no soft eggs.. now if they’ve got the lion stamp it’s fine.

Pineapple is an old wife’s labour tale.. I craved it heavily in my 3rd trimester with ds, it didn’t start labour.. it did deal with my constipation when I drank it like my life depended on it. My granny and her friends were horrified I ate curry thinking I’d put myself in labour with the spices.. that also didn’t do anything but they were all of the spicy food to start you days.