Fed sheep before I knew I was pregnant

[RoseAndGin]

Please help me understand the risks. I am aware of the damage toxaplasmosis and listeriosis can cause, but how likely is it to get it from feeding sheep this time of year?

I took my niece to a local farm and fed the sheep, then ate sandwiches in the car. I am pretty sure we sanitised hands after, cannot honestly remember, but definitely touched the sheep.

This was before I knew I was pregnant but must have been about 5 - 6 weeks?

I am now so worried, but wasn’t sure if the sheep were pregnant or how common the infection is?

I do suffer from anxiety and haven’t had a scan yet, will the 12 week scan will tell me if any damage has been done if I get that far?

Honestly OP the baby will be fine. I did so many things yourr not supposed to with all my pregnancies before I knew, and then even eating things I had no one you shouldn't eat after I did find out. All babies were fit and healthy. Dont worry yourself about it.

You'll be fine.

If you were handling sheep every day, that's different.

You will be fine, my partner grew up on a sheep farm, back then they didn’t even know the risk to an unborn child and I promise you his mum was fully involved in the lambing during her pregnancy along with the daily feeds throughout her pregnancy.

Isn't the risk mainly from sheep that are lambing? Although it's pretty gross to feed sheep and eat sandwiches without having access to proper hand washing facilities

I always thought it was the afterbirth that was the problem so I’d stay away at lambing time.

My husband kept sheep while I was pregnant with both children and he would always have a good scrub before coming near me once he’d lambed one.

Ah thank you so much

Yeah I know that would be gross , there were no toilets or sinks so I’m pretty sure I used sanitizer but it was chaos really my niece is very full on and was demanding food!

Yes, the risk is primarily during lambing (and this has been known for a long time - I grew up in a farming community in the 80s and pregnant farmers always took the risk seriously) but from what you describe will be absolutely fine, OP.

Thank you for your reassurance, I can google myself silly and ready all kinds of things and not knowing if the sheep are pregnant or whatever!

They likely will be pregnant just now but the risk is actually at the birth of the lamb due to the fluids there so being around a pregnant sheep is ok. Just don’t help to lamb one!

I think you might need to try and find a way to get on top of this kind of anxiety, or you are going to drive yourself nuts.

I definitely am going to drive myself nuts. I had a mmc so worried about everything. I have a midwife appointment coming up so will mention it

Mention it if you need to for relieving anxiety but unless you had anything to lambing the risk is pretty much zero.

I had a miscarriage and am now pregnant again too but if I started worrying about everything that I could do to make something go wrong I’d never leave the house. 99% of it is probably completely beyond our control.

*to do with lambing.

Sorry that’s what I meant will mention the anxiety. I had a few counselling sessions but the counselled just asked me what I wanted to talk about every time and I’m not very good at opening up without being prompted.

I appreciate the reassurance from you all though thank you.

Touching sheep is absolutely fine, no different to touching any other animal. The risk comes from the afterbirth. Sheep afterbirth is the worst, but you have the same risks with any animal (cows, pigs, horses, dogs, cats). So as long as you don't go back to the petting farm when there are newborn lambs and touch them you will be fine (I'm a farmers daughter and now a farmers wife so I'm well versed on what to avoid!). Once the lambs are dry the risk obviously reduces, but if you can avoid going near any newborn animal then I would