Help! I ate a medium burger 😭

[Fate88]

I’m freaking out, my husband and I ordered some burgers from burger 1, I ordered mine well done and my husband got his medium and I accidentally took two or three bites of his burger thinking it was mine and now I’m panicking. Have I just hurt my baby. It was pink. I’m terrified, please please please if this or something similar has happened to you and your baby has turned out ok please let me know. I asked the nurse at my clinic and she and a doctor said that there is no need to test for toxoplasmosis because it’s very unlikely that I would get it by a undercooked hamburger, but how can I enjoy the rest of my pregnancy when there is a chance that my child could be unwell and it’s all my fault. I’m 25 weeks today 😭😭😭

@Fate88

There we go great news! Try and chill out now OP what's done is done and like a million people have said on this thread they have eaten raw meat and blue cheese and all sorts and their children are perfect so please stop worrying and enjoy your pregnancy

Rare meat I meant

You need help for your anxiety. Worrying about a hamburger like this isn't healthy

Yeah, I understand Im seeing my doc this week.

I ate pink meat several times while pregnant, I've got 2 health kids.

@getawayfromme

You can have mcflurrys, it's nonsense. And peanuts. If you're in the UK, the NHS guidelines don't mention avoiding either.

OP, even a medium burger will be absolutely fine - it will have been heated through. The guidelines state pink meat is to be avoided but a medium burger would be heated through anyway so there is no danger/need for worry.

My widwife specifically mentioned Mcflurries to me :( I was devastated, haha.

However I did accidentally have a pink burger last night too, ate around the edges of it once I realised how pink it was in the middle but I'm not going to get upset over the few mouthfuls I had first.

You guys I'm having really bad anxiety over this again, I was fine yesterday, but the thought of this harming my son is making me cry. Sorry I just need to vent.

I don't know what I can say to you that hasn't already been said. Two bites of medium burger is not/ going to hurt your baby. It's not. It wasn't even rare. The heat at the centre will have been more than enough to kill anything. That's if there was even anything there to start with which is highly unlikely. Millions of people eat medium burgers every day without getting sick.

This is your mind playing tricks on you. Pleas see your doctor asap. If you can't, then phone a helpline. Your mental health is the threat here. Not the burger. Your poor husband must be at his wits end.

You guys I'm having really bad anxiety over this again, I was fine yesterday, but the thought of this harming my son is making me cry. Sorry I just need to vent.

I can guarantee you that this is your anxiety talking, rather than any actual big risk here. And with anxiety, any reassurance given to you will only give short term relief, if any. What you are experiencing is classic anxiety. You are seeking help for your anxiety and that is the best thing you can do, it’s a really positive step.

I spent my pregnancy eating pink steak, cured meats and brie. It’s all a precaution for a tiny, tiny risk.

You’ll be absolutely fine and so will your baby. Try not to stress, stress will be worse for baby than 3 bites of pink beef :) xx

Hello lovely, I struggle at lot with food anxiety during pregnancy (never before in my life have I either, it's a very odd time) and I just wanted to reassure you that you'll be absolutely fine.

In fact, if you've had to toxoplasmosis before I've read you're immune to getting it again!

My MH midwife sat me down and said, 'look I shouldn't be saying this but we see women who sniff cocaine every single day and 99% of the time their babies are born completley healthy with no long-term health concerns.'

That sort of reassured me quite a lot. Babies are resilient and Google can be a dark, dark place for pregnant women.

Remember the odds are in your favour!

I actually had really bad campylobacter food poisoning while I was pregnant. With the same little girl I mentioned up thread who is 3 years old and very very healthy! Please try to stop worrying. You're way past the time to get ill from that burger. I've got 3 levels in food hygiene certificates if that's any comfort!

2 bites of a burger will not have harmed your son. Please speak to someone ASAP.

Please try not to worry. This will not have harmed your baby.
I absolutely understand your worry and anxiety. I've had several miscarriages and currently pregnant and I've been really anxious. Because I've had so many miscarriages, the hospital scans me every couple of weeks.
Would going for a scan help do you think? Either through the NHS or private?
I Google everything I eat and drink due to anxiety of causing harm to the baby and I am having therapy due to this as well.
But please try not to worry. Honestly, this will not have harmed your baby.

If your husband finished the burger and is fine then the burger had no germs. So you'll be fine

He did finish the burger and I have been looking for symptoms in him, I had a sore throat yesterday then I ha a panic attack but this morning he said he was all good. It’s been 10 days I’m gonna ask for extra scans and that will help with my anxiety. Hopefully everything will be ok

Thank you guys for the messages it helps

Oh crikey. I've honestly not experienced this level of anxiety. I mean if you'd eaten a blue steak every day for a month then maybe but this is insane!
It was hot throughout and thus the risk is practically non existent. Pink isn't going to hurt, they say no because there is a tiny risk but it's really fine.
We do millions of risky things every day but we generally survive. Your anxiety is harming your baby more than any burger.

Please seek some support from your midwife.

I can't believe this keeps happing to me again. I'm never eating out again. I didn't understand what's up with restaurants cooking meat medium. My husband took me to a restaurant a few nights ago, because I was too tired to cook and we got some meat. mine was cooked and I was looking at every piece to make sure it was not pink. My hubby put some of his meat on my plate so I can try it not realizing it was medium cooked. obviously I looked at that meat and only eat the outside which was fully cooked and not pink. for some reason I'm still worried about all of it. I'm sure its fine tho, can't wait to get this baby boy on the outside so I can stop taking my meat apart and looking for any trace of pink like a crazy lady.

Hi Fate88,

As someone who suffered bad anxiety and has come out the other side, I want to let you know that the most important thing you can possibly do at the moment for yourself and your baby is to get an appointment with a psychologist through your GP for your anxiety.

Eighteen months ago I googled and googled and googled about a health condition I thought I had, until I made myself mentally very unwell. I ended up having a complete nervous breakdown. My cortisol levels were sky high, I couldn't sleep or function (or look after my beautiful two year old son). I literally worried myself sick.

I completely understand what it is like to be terrified you have done something to harm your baby - but you absolutely haven't. What you could be doing however is worrying yourself sick. What your baby needs most is a calm mama, who is sleeping well and has a relaxed nervous system. No worrying can take away that little bit of meat, and the meat will abolutely not have harmed baby! The guidelines are SO strict that they really can make mums worry. But truly - it is better to use the time you have before baby arrives to learn to calm your brain and body. I was initially completely sceptical ("how can I have possibly have brought this upon myself?") but over time I learned that my own thinking had got my body into a panicked mess. I learned CBT techniques (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and it helped me so much. Please consider it!

You and baby will be totally fine - try to relax!

www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/health-anxiety/

@Fate88 how is everything? Is baby here now? Did you end up getting some support for your anxiety, did you end up getting a test?

This thread has been helpful. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment.

I just ate a medium burger as well, I don't even normally eat meat but felt I needed the iron and was craving it. Had it at a beach restaurant in Spain. I was happily eating it then looked down and realised the inside was slightly pink. Squeezed it and no bloody juice came out. DH said he thought it looked fine. Still, I did then try to avoid the middle bit and ate around it. So I'm now worrying! But I know it's likely fine. But it's hard to live with even small risks when pregnant! I'm 12 weeks.