Ate feta; having a slight panic

[ChloeHel]

Ok, I usually see these posts and roll my eyes, but now it’s happened to me!

I just ate one of these olives and then thought oh crap I should have checked if it’s pasteurised etc. well it doesn’t say anywhere if the cheese is pasteurised. I’ve taken a picture of the ingredients…

I had a bad experience at my 20 week scan yesterday and have to go back for a rescan so my nerves are all over the place as it is, please help calm my anxiety. Surely it’s fine right?

Yes, you'll be fine. Feta is safe to eat in pregnancy x

Probably 1/5 of a teaspoon of feta in each olive. You'll be fine. Tbh even if you'd eaten the whole tub you'd be fine. Best of luck at your rescan.

I think the issues are with gooey ripe brie at a French market, not a bit of feta from Sainsbury's.

I really wouldn't worry.

Hi, this was me about five years ago! Honestly, please don't worry but if it helps, phone your midwife if you can and they can reassure you.

I remember eating a sandwich and after eating it, it said not suitable for pregnant women. We all do it, don't beat yourself up. I wish I spoke to my midwife earlier as afterwards I was paranoid about what I ate and it controlled my life. xx

I think if it doesn’t say, then it’s pasteurised. If it was unpasteurised, it would say that.

feta is fine

You will be absolutely fine OP. If it makes you feel any better, I accidentally ate pate AND some unpasteurised cheese at a wedding when I was 10 weeks pregnant. I was trying to stave off a sudden attack of nausea and grabbed a few canapés before realising my mistake. I was a bundle of nerves for weeks but it was absolutely fine - there's a reason these things are not recommended, but in reality the chances of getting Listeria etc are really very slim even if you do accidently eat the wrong things x

You will be fine and also remember the not eating unpasteurised things rule (if you do find yourself accidentally eating some) is because there is a slightly raised risk of certain bacteria that could make you ill being present, which is still very unlikely. I very much doubt pregnant women in places where unpasteurised cheeses are common avoid them

I'm sure feta is OK in pregnancy. Not all cheese has to be pasteurised. Hard cheese like cheddar isn't pasteurised because it's hard and therefore safe. So it doesn't mean it's bad if it's not pasteurised.

You will be fine. If it doesn’t specify, it is pasteurised.

Thank you for all the replies! Really helped calm me down!

I wasn’t like this at all in my first pregnancy but for some reason in this second one I’m all over the place! I wouldn’t have even looked at the ingredients in my first pregnancy.

@Partofyourworld Thank you! I will ring her on Monday just to hear someone say “you are fine go away” 😂

Oh god, double whammy of pate and unpasteurised cheese haha. Thank you for this! Luckily I don’t like most of the things that aren’t recommended in pregnancy haha I don’t even like feta but just threw this olive in my mouth 😂

@ChloeHel I'm a vegetarian as well, so it really was a bad day 🤣 You really don't need to worry about the feta x

Totally fine, but I sympathise. My first pregnancy I ate pizza with no cheese for 9 months in case the mozzarella was unpasteurised
Pregnancy 2, 3 and 4 I did not have enough time on my hands to worry about that!