Toxoplasmosis from eating chicken?

[anxiousblackcat]

Hi everyone,

It’s Saturday so can’t talk to my midwife but I’ve gotten myself worked up into a real state..

I’m about 12 weeks with my first so everything is new.

Earlier today my mum and I had lunch at KFC. I had the on the bone chicken. When I got to the last bite nearest the bone realised it was pink. My mum said chicken next to the bone can be pink even when fully cooked and I’ve found several news articles of people thinking their KFC was undercooked but when inspected by staff it was actually cooked through, but I’m still so frightened.

I know salmonella is unpleasant but NHS website says it’s unlikely to harm baby. My real fear is toxoplasmosis because I’ve read some really horrific things and it sounds like the prognosis is very poor if you get it while pregnant.

Is anyone with more experience/knowledge able to offer any words of wisdom? I’ve been in tears all afternoon.

Until you got to the pink nearer the bone, did the chicken seem cooked to you? If you hadn't have eaten so close to the bone would you have ever thought your chicken wasn't fully cooked?

Oh I'm so sorry you're feeling so worried about this. Firstly your mum is right. Often chicken right at the bone is pink and sometimes red despite being fully cooked.
I've been scared of food poisoning from chicken for years so I cremate mine and still find this! I also had KCF a few days back and had the same to no ill effect. It's totally normal.

I had a similar Toxoplasmosis fear but honestly chances are you've already had it long before being pregnant. The chances of you getting it for the first time in pregnancy is very small. Also in early pregnancy, even if you were to get it, the chance of passing it to baby is even smaller.

If the chicken was undercooked then you'll know about it within a few hours...! It's such a scary time OP and we can't help but worry about all these things but please try not to over fret.

Cooked chicken near the bone is often bright pink/red/purple. I wouldn't worry. KFC is normally so overcooked it's quite dry!

I’m also 12 weeks and I ate some similar chicken last week and had the same panic. It really is rare and it’s possible you are already immune to it anyway. DH also said it was just because it was close to the bone too and I am sure he was right, it was just my pregnant mind not thinking straight. Yes salmonella is more likely but it wouldn’t harm the baby.

This is our second and I’ve been super relaxed until now. I think with my first I had already had a good few food panics by this point but DS is perfectly healthy.

This is my first time on Mumsnet so not sure if the etiquette is to reply to everyone individually or not, but I want to say a big THANK YOU for your replies! It’s been good to hear all your words!

My dating scan isn’t until next week so I’ve not told any of my friends I’m pregnant yet, my mum knows but said when she was pregnant in the 80s/90s there were no guidelines around eating and everyone just ate the same as they would if not pregnant, so she can’t relate to navigating the present day minefield of eating whilst pregnant. It’s so nice to be able to talk to people who know what it’s like!

I will try to put it to the back of my mind for now then. Before I was pregnant I regularly ate extremely rare steak so with any luck I’ve already had toxoplasmosis and have immunity!