Keep accidentally eating the wrong food and drinking wine...

[completelyconfused]

I am around 4-5 weeks pregnant and since I found out 2 weeks ago keep forgetting I need to change what I eat! So far I have eaten sushi, gorgonzola and prawns (though some people say these are OK to eat?). I also drank 5 units of wine last week. I have resolved to do better from now on but am paranoid I have already turned my baby into a four-headed alien. Any thoughts/reassurance out there??

Crap. I mentioned about halfway down the page about eating a whole brie; I've been having crippling stomach cramps and been shitting myself (literally and metaphorically) all day. Does anyone know exactly what the symptoms of listeria are?

Aitch: well I might have had more potential compassion for the bloke in question (who I have never seen before or since and therefore have no idea whether he had a go at me because of some tragedy in his life or whether or not he was just a nosy officious twat) if he hadn't had a pint in one hand and a fag in the other. At the time (several years before falling PG) I was mostly amused at his embarrassment as well as ever so slightly feminist-cross at his interfering. You see, while I'm not advocating that PG women smoke crack and worship satan, there is always this sort of nutter-misogyny edge to the more widely publicised advice on avoiding this, that and everything while pregnant, 'because if there's anything wrong with the baby it will be YOUR FAULT.' There was at least one quote to the effect that women of childbearing age should avoid alcohol when the last round of pregnancy-and-alcohol scaremongering was in the papers.

oh i think that's a bit of a non-point, though. of course it's a woman's responsibility, she is the incubator and in our society (in all human societies?), she will likely be the one to nurture the child to adulthood.

so telling her it's not her fault is unlikely to be of any great comfort. truth is, if something goes wrong in a pregnancy you scratch yourself to death trying to pick at what you did that made it so, that's in our nature. no amount of feminist rhetoric is goiing to change that, imo.

quit it you two and help me!

oh yes, the listeria. haven't you googled it yet?

erk

Holy CRAP! Well, I'm not feverish or stiff-necked so far.

AItch, it's a pregnant woman's own business what level of risk she is comfortable with. It is not every woman's 'responsibility' to live the major part of her life considering every move she makes in the light of whether or not she might be pregnant or about to get pregnant.

MBITG - I had a quick google and, first of all, listeria produces fever and joint pains, not just the shits. If you are worried, see your GP or MW as they can a) do a blood test (apparently) and b) give you antibiotics that should prevent any problems for your pregnancy.

Thanks guys. [rings bell] Round 2!

Confession time:

I've become a real nag to dw, she is pg with our first child and I've become so concerned that she is eating appropriately and drinking enough fluids. She really does do fantastically well. One incidence when she had a swordfish steak (small), we did not realise it was verbotten, but apart from that she really is a trooper.

oh what a bore, madamez, you're changing the goalposts again. i have never said that a woman should live the major part of her life as if she's about to get pregnant.

but while she is incubating her child, it is her responsibility. how she chooses to respond to that responsibility is up to her, particularly given the fact that if something does go wrong it will be she and her child who will live with the consequences.

I'm 37 and a bit weeks pg, I have avoided practically everything because I couldn't eat for about oooh, 6months? without vomiting, I also don't like things like smelly cheese and fish, so found it easy in that respect.

But, I don't know how on earth you can 'forget' you're pregnant? Or is that just an excuse to pass over the fact that you judged the risks and decided you were willing to take them yet aren't willing to admit that?

As for drinking alcohol etc, If your pg was unexpected fine, no-one expects you to have a crystal ball, but if you were ttc then shouldn't alcohol consumption be something you change?

Sorry if I x-posted with a million and one posters, I cleared off to make lunch half way through

Actually, VS, I think in early PG it's not that hard to forget that you are PG, or to feel that it isn't really happening, particularly if it wasn't planned.

To forget for a moment whilst accepting an invite or soemthing, yes. To maybe not quite put two and two together whilst eating say, shellfish, yes.

But to actually open a bottle of wine, pour a glass and drink it all, or go to the bar/ask the waiter for an alcoholic beverage and drink it without remembering at any point you're pg. No, sorry it's bollocks.

I may as well pop to the toilets for a quick line of coke whilst I 'forget' I'm carrying a child, or maybe pop a few pills. We all know just how different the answers would have been if the OP had 'accidently' took drugs because they 'forgot' they were pregnat.

sorry, but i agree with VS here. it is selfish to put your child at risk at any point

if you don't want to be a human incubator, though, don't get pregnant.

seems simple enough.

if drink is really that important to you, that you can't do without, you need to really examine your relationship with alcohol.

I agree expat.

I loved my wine, would have some most nights, but the second I found out I was pg, it had to stop.

Same with first time round I used to smoke and do drugs, I stopped, second time round I smoked and drank quite a lot, I stopped.

It's only 40weeks.

Now I'm a lot further gone I do have the odd drink, I had champers at xmas and have had probably about 6 pints of lager in the last 2months, but not once did I 'forget' I took that risk, knowing what the risks are and that I personally feel a small amount of alcohol is not an issue.

me too VS, i was a restaurant manager and constantly around all the lovely bad foods, wine, beer, all my workmates smoking like troopers etc, then i saw that blue line and i decided that my childs needs came above my wants. its 40w ffs!

i'm so nauseated even reading this thread is bringing water to my mouth.

i'm sipping flat coke and struggling valiently to keep down the mashed potato i had for dinner, but strangely now craving Mexican food.

everytime it slips my mind that i'm pregnant, my body reminds me.

when are you being forced to have your scan?

Sympathies, expat. May I offer a virtual ginger biscuit or some camomile tea (or are they no good to you?)

oh, they'll set it up on tuesday, lissie.

at least then i'll know if it's viable or not.

like i said, i don't want to see the screen at all until they know if there's a live foetus in there. i don't want to see it if not.

You're pg expat!!!!????

i am pregnant, toothache, yes, despite the NUGGETS of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

when you fall pregnant here, they make you submit a urine sample to your surgery, from whence it's sent to a lab.

in fucking Greenock.

to 'confirm' the pregnancy.

i got asked, 'how do you know you're pregnant?'

gees, i don't fucking know, you muppets, maybe those two positive pregnancy tests a month ago and two missed periods, puking my guts out and everything smelling about 50x stronger gave it away, ya think?

i dont blame you expat. its the most heartbreaking few seconds. when i had my last scan i told the mw "i dont want to know, wait until ive got dressed again and tell me in that room. i dont want to see it"