exposure to human poop in pregnancy

[worryingwartsandall]

hello

this is such a horrid question im embarrassed to ask but im so worried. I had changed my babies nappy, really upset tummy. I washed my hands with soap as always, and ran to speak with my boss straight after giving her to my mum to look after, and was stuck on a call with my boss for 2 hours. NOT THINKING i ate some salty crisps on the call with my hands and licking my fingers i tasted something REVOLTING that i fear was baby poop. obviously in traces like from under a nail or something.

im 20 weeks pregnant and im SO WORRIED. could i have not removed all traces? and what is the implication for my baby?

is it toxoplasmosis or e coli?I cannot find anything on the internet.
we have tried so hard for this baby i just cant cope if ive harmed it. should i go to the doctor?

You will be absolutely fine. Nothing bad will happen.

Human faeces may carry bacteria, viruses or parasites. However, the risk is much lower from changing a baby’s nappy simply because a baby is less likely to have been exposed to these risks.

Toxoplasmosis is passed on from cat faeces, not from humans.

You can set your mind at rest that there is virtually no risk of harming your pregnancy. However, if you’re still anxious or develop any symptoms, you should contact your midwife or GP.

you were eating crisps during a call ?
maybe keep your finger nails shorter in future, less chance of anything getting under them
and use a nail brush on your nails after washing your hands.

isn't toxoplasmosis from cat poo ?

yes, i was. i dont get many breaks between work and certainly no breaks to eat so when he called ad hoc on my phone i had to eat crisps while on the call as it dragged on

what can pass from human poo then? is it nothing?
thanks so much for responding.
i feel so stupid.
i cant even find any information on it.

listeria? e coli? there is nothing else i can find

sorry @Honeysuckle16 i know im sounding crazy here: if my child did have bacteria, viruses, parasites: what would be the issue to my unborn child? would it be food poisoning for me or for example brain development issues etc?
thank you

Washing your hands with soap will have removed all traces.

I mean this in a kind way but maybe you should talk to your health visitor/midwife about how anxious this has made you feel.

@purplecorkheart but it wasn't antibac soap. and im worried some could have been under my nails ?
i feel so stupid
yes i am very very anxious about any contamination. i cant even eat fruit as im worried its been contaminated. so im really unhealthy.
i just dont want anything to happen to the baby and dont even know waht the risks are of human feces exposure to a pregnant woman.
nothing on the internet.

@worryingwartsandall, I understand your anxiety about passing on bacteria, viruses and parasites to your unborn baby. There are some bacteria and viruses that can harm a pregnancy but thankfully these are rare. More information about this below. They mostly affect the pregnancy in the very early weeks when the critical structures are being formed.

Basic hygiene helps minimise the risk. To answer your question, any soap will remove germs simply because soap breaks down substances so they can be washed away. Anti-bac has added ingredients to destroy bacteria but bear in some bacteria is healthy and helpful and overuse of antibacterial products can reduce these as well as removing natural oils, making skin drier. (I have a biochemistry degree so have knowledge here.)

As long as you follow basic hygiene principles your family will likely be fine. Building up an effective immune system is vital and this is best done by a healthy diet and lifestyle along with a normal exposure to germs. A family therefore should follow basic hygiene but not become obsessed with it.

I was very concerned that you don’t eat fruit because you’re concerned about hygiene. Most of the risk is in attached any soil and straightforward washing and scrubbing will remove the risk. Please look at your diet and start to introduce fruit and veg to maintain good health.

Please talk to your midwife about getting more information to manage good hygiene and manage your anxiety. Best wishes.

Washing fruit and vegetables: https://fisd.oxfordshire.gov.uk/kb5/oxfordshire/directory/advice.page?id=bOIYo-eeI_k

The best site I could find online about the risk of infections in pregnancy is:https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/infections-that-may-affect-your-baby/.

Surely this is pretty much universal for any pregnancy that isn't a first-born?😂😂

It will be fine. Particularly as it was your own baby! Your baby will have mostly the same germs and antibodies as you anyway.

It's more worrying that you've stopped eating fruit.

thanks everyone i do eat cooked vegetables. with my first there were concerns over whether the brain was developing and i had to go to multiple scans. i was just so worried i dont want to go through that again.

have you cleaned and disinfected the phone you were holding during that phone call