Remind me about this pregnancy thing...

[StealthPo09IsHere]

What can't I eat - shellfish, liver (vegi anyway) caffeine, dirty vegetables? Are there any other nasties in coffee, as I drink it constantly?
What normal things should I avoid doing?
Also, it's very very early but am thinking about tandem feeding, realistically, how likely am I to be able to do it?

Thanks, had forgotten peanuts and ice cream.
Yes, will stick that in the feeding topic, just amazed at how much I have forgotten!

Why no ice-cream, i didn't know that.

I have been told by my GP that the latest advice is to only avoid nuts if anyone closely related to the baby is allergy prone. Apparently more kids have been born with nut allergies since pregnant women stopped eating nuts and it may be that eating them in pregnancy may have a protective effect (unless family members and especially parents are prone to allergies).

It's a bit of a minefield so you may want to seek advice on that one.

I've been eating peanuts cos i've heard that too.

Was just about to say same as mrsboogie re nuts. I did lots and lots of reading and it seems that this is the case, that more kids now in this country with intolerances and allergies since this advice. Was lucky for me as I spent some weeks only able to eat toast and peanut butter!!

whats the deal with mayo these days? they used to advise to avoid it?

its the raw eggs in "homemade" mayo that are the problem but I think that things like Hellman's are ok as they are somehow pasteurised - again you might want to check but I did eat it. and nuts!

You can eat mayo and indeed anything which has been made with pasterised eggs - so hellmans etc fine check the label. If you're a cheese person be careful to check they have been made with pasteurised milk.

Unfortunately most of the yummy cheeses haven't

You need to avoid anything with raw eggs in like homemade mayo but shop bought is fine afaik.

Mr whippy type icecream is a food poisoning risk.

What about feta? I've been craving Greek salads!

You can have parmesan even though it's unpasteurised, because apparently it's too dry for listeria to cultivate. Really wish I'd known that when I was pregnant... And blue cheese is ok if you cook it - say into a quiche or a sauce for mushrooms [drooling emoticon]

Cheaper feta's probably pasteurised - check the label? I probably wouldn't eat a shop or restaurant-made salad, just to be wussy...

Check the labels of cheeses - you can def get pasteurised feta easily.

Top news about the parmesan notreally - thanks!

Are they probably all OK if you cook them through as that will kill the listeria? For eg if you got some smoked salmon and cooked it you'd be able to eat it?

I'm so fed-up of asking in cafes if the coleslaw's homemade and if they've made the mayo or bought it...!

I think the guidelines on caffeine has just gone down from 300mg a day to 200mg. It's not much! I'm thinking of switching totally to decaf tea (kind of gone off coffee apart from the odd latte when I'm out) and having chocolate instead - not every day.

I think some soft cheeses are OK if they are pasteurised - some cream cheeses and ricotta are fine as far as I know.

I think I just needed to get back into the habit of checking everything!

I guess cooking anything would kill the bacteria, but as a vege then the thought of smoked salmon... [heaves]

You can eat smoked salmon if it has been frozen first as that will kil the parasite that can sometimes be found in it which is the danger to pregnant women.

peanuts are fine

nothing 'uncooked' so no sushi, smoked salmon, parma ham etc.
no liver inc pate (vitamin a can cause birth defects)
tuna max twice a week (high levels mercury) swordfish/shark etc come in same category
no pate full stop (so no mushroom pate for example...)
wash all salads including prewashed salad
avoid 'deli' salads (like help yourself at the supermarket as they can be contaminated)
no runny or uncooked eggs (check mayonnaise and puddings like chocolate mousse - Gu chocolate torte has uncooked egg for example)
no unpasteurised cheese or milk
max 2 cups coffee a day
no blue cheese (but you can have it cooked)
alcohol, seems to change all the timw it was 2-3 units a week, now it;s none in 1st trimester.
no shellfish

having said all this i have ignored the washing of prewashed salad, I'm eating smoked salmon, prawns and parma ham and I do have ruuny eggs when from my MIL's hens as I can trust them

fym must admit I have been a bit lax with the guidelines both pregnancies - I had smoked salmon at xmas and have had a couple of fried eggs with runny yolks (can't resist the occasional cooked breakfast - wow I sound healthy) I suppose it's up to the individual and how much risk they feel like taking. Listeria must be pretty rare, but the consequences would be v bad...

www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/#cat258085

Good clear info here.

The FSA says salmon smoked in the UK is fine.