Pregnancy and food q:

[MarshaZepeda]

It's kinda wierd because this is my fourth and I should know by now but did you know that pregos can't eat HOT DOGS? Or cold cuts... I knew about sushi and tuna and stuff but geez! (This sucks for me because I'm craving everything ASIAN right now, lol!) So what else do I need to know about???? Post our NO-NO's here...

[ChristineS]

yeah the hot dogs and cold cuts is because of a very nasty bug called Lysteria --

this isn't eating but changing cat litter boxes is a BIG no-no because of a bug in cat feces that can cause serious swelling in a the baby's brain -- I actually know someone that this happened to and her baby ended up blind ... very sad

[Charla]

The practitioner in my office said cold cuts and hotdogs are okay if you microwave them until they are steaming.

I had forgotten about feta being out until she mentioned that one...I was so disappointed. I love feta!! I had already weaned myself off of caffeine, but feta????? Brie is out too...

Bleu cheese is okay as long as it's pasteurized, and that's not a problem in the US. It's all pasteurized!

ummmm, what else??

[MarshaZepeda]

yeah the hot dogs and cold cuts is because of a very nasty bug called Lysteria --

this is eating but changing cat litter boxes is a BIG no-no because of a bug in cat feces that can cause serious swelling in a the baby's brain -- I actually know someone that this happened to and her baby ended up blind ... very sad

Oh my gosh! I had heard about the litter box thing but never knew of any actual cases! Wow! I didn't realize that it could be that severe!

Now the hot dog thing - even if it's fully cooked? (grilled) b/c I ate one last night darn it! lol! And I remember reading that we can eat cold cuts if the meat is cooked til steaming...

[Charla]

Now the hot dog thing - even if it's fully cooked? (grilled) b/c I ate one last night darn it! lol! And I remember reading that we can eat cold cuts if the meat is cooked til steaming...

(sniff, sniff) you don't have to read my posts if you don't want to!! :shcokedca
http://e.deviantart.com/emoticons/r/rofl.gif

[sinead]

My doc said to do those things in moderation (even the mercury laden fish are ok if it's a once in a blue moon thing). What he said was basically, don't eat these things 3 times a day for months on end and you should be fine unless you've got a sensitivity to such things or have a compromised immune system (like I do with my arthritis). For most people, the occasional cold cut or hot dog or soft cheese or whatever should be fine.

My last doc (in a different state) said the same thing. The only reason they say don't do it at all is because too many people can't understand the concept of moderation.

Also, the cat litter thing is really more of a problem for people who haven't really been around cats long. Most people who have lived with cats for most of their lives (like I have), have probably already had that infection and have an immunity to it. Still...DH changes the kitty litter.

just thought I'd share my docs' two cents. :regular_s

[Charla]

I have basically the same mindset. You're righ, "moderation" is a tough term. Especially when we have cravings ;)

Thanks. I tell people, "if we listened to everything that anyone says could possibly cause a problem, we'd be living in a bubble, eating bread and drinking pure water, and that's it!!" We have to choose our own battles!

[Cynnder]

un pastuerized honey

shrimp..
peanut butter...


bah the list is too long!

[sinead]

Deanna, GREAT pic in your avatar!!

I try to avoid high allergy foods, just in case (peanuts, strawberries, honey). Not sure about the shrimp thing, though. What's wrong with that one?

[Cynnder]

i forget..seems to me it was all seafood...LOL who knows....

i give up...i generally eat what I want to eat..just make sure its well cooked...

[MarshaZepeda]

(sniff, sniff) you don't have to read my posts if you don't want to!! :shcokedca
http://e.deviantart.com/emoticons/r/rofl.gif
roflol! We must've been posting at the same time b/c I didn't even SEE yours, lol! Sorry about that... :embaresse

Now shrimp - PLEASE don't tell me that I can't eat it b/c I have a $3.00 off the regular $9.99 price coupon for the yummy shrimp cocktail at Costco... and I was soooooo looking foward to getting some tonight! (Although maybe it is a bad idea since it's cold and all?) :(

[sinead]

I'd personally go ahead, Marsha, but that's just me. It's a judgment call thing.

For example, docs always say not to take anything but Tylenol when you're pregnant, right? That's because very few things have actual test data on pregnant women and unborn babies. There are lots of drugs in Category B (which is the same category as Tylenol--nothing is 100% safe), just not with specific test data. Right now, i'm on prescription Motrin, which is safe for me to take until 22 weeks, and I've got a prescription for Prednisone. After that, i'm on my own for my arthritis (I think). The pharmacist freaked when DH dropped the prescription off and didn't want to fill it, so I had to call in and talk to her and tell her that my doc had given me all the warnings of possible complications and told me only to use the Pred if I absolutely had to and only sparingly (like in the 3-4 days it would take to get in to see him again if I had a major flare). Once she knew all that, she went ahead. She still printed out all the warning data and info sheets, though. :regular_s That's good, though--it's nice to know someone is looking out for us.

So all of that is to say that I would not feel worried at all about eating shrimp one night or having a turkey sandwich or whatever. Would I eat those things for 3 meals a day or even one meal 5 days a week? Probably not, but again, judgment call.

Enjoy your shrimp, girl! :regular_s

[ChristineS]

so what's the deal with not eating peanuts or PNut butter? I'm a PNut butter ADDICT

[Cynnder]

i think its supposed to possibly be a cause for children having pb allergies...i dunno Im an addict also...i did cut back the amount of Pb i ate while Pg with my other 2..but they are not allergic to any nuts...so I dunno...

[Tara18]

i have heard that they are linking some of the peanut allergies to soy (soy formula). (and along with what ya'll are saying too.....eating peanuts/butter while your preg)

[sinead]

They (the docs, etc.) say that people with family history of allergies should try to avoid highly allergenic foods during pregnancy to lower the exposure for the baby.

Peanut allergies scare me. I read something a few weeks ago that said that peanut allergies could strike all of a sudden after years of having no problems. Yikes!

[chloe]

I had to jump in concerning allergy problems (even if I'm not prego yet!)

I am allergic to many different food, mainly fruits (apple, pears, cherries, strawberries, peaches, and many more), raw veggies (celery, carrots for example) and nuts (except peanut, strangely). It started when I was in my teenage, all of a sudden around 15 yo with apples, and then each food added to the list one after the other (we call that "crossed allergy": if your allergic to apples, you have 80% chance to be allergic to pears, for example.)

Anyway, I went to see an allergologist and he already told me to be careful with highly allergical food during pregnancy: peanuts, strawberries, seafood and fish, celery. Even if I personnaly am not allergical to some of these aliments, I have to be careful 'cause my baby could develop allergy in my tummy. And I have to strictly avoid any food that I'm allergic too during pregnancy, 'cause a crisis could be very damageable for the baby.

He also told me that women who don't have specific allergy problems in their family should be careful, but not to the point where you stop living!! The best way to limit the risk of allergy is to breast feed and avoid early contact with dangerous food when the baby is young, but it's not really a problem during pregnancy unless you have an allergic history (even if it's not food!) in your family.

HTH!!

[JennStar]

I had forgotten about feta being out until she mentioned that one...I was so disappointed. I love feta!! I had already weaned myself off of caffeine, but feta????? Brie is out too...


Why those cheeses?? I thought it was soft cheese in general, but all cheese HAS to be pasturized in the US- it's illegal for it not to be!

[ccouch]

oh dear, was i just living under a rock when i was pregnant? i had not heard of the soft cheese or pnut butter things. i just stayed away from sushi, caffeine, lots of chocolate, etc...

it could be the most uneducated response to date, but.... i feel like alot of the warnings out there are for those with no common sense. i.e. can i have a benadryl during my pregnancy? - sure, it shouldn't be a problem. does that mean it's okay to pop 'em like pez candy? - likely not. i think in this sue-happy society, the docs have to cover their rear ends as much as possible. it's much easier to just say NO to something than it is to risk a malpractice suit when someone "thought" it was okay to have a glass of red wine, and so drank 2 bottles each day of her pregnancy.

okay, off the soapbox....

BTW, Marsha = if you're craving asian food, can you just have california rolls or kappa maki? that seemed to satisfy my cravings during my pregnancy.

[sinead]

Wow, Chloe--I bet you have to be really careful when you go out to eat! That's good advice from your doc.

Jenn, soft cheeses are still prone to lysteria, I believe. Back when I was pregnant with Maggie, I remember reading that the cheeses and meats from a deli (where they slice it for you behind the counter) are more dangerous for lysteria than the stuff that has already been packaged at a plant. Not sure why--I guess there are different variables at different delis (different storage and cleaning procedures, for example).

[Charla]

Sinead, that's funny: I had heard the opposite. I had heard that big delis were actually safer than things like packages of Oscar Meyer, etc.

Chloe, I can't imagine having to pay attention to everything you're allergic to, as well as everything the baby could become allergic to as well!! It's funny what we're willing to do when there's someone else to take care of, though, so I'm sure that will make it more manageable, knowing it's not just for you.

Tara, I've heard the same thing you did about soy formula. Though don't most people change from cow's milk formula to soy because they're sensitive to cow's milk? So they've already shown their systems are more sensitive. Either way, I'm glad I breastfeed :)

And I agree with you Christina (is that right? I don't like calling you "ccouch" all the time but don't trust my memory) that a lot of it is fear of a lawsuit. As well, how many pregnant women would be willing to do a trial to see if something would cause birth defects?? On purpose?? I sure wouldn't!!

When I was pregnant with Jasmine, I couldn't stand the thought of peanut butter until the very end, and no fish at all. So I didn't have to figure out if I'd avoid it!

One more thought and then I'll stop babbling :)

Josh isn't lactose intolerant, but he can't eat a lot of it without feeling kinda yucky. So I'm keeping Jasmine away from it for as long as I can. Dairy is my favorite food group, and it would make me sad if she couldn't eat it. So far, at 13 months, she hasn't had any dairy at all. (though she's fine when I eat it) I'm keeping her as far from anything that could give her allergic reactions, as long as I can :)

[Cynnder]

man i read somewhere.that they are trying to link the early formation of breasts and early puberty and over feamlish boys...to soy... they use soy as a natural supplement for women in menopause b/c it naturally has a really high estogren content............ WTH? good think I cant stand the taste of it.... what do you think of that? sometimes I think you could find just about anything on the internet....sheeshhhhhh

[JennStar]

yeah, I'm sure you could also link nervous eye twitches to wiping your butt with your left hand. . . .LOL!

[Cynnder]

EXACTLY! jenn...I dont think it will ever end....

[Charla]

Have you ever read the email forward about how 90% of criminals ate bread within an hour of committing a crime?? Yeah, it's crazy.

I don't like soy, I think tofu is disgusting, so I tend to think there might be some truth to the claims about it not being good for us. But it's hard to be objective :)

There's so much out there for and against all of this stuff, it's crazy. Trying to make sense of it, for your health and then for the health of your child, is tough.

I don't want to get into a debate or argument about it, so I'll try to ask this as non-argumentatively as I can: how many of you struggled over whether or not to vaccinate? We still are...we figured some of it out, though I'm hoping to keep doing more research to make sure we're doing the best possible thing for Jasmine, and then for the next one.

I knew parenting would be tough, but I had no idea that we'd have so many scary decisions to make. It's nuts!!!

[Cynnder]

bah.... no comment.... i really battled with this one...

I am a biological research technician...so my brain can wrap itself around the medical benefits part of the whole debate....on the other hand...i see the other side to it as well...and i agree with lots..so basically I agree with both sides..

in the end...b/c we travel outside of our country, not often, but we do...we opted to vaccinate both our kids...with the exception of the chicken pox...

[Charla]

Yeah, exactly. We almost came in contact with someone who didn't know her coughing was pertussis, when Jasmine was only a couple months old.
But then you hear the other side and want to run as far from the shots as possible...

I'm still not completely happy with our decision, but we know it's the best we could make with the information we have (we're delaying, one at a time, and skipping some altogether, like chickenpox, hep b and we have to decide on MMR. They'll be separate if she gets them at all). It's scary.

[ccouch]

yeah, I'm sure you could also link nervous eye twitches to wiping your butt with your left hand. . . .LOL!

ha ha ha ha ha ha :)
you crack me up, jen!

[ChristineS]

yeah know, i eat when i'm stressed out and all this talk just makes we WANT a PB&J ROFL ...

[ChristineS]

OMGosh -- did you see that!!??? See the baby LOVES pnut butter because I wrote makes **we** want

[sinead]

Christine, i think you probably qualify as a pro when it comes to having babies by now! Unless you guys have family history of allergies, I'd go have a PB&J sandwich.

LOL at the baby wanting it, too! hehehe

I took Maggie for an ice cream cone treat today, and the baby must have LOVED it because I have felt all sorts of movements since. lol

[Cynnder]

fun... i basically eat what I crave....kinda bad that way..but its been so limited latley... so who cares...pb & J here I come!

[sinead]

lol, Deanna! Me, too!

[Tara18]

man i read somewhere.that they are trying to link the early formation of breasts and early puberty and over feamlish boys...to soy... they use soy as a natural supplement for women in menopause b/c it naturally has a really high estogren content............ WTH? good think I cant stand the taste of it.... what do you think of that? sometimes I think you could find just about anything on the internet....sheeshhhhhh

my pediatrician stated the exact thing you stated here. (along with the peanut allergy i mentioned earlier in this thread) i had my dd on soy and he didnt want her on it too long because of all this.......

[MarshaZepeda]

lol! What is it with PB&J? That's all I wanted to eat my first trimester! (And it IS pretty much all I ate along with watermelon!) hee hee!

[Cynnder]

who knows....bah..i think they just do it all so we cant eat anything we want...hmmn.looks like rice and pasta are it ladies...coudl you imagine..10 months of bland food......YUCHKKKKKKKKKKK