How strict are you with the pregnancy food 'rules'?

[little_O]

i know what you mean about the restrictions but i figure for 9 months of my life i'll put up with it. THAT being said:

My GP said that WELL cooked salami, soft cheeses etc are fine to eat, so i have no qualms with that.
She also said that freshly cut ham is generally safe, or bake your own and freeze, which i find works ok.
Left overs i will eat the next day (home cooked of course) but not generally after that.

For me the risk of food poisoning from fast food places is actually pretty common so i have avoided them, the same with some restaurants with salads etc. I think we need to have varied diets for the baby's sake as there is proof that it will help them be less fussy eaters after, so i still try and have a varied diet.

I actually have never heard of the alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts being bad....not that i've actually eaten any this pregnancy....what risk do they have??

I think you need to just have common sense with it because at the end of the day you dont want to put the baby at risk for the sake of indulging in brie...lol. You dont sound like you have been going too crazy anyways and to be honest i found the the stage of pregnancy you are at now the hardest for food. You eventually get in the swing of it and you dont care so much HTH!

xxx

[Maruschke]

If the Brie is Australian, it is pasteurised anyway, so it is safe to eat.

[little_O]

Marischke: REALLY??? thats exciting. i never thought of that! Doesnt the mould present an issue though?

[Mrs O'M]

If the Brie is Australian, it is pasteurised anyway, so it is safe to eat.

While the milk in the cheese is pasturised, the mould is introduced after pasturisation has taken place, so while technically safer than imported soft cheese, there is still a minute risk associated with any mould related/ soft cheeses in Aus.

That being said, I will eat them if they are cooked piping hot, the same as with hams etc. FWIW I think everyone has their own perspective of whats safe and whats not and what they feel comfortable with. So like many have said before eat what your comfy with but at the end of the day its only for 9 months!

[nothing2lose]

The thing is Lady Neon, would you think they were exaggerating if it was your baby who died from Listeria??
The way I see it, it's such a small sacrifice to make (one of the smallest you'll make as a parent). Why take the risk?

[Artechim]

I think of it as Listeria Hysteria. There are very few cases per year of Listeria. In NZ when listeria is found in a food it makes the news, so it obviously isn't an every day event. I am happy to eat shaved ham etc, there is nothing I avoid during pregnancy. Except KFC - I'd rather not spend an evening puking my guts out while pregnant lol.

There is actually more chance of being in a serious car accident than getting listeria but I chose to drive my car while pregnant too.

[lady_neon]

DD is allergic to apples. I ate them during pregnancy, not devouring them but ate them. I read about someone who couldn't get enough of tomatoes while pg and her baby was born totally allergic to them. I understand there's the theory behind peanuts and allergies passing on to babies, but I think that can happen for any food and there's no concrete way to tell. DD is also a very fussy eater but I can't see how me avoiding certain foods while pregnant caused her to be fussy. But we're talking about listeria, not allergies

That's interesting, I've read otherwise from others. My mum couldn't stand any dairy at all while pregnant with me, and now I'm lactose intolerant! Possible connection? But gosh I hope my baby isn't allergic to tomatoes, I'm going through 2 kilo's a week LOL

(I have also stopped buying the 'Bath' milk i like so much while preg too)

What's 'Bath' milk?

The thing is Lady Neon, would you think they were exaggerating if it was your baby who died from Listeria??

In all honesty, no I wouldn't think they were exaggerating if my baby died. But, in all fairness, women who've just lost children aren't rational either (and I'm not saying they have to be! They have every reason NOT to be).

Except KFC - I'd rather not spend an evening puking my guts out while pregnant lol.

The thought of KFC makes me want to puke my guts out :|

I promise I'm not trying to be inflammatory. I'm generally interested in everyone's reasons as people ARE making me feel like I'm actually trying to kill my baby and it scares me!

[Ambersky]

What's 'Bath' milk?(

Its Raw, so unpasteurised, straight from the cow. Only sold in shops as 'Bath' or 'Pet' milk due to Aus's pasteurisation laws. I normally have a few lts a week from a lady just down the road with just one cow.

[Pholi]

I'm pretty strict - I choose to avoid such easily avoidable risks.

The difference between general food poisoning, even from salmonella, and listeria, is that salmonella will cause obvious symptoms within a few hours to a day, and although salmonella can theoretically cross the placenta to affect baby directly,a s far as I'm aware, there is no evidence of death of the baby directly from salmonella. Obviously severe maternal D+V can risk the baby, but of course you would tell your mw/ go to hospital / see the Dr before the dehydration got so severe that baby was at risk from that. Listeria, however, does cross the placenta, and directly cause miscarriage and stillbirth, and because maternal symptoms can be very delayed (up to several months later) it can be too late for baby by the time you suspect that the flu-like symptoms you have might be listeria.

My mw told be there were three known cases of mc or stillbirth last year in WA from listeria. That's not a big number, the way I see it is, if I ended up being one of the few who'd baby died through a preventable disease, I would never forgive myself. The medical profession sees it the same way. They have to advise you of the risks, or they are guilty of negligence. It it then up to you to choose whether or not to take the risk.

I actually have never heard of the alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts being bad....not that I've actually eaten any this pregnancy....what risk do they have??

Vegies and fruit can carry listeria on the surface, thus the recommendations to thoroughly wash all fruit and veg. The 'prewashed' bagged salads and sprouts are some of the worst contenders of carrying listeria, and because they're very difficult to wash effectively (wipe down every alfalfa sprout, anyone?), total avoidance is the recommendation.