Feeling a little paranoid about listeria...

[Where there's hope]

Just wondering if I really should be so worried...?

After a busy day preparing the house for re-carpeting, had a late lunch at a pub. I ordered vegetarian fajitas. It was served with sour cream, ready-made (not fresh) guacamole and salsa. I had tasty cheese instead of mozzarella, to make sure the cheese was safe from listeria.

This morning I have read that guacamole is a big NO-NO for listeria. And, that listeria can take up to six weeks for symptoms to appear. Now I am freaking out a bit.

Any thoughts, anyone?

[Lulu]

If they run a clean kitchen, you should be fine. I imagine if it was a grotty kinda place you wouldn't have ordered anything at all?

hang in there chick xoxoxo

[LimeSlice]

Im sure you will be fine. Try not to stress.
Also there is no difference between tasty and mozzarella cheese for listeria risk

[nicjay]

Oh hun I know how you worry, so I won't tell you not too.....but I'm sure you and bub will be OK, I know you wouldn't eat at a grotty place like Lulu said.

The chances are so very, very small too, and you know I had no idea about guacamole either - had some of my homemade guacamole the other day myself.

Would a chat to your ob about it ease your mind a little maybe?

[satya]

I got lectures from the doctors all the time about listeria and quacamole was never mentioned by any of them. Nor was it in the listeria leaflet that the midwives gave me at the hospital so I don't reckon it can be a common cause of listeria. Try not to stress too much about it.

p.s. It's great to see you doing so well.

[MeredithD]

Hello fellow stress head.... I unerstand how you feel so I to will not say "don't worry".
I know with DS, I was paranoid about EVERYTHING that went into my mouth. For some reason, this one I have been far less worried about that aspect of things ( bigger things to fuss over).
Remember, even if anything you eat is a listeria risky food, there is still only a VERY, VERY small chance you would actually get it or have it effect your pg. There are loads of mothers out there who don't even think to head the listeria warnings and would continue to eat deli food, soft cheese etc etc. It would still be pretty rare for any of them to have a problem.
Hang in there darl, I'm sure it will be fine. I actually cant see why sour cream/avacado type food would be a problem anyway. The sour cream used (esp in a pub) would usually be the prepacakged, highly processed stuff which is the safest anyway.

[Where there's hope]

Meredith, Satya, Megsmum, Limeslice and Lulu

I just want to thank each of you for helping to ease my mind over this. While there are no guarantees, I probably have let this get to me more than really necessary. I do find myself getting worked up over every little thing . I wish I didn't and would just relax! I guess that is another side effect of going through PG after one or more MC...

Thanks again
WTH

[LimeSlice]

Meredith, Satya, Megsmum, Limeslice and Lulu

I just want to thank each of you for helping to ease my mind over this. While there are no guarantees, I probably have let this get to me more than really necessary. I do find myself getting worked up over every little thing . I wish I didn't and would just relax! I guess that is another side effect of going through PG after one or more MC...

Thanks again
WTH

Im glad we could help a little.

You are at that good time in your pregnancy - the time where things can go wrong, but in terms of listeria and illnesses you get their power to greatly negatively affect your bubs is getting less and less every day...she is growing stronger

It is so hard not to get carried away with yourself especially after m/c's, there is just no way of really knowing until bubs is born, but the flip side to that is that there is nothing you can do about it either. So try and enjoy your pg from here out, it will fly past before you know it, we are always here to vent to and to play out all of those scenarios you can run away with lol

[pash]

Hiya WTH, I know this is a bit late, and I hope you're not worrying about it at all, but I think fresh guacamole would have the same risk as pre-prepared salads, though I've never read/heard anyone say that it is a risk.

And apparently "Listeria infection in pregnant women is very rare in the UK, only affecting about one in 25,000 pregnancies." I imagine it might be even lower in Australia where most cheeses are pasteurised:
Eating cheese during pregnancy

This isn't enough to stop me eating pre-prepared salads or fresh guacamole. I figure the benefits of eating fresh stuff outweighs the small risk that there is of listeria. If you ate only cooked foods, you'd be eating hot chips most of the time!

And BTW my Japanese SIL said that in Japan docs recommend sashimi for pg women as the benefits outweigh the risk of listeria.

So I reckon a bit of guacamole is fine and probably even good for you.
xoxo

[Where there's hope]

Limeslice - thanks again . Great to know I can vent here and not sound ridiculous.

Pash - The guacamole I had was actually processed - like the pale green pasty one you buy in the supermarket with the little pink specks in it. I wish it HAD been fresh, or I would not have been so uptight. I kinda got all worked up on this after reading some stats from the US - Listeria found in 16% of takeaway processed guacamole. Here is a link to the abstract.
Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies
In my (untrained) opinion, I think it will all come down to how long the tub has been kept out of the fridge, and how long it has been opened for. Thanks alot for the link on the cheeses - more comprehensive than most I have read BTW - your PM box is full... wanted to send you one on a separate subject.

WTH x

[Where there's hope]

Just in case any one looks up this thread in the future, I have found a great 12 page pdf published by Food Standards Australia New Zealand:

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_src...sion_FINAL.pdf

I found this incredibly comprehensive and useful. Even gives advice about exactly when to put food in the refridgerator after heating, rules for defrosting, etc.