You Ate What?!?

If you talk to the parents of older children, they’ll happily tell you that during pregnancy they ate whatever they wanted.  Blue cheese, soft cheese, cold rice, seafood, soft serve ice cream etc etc etc.  Everything we’re now told to steer clear of.

That’s now akin to listening to stories of my parents’ generation smoking and drinking during pregnancy.  In fact, I believe some doctors may have even prescribed smoking to pregnant women to keep the baby’s size small!

Will the fact we gobbled supplements like lollies be horrific to my son’s generation?  Maybe the future of pregnant women will be vegan diets!

I would have gladly eaten Brie like a Red Delicious Apple if I could, but I did what was suggested and steered clear of a LONG list of foods.  I actually quit smoking early on in my first pregnancy and have never taken it up again (yay!).  I wasn’t perfect... I cracked and ate some Brie before my third trimester, even a raw egg or two (hey... I lived in Seoul for my first pregnancy and my favourite food – BiBimBap – had a raw egg cracked on top.  Heaven!)

It’s especially hard in the first few months.  You don’t look pregnant, you don’t feel pregnant, and you can still do 95% of what you did before.  Hey... it’s just a few cells floating around in there!  Why CAN’T I have some sushi?

Remember this... it’s not the food it’s the bacteria.  Salmonella can cause miscarriage... Listeriosis can cause infection sometimes taking up to six weeks to occur.  If the bacteria are transmitted to the baby it can cause miscarriage, infection, or stillbirth.

I don’t know if the rate of miscarriages and stillbirths has dropped in the last 10 to 20 years (I’m sure I could find some stats if I wanted, but I’m lazy) but I know I was happy to leave out deli meats and steer clear of the soft cheeses for just 9 months (almost).  I’d rather have a happy, healthy bub than a sushi platter any day.

Here’s a few hints and tips from Kidspot to help you have a safe and healthy pregnancy:

• Ensure that cold food is kept below 5 Celsius and hot food kept above 60 Celsius before serving. This will help stop the growth of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
• Make sure raw and cooked foods are kept separate. Never use the same utensils, such as knives, plates and chopping boards, for both.
• Never defrost frozen food by leaving it at room temperature all day. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or use a microwave.
• Use cooked food within 12 hours.
• Wash hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then dry them, before and after handling food.

Bacteria types:

Listeria

Listeria can cause listeriosis - a very serious infection. Symptoms can take up to six weeks to occur. If the bacteria is transmitted to your newborn baby, it can cause miscarriage, infection, or stillbirth. Hygienic storage and handling of food is critical.

Salmonella

This can cause headache, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrohea and vomiting. In some cases, it may also cause miscarriage.

Toxoplamosis

A parasitic infection carried by cats (link to pets and pregnancy) and also found in raw or undercooked meats. It can lead to brain damage or blindness in your unborn child.  Avoid changing the cat litter and any foods or drinks that contain raw egg. When gardening, ensure you wear gloves to protect yourself from coming into contact with cat poo.

Foods to avoid:

• All types of sprouts, such as alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, onion sprouts, sunflower sprouts, radish sprouts, snowpea sprouts, mungbeans and soybeans (raw or cooked) are also best avoided.
• Cold, smoked and raw seafood, especially oysters
• Pre-cooked diced chicken, the type you buy at delicatessans and sandwich shops
• Pate
• Ham and other manufactured meats
• Self-service salad bars or packages salads, such as coleslaw and pasta salad.
• Soft cheese, such as brie, camembert, fetta, cottage and ricotta.
• Soft-serve ice-cream and thick-shakes
• Liver. Although liver is a rich source of iron, it also contains high levels of vitamin A - something which, in excess, can be harmful to a developing baby. Liver should only be consumed in small amounts during pregnancy (a maximum of 50g per week).

Mercury in fish

Fish is a great food for pregnancy and breastfeeding mothers but be careful which fish you choose. While some fish contain Omega 3 fatty acid - important for the development of the central nervous system in babies, before and after they are born - other fish may contain mercury levels that can affect the development of your baby's nervous system, leading to delayed speech and movement.

Studies have shown that the foetus is most at risk from mercury levels in fish during the third and fourth months of gestation.

Women who are already pregnant, or planning to become pregnant within the next six months, should avoid fish with high levels of mercury, such as shark, swordfish, orange roughy, gemfish, ling, southern bluefin tuna and barramundi.

If in doubt always seek professional advice from your GP.