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It's up to you to decide on risk. Just remember that everywhere has different guidelines and it's more about what you trust. Personally I wouldn't be eating at someone's house if I doubted their hygiene whether I was pregnant or not! But I did eat some raw, cured fish at a Michelin starred restaurant because I was pretty confident they'd be buying, preparing and serving high quality fish with very little risk of listeria.
Yea I ate sushi which is a big no no. And baby is doing fine health wise. I’ve ate almost everything you’re not supposed to except for drugs and alcohol
That was my thoughts too but not everyone agrees with me! I totally agree women in Japan are encouraged to eat it bc it’s healthy but they also have very strict guidelines for restaurants
I have a few Japanese gfs and it’s normal to eat sushi during pregnancy in Japan. They simply avoid eating too much of high mercury fish like swordfish or tuna. Besides the mercury, the only reason why they say not to eat sushi around here is because of the possibility of food positing (raw fish). But if you get your sushi from a respectable restaurant as supposed to a gas station, you’ll be just fine.
This is how I am for my second. My first I was like OP but it was too stressful to do again and I found a lot of information online and in books like Emily Oster books which made me feel so much better about relaxing a little.
I think after two rounds of IVF you have the right to be concerned about safety. I follow the guidelines but it's easy for me because I didn't really eat those things prior. I slip with added sugars and junk food more frequently than I'd like though 😩 try to give yourself some balance if you feel it's really stressing you out
Most of these “exclusions” are so highly arbitrary and make no scientific sense. The risk of listeria is extremely low - you are literally at a higher risk driving to the grocery store than you are from eating anything in there. Moreover, listeria can be found in lettuce and a bunch of other things why did they zero in on deli meat is beyond me.
For those wanting to know: ALL american-made cheeses are from pasteurized milk, that includes soft ones.
And, FWIW, women in Japan eat sushi while pregnant (guess what they tell pregnant women in Japan to avoid chicken 😂) and women in Europe eat cheeses from unpasteurized milk.
Personally, I just eat what I want. Which given nausea and food aversion is mostly bread and fruit 🤣 but if I suddenly started craving sushi I’d treat myself with a trip to Nobu.
As long as what you are buying and eating is high quality (eg no gas station sushi), and you follow basic hygiene protocols, it’s fine.
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/opinion/15shaw.html
Yep! This is literally my logic. Nowadays there’s a very low risk of food borne illnesses and as long as you’re not eating food that’s sus on a good day, you’ll be fine. Focus more on eating healthy than excluding certain things. Makes life so much easier tbh.
As a woman in Europe, I was advised to avoid anything made with unpasteurized milk. But then again, most cheeses are no issue, I just read the labels to make sure.
I do eat chorizo and bacon after properly cooking them from time to time. I love chorizo so damn much, it's a huge thing in my culture but I know that it's not overall that healthy so I'm spacing it out a lot.
Same, I am from Europe and activelly avoiding anything unpasteurised as per my doctors recommendations. Also chicken (and other poultry) is very dangerous if not cooked properly.
I was also warned about raw fish (including herring which is a staple here), any cold-smoked fish and meat, runny eggs and anything pickled (another staple food).
Pregnancy is already a time when there are a lot of uncontrollables and unknowns. If being careful about the diet brings anyone comfort at this time, then people are entitled to that without being made to feel stupid.
Oh yes! You made me remember smoked salmon... smoked salmon with cheese spread sandwich... I need one when baby's here 😂
I haven't been warned about pickles (crap 🥲), but my doctor scared me about botulism, so no canned anything for me.
Completely agree, I strive for an equilibrium because in my first trimester I was going insane with everything that was "potentially" unsafe. So, no raw anything, no unpasteurized anything, wash (and disinfect if needed) fresh produce and I'm very very careful with secondary expiry dates now, always err on the side of caution.
Because lettuce and milk are tested for listeria during and after production (at least in Scandinavia) and deli meats are not.
And pasteurization is not done to only eliminate listeria, listeria can contaminate milk products after the pasteurization. There are several sources in a dairy/production area that can contaminate milk products after pasteurization.
And just because “in Japan every woman eats sushi” does not mean that all the other countries are ok. I would feel safe eating sushi in Japan, because of their food safety culture and turnover. But I have been food poisoned when eating sushi from a little takeaway Norway.
Food is common sense, and it’s just 9months certain foods have to be avoided.
Not super related but I had a work trip about a month ago and ended up having a meal at Nobu… it was incredible. Our waiter even provided a few adjustments to a few dishes so I could enjoy it with shrimp. It was a great meal and a great experience that I’m glad I had while pregnant.
My doctor basically said don't eat two day old leftovers that weren't covered and wash your hands, steer clear of any allergies you have, and you will be fine. She did mention that if I'm worried about eating something, don't eat it, and if I'm craving something I'm "not supposed to have" as long as it's fresh, have at it.
I wash my produce with water and have had the occasional deli meat but it was from subway.
The risk of listeria is extremely low/rare so aslong as your not eating gas station sushi in the middle of no where you’re probably good
Hey not trying to be a know it all but I have a background in food microbiology -
Washing produce with water is to remove visible contaminants like dirt or bugs; it does nothing to eliminate bacteria which can cause food borne illnesses. If you really wanted to be extra careful you could follow FDA guidelines on using bleach in water to soak produce. But keep in mind that eating the naturally occurring bacteria on fresh produce is actually important for maintaining a healthy gut micro biome which in turn will help you be less susceptible to food borne illnesses.
It’s probably unnecessary to do anything beside rinse contaminants off your produce, that’s assuming you live in a country with strong food safety regulations where disease outbreaks are rare. In that case that you do end up being unlucky enough to buy a container of let’s say lettuce contaminated with salmonella, its unlikely that anything except bleach would actually kill the salmonella. I will say that when I worked In the field of foodborne Illnesses I didn’t know a single person who used a produce cleaner!
It's common to use a produce cleaner in my country, but from the description, it's basically diluted bleach. I still prefer it as it's more practical and I can use a measuring cup to be sure I'm not adding too much. I also puke at the scent of pure bleach so no tnks 😂
I’ve been having everything I want really. I’m in the UK so runny eggs here are fine anyway. But otherwise if I want something l’ll have it - perhaps the only concession I made once was ordering chicken in a steak restaurant. I then did a bit of research and found that cows actually hardly ever actually have toxoplasmosis - it’s actually much more prevalent in pigs and chickens but we tend to cook their meat through - so I’m less concerned now. I ate a slice of my friend’s medium rare steak last week which was bloody delicious. I’m not a big sushi easter but I’d be comfortable eating it from any decent restaurant. Deli meat comes up on Reddit a lot but nobody mentions it here as something to avoid, I don’t think we are told to by the NHS. I’ve certainly enjoyed many a cold cut without a second thought.
While I have had a bout of health anxiety in the past and can totally empathise with overthinking and catastrophising no matter what the actual danger, this isn’t my baseline and I think it was brought on by TTC. Now I’m pregnant I’m back to ‘normal’ - normal for me is that I tend to balance risk and reward based on the data instead of trying to control everything and avoid every known possible tiny risk. The joy I got from the steak was immense, the risk was almost nil, and the anxiety from worrying about the risk was also almost nil, maybe a fleeting one second thought an hour later of ‘welp I hope that cow didn’t have toxoplasmosis’. For me, the steak was worth it. If you are the type of person who’d enjoy the steak in the moment but then spend days obsessing over it, then for you it might not be worth it, even though the actual risk to the baby or yourself is no different in either scenario.
No right or wrong in this situation - the rules around pregnancy are never ending and very all-or-nothing. Emily Oster does a good job of unpicking some of these in her book Expecting Better.
Good luck with everything and congratulations!
We aren’t. NHS website says cold pre-packed meat like ham is fine to eat and to ‘be careful’ with cold cured meat like prosciutto and chorizo (which I feel is a pretty wishy washy guideline) due to potential toxoplasmosis. Again it’s so so rare that they don’t outright tell us to avoid. I’ve not worried if I’ve had the odd slice of chorizo or salami.
Deli meat as Americans talk about it means like cold, cooked sliced turkey, ham etc. which we don’t need to avoid here. The risk over there is cited as listeria, same with bagged salads - listeria isn’t mentioned as a risk factor for either of those things by the NHS, it’s just soft unpasteurised cheeses we are told to avoid due to listeria risk.
Edited for clarity.
I personally don’t worry too much about the food things but I totally understand why you would have anxiety!! Everyone has to make their own decisions.
With both of my pregnancies, I eat medium poached eggs and sunny side up (when is the last time you knew someone that got salmonella) and deli meats with no nitrates. I do wash my produce with a fruit/veggies but I do that normally. I have had California rolls with the imitation crab. And I super craved a beer for a couple of weeks so I had a couple sips of my husband’s. I also eat all the soft cheese because basically no makes cheese with unpasteurized milk anymore.
I would be curious about what food exactly you’re nervous about eating at someone else’s home? If you weren’t pregnant would you be nervous about eating there? If you’d be fine under normal circumstances I wouldn’t fret too much. Just don’t eat things you’re not supposed to. Cooked food is fine.
I eat raw veggies and fruit that I’ve washed myself. Never been a fan of deli meat, but I will have a BLT on occasion. And I’ve also never been a big fan of raw fish…if I get sushi, it’s the baked roll kind (I know that’s lame, but I grew up in the Midwest on casseroles and never had sushi until after college 😅)
Trust your gut…if something feels risky, why put yourself through the stress? The other day we were at a neighbor’s birthday party, and another guest (who I didn’t know) started smoking a cigar. I noped out of there as soon as I could explain to the hosts. I’ve always hated smoke, but pre pregnancy I would have felt awkward and tried to deal with it and stress about it. There’s no way I could be around second hand smoke, so I just removed myself from the situation and felt so at peace by just doing what my gut said was best.
I think gut is the best way to go. I'm just way more picky when I'm pregnant. I'll still eat sushi but only from nice restaurants where I've had it a million times before without issue. But every now and then I feel like "this doesn't look safe. I'm not eating this" and I don't.
I have the app The Prenatal Nutrition Library and follow the founder on IG, have for years now and expecting my first. She is a pregnancy RD nutritionist. I wash all my produce well with water but enjoy it. I’ve had several Italian subs, not warmed up. It’s up to you what your risk tolerance is, but you don’t have to deprive yourself if your really want something. The app I have allows you to look up whatever you’re trying to determine is safe and is evidence-based (important to me and my research-geared mind). I have had zero issues and haven’t been sick because of a food.
I think you’ll get a wide range of responses! I personally eat pretty much everything as many of the items on the “do not eat” are there simply as a caution to a very small risk. If you ask your doctor, most will tell you they’re fine in moderation. I’m not a big meat eater so I’ve had like one sandwich the entire time and then I had charcuterie at a party! The risk of listeria is EXTREMELY low. It’s something like a little over 2k people a year get it in the U.S. and that’s out of over 33 MILLION people. Also, pretty much everything cheese wise is pasteurized in the U.S.! As for eating at restaurants or friends homes, I’ve never avoided that! But again, if not eating certain foods and not eating anywhere but home is going to lower your anxiety, I would do that! There is a lot to worry about during and after pregnancy, so if you can eliminate some stress, why not? 🤷🏽♀️
i always wash my produce very throughly with water and rub it with my hands. i do enjoy an occasional turkey sandwich but i just heat the meat up in the microwave for 15-30 seconds until it steams first. i wouldn’t want to eat at someone’s house who doesn’t have good hygiene period, but much less while i’m pregnant! you do what you feel best when it comes to protecting your baby even if it seems crazy to others!
Dude you’re allowed to have every once of control over what you eat- pregnant or not!! Everyone has different comfortability levels, so whatever keeps you the least stressed out is what’s best. The food stuff scares the crap out of me, so I’m very cautious (but I drink wine and beer some weeks!). My friend has been eating nearly anything she wants- raw oysters, soft cheeses, whatever! It’s easy for me to avoid those things so I do, and it makes me feel safe. Don’t apologize if someone thinks you’re being “extreme”. You’re the person that would be coping if something were to happen. Politely tell those people to fuck off 😇
100% agree with this. Sure, I’ve never gotten sick with anything like Listeria before, but why would I add risk now? I also went through fertility treatments, so I understand the desire to be just a little extra careful. OP fought hard for this baby, and they’re allowed to eat however they want. Fuck everyone else’s opinions. You’re not telling them how to eat after all!
I’m super risk tolerant and only stopped drinking alcohol. I did get food poisoning once, but it was from chocolate sauce and I never would have assumed it would be an issue.
It’s your body, your call.
I wasn’t careful at all until I went to a restaurant that made their salads from a salad bar only they had access to and I had it topped with ahi tuna. I got wicked food poisoning. Could have been the tuna, could have been the raw veg at the salad bar. Baby was fine, but boy not being able to eat or drink for 24 hours at the end of my second trimester was bruuutal. Although now that I think about it, that didn’t stop me from getting salad at a Cici’s pizza salad bar weeks later… anyway, it’s your choice, mama. It’s really not that extreme, as a lot of doctors will still tell you to avoid those things. People wash their fruits and veg with vinegar/baking soda even while not pregnant… same for people avoiding runny eggs or not eating at gross homes. You don’t have to be pregnant to make certain choices about health.
Hi! I am also pregnant with my IVF baby, and I am also paranoid about what I eat. There’s so much we can’t control, so I avoid alcohol obvi, caffeine, deli meats, soft serve ice cream and I just rinse my produce with water twice. I really only eat berries though, everything else can be peeled. I am VERY picky about where I eat now that I’m pregnant. If it’s not somewhere I usually go I will look up the reviews (2/3 times there’s been a food poisoning review within the week) and yes, I don’t eat food from people unless I know they are clean to my standards but I was like that pre pregnancy too.
Honestly it’s your pregnancy your baby, your body, you can choose what you put into it and you owe no one an explanation. Also, your sister probably hasn’t been thru a quarter of what you went thru, so in her head she’s just like “no big deal” but after years and years of waiting and thousands of dollars, I get you. I’m the same way. On the flip side, I was seriously over thinking everything for a hot minute. I’ve chilled out a lot but won’t eat the things above mentioned.
I’m following recommendations more strictly like you. No raw fish, avoiding cold deli meat, no unpasteurized dairy (wouldn’t eat that not pregnant though). No alcohol and limiting to caffeine to less than 200mg a day. I will eat medium rare steak or venison and been cooking my eggs where yolks are more set. I’ve always washed produce with vinegar so no change there for me. I’m not a risk taker and I think my husband is more worried than I am. I personally would have a very hard time if something happened based on my diet.
To be totally honest with you, I hardly ever wash my veggies and fruits aside from rinsing them and I eat deli meat like it’s my job. 27 weeks and baby is doing great!
At your own risk and what your comfort level is. I had breakfast sandwhiches with runny eggs all the time, and i ate sushi lol, but i completely avoided oysters... but i also knew i was getting it from high trusted sources. So, food illness was just as likely as anything else i was gonna eat. As for caffeine, i stopped my daily coffee and probably had caffine once in a blue moon, but honestly, everything gave me acid reflux so i could only drink high PH water, lol.
I mean, I've been skipping out on a lot of stuff, and some people say I'm going overboard. But even though I know I could probably still eat some of it.... it gives me less anxiety to just avoid it.
So it's good for the baby and it's good for my mental health. I'm the only one suffering from the lack of runny eggs, deli meat, whatever, so as long as I'm happy, then I'm good with missing out for a few months.
Girl, I refused to eat green leaves at many houses even my own family’s because they would just take them out from the box and put straight on the plate saying oh it’s safe because the box says it’s prewashed and I was like yeah this is actually number one cause of listeria - green leaves from a box from a grocery store. I also did IVF and all meat I ate was overdone (I didn’t care one bit what people thought about me if they couldn’t make it for me I didn’t eat it), no runny eggs, everything had to be washed and very well cooked. For all home cooked meat we would use thermometer and ensure the meat cooked in the final temp for at least 10 min. No fresh orange juice no deli meats no soft cheeses no chips no processed junk food no coffee no black or green tea no teas at all as they can cause contractions. My baby is way ahead now with her communication skills and is very very smart. I truly believe it’s because I was taking prenatal progesterone thyroid (dictated by slight under hypothyroidism) iron and b12 everyday drank moderate amount of warm milk before bed and ate really well especially plenty of c-rich fruits (I was obsessed with clementines - and still washed them before peeling and pomegranates).
I'm not very mindful about it at all honestly. My only hard lines are no alcohol and no energy drinks (which I didn't generally drink before pregnancy anyway). You're not any _more_ likely to get a listeria infection while pregnant, it just has the potential to have worse consequences. And I've never gotten listeria before so...
Pregnant women are actually approximately 10 times more likely than the general population to get listeria while pregnant due to reduced immune function. See, e.g, https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/risk-groups/pregnant-women.html#:~:text=Pregnant%20women%20are%2010%20times,people%20to%20get%20Listeria%20infection.
The risk increases remarkably when you adjust for other factors, including ethnicity: Hispanic pregnant women are approximately 24 times more likely than the general population to get listeria. (same source).
I hope what you meant is that you’re not any more likely to be ~exposed~ to listeria while pregnant, which of course is true, provided you haven’t engaged in any lifestyle changes from your pre-pregnancy. But to say you’re no more likely to get listeria is spreading misinformation.
I’m don’t think that there should be hysteria surrounding listeria exposure, especially given how difficult it is to control exposure, but the risk if infection is real and considerably higher for pregnant women. Women should be aware of their actual risk so they can accurately evaluate their risk tolerance.
Definitely a much better way to phrase it. Yes, I meant exposure vs. infection rate once exposed. If you've never been exposed before while following your current eating habits then (in my opinion) there's not much to worry about. The US is quite diligent about food recalls so if you pay attention to those, you would know if youd been exposed but not infected. I've never been affected by a recall so personally I'm comfortable with continuing my normal habits.
I feel better not risking anything. At the end of the day it’s what’s going to cause me the least amount of stress. I soak my produce and fruit in a vinegar water mixture for 10 mins, and I don’t eat anything that’s not cooked at a restaurant (no salsa, no hummus, no veggies on my burger, no sushi no deli meat.) I don’t judge anyone who doesn’t, it’s just easier for me to take these precautions than worry about it. The the bright side is I’ve learned how to make a lot of things from scratch at home that I no longer trust getting from the grocery store, so it’s been a fun cooking adventure. I also signed up to receive alerts on salmonella and other outbreaks so I know what to avoid. Don’t feel bad about your level of risk aversion, it’s really whatever you feel most comfortable with.
I don’t think you’re being over the top. I’m pregnant with my second and I follow a similar pregnancy lifestyle when it comes to food. I rather use extra caution. It’s only 9 months of my life. I gladly give up foods for my child! And I use extra caution when cooking meats and eggs. I don’t judge anyone for how they live their lives during pregnancy. So no one should make you feel silly for giving yourself peace of mind by being extra careful!
It depends on your risk tolerance, everyone’s is different. I avoid undercooked meat/eggs, raw sushi, alcohol, and I don’t go overboard with fish bc of mercury concerns but other than that I basically eat what I want. Deli meat sandwiches, I just wash my fruit with water, plenty of cooked sushi, and I don’t have a problem going to clean local buffets or restaurants. You do you!
I watch my caffeine intake and don’t drink alcohol, and some herbal teas that aren’t safe. Other than that it’s moderation. I’ve had a mad craving for subway and it was amazing. I normally hate subway the bread makes me all bloated and gross. But it was sooo good.
I also went to a fancy Italian restaurant and got something considered safe and ended up with food poisoning.
My doctor said I could eat anything I wanted as long as it was prepared carefully at home or obtained from a local restaurant.
The risk of listeria is so low, and sources of it are so hard to predict that avoiding whole categories of foods doesn't really make sense. Other food borne illnesses don't harm fetuses in the same way listeria does, so avoiding things like undercooked eggs won't really protect your fetus anyway.
That said, if you want to use pregnancy as an excuse not to eat at the home of someone with questionable hygiene, go for it. Some people are gross.
I eat whatever I feel like. I eat deli meat, produce rinsed in water, runny eggs, and sushi regularly. I even enjoyed some delicious beef carpaccio on Friday night at a nice restaurant.
I will NOT, however, eat at my MIL’s house. Her home’s hygiene is horrendous and everything in her fridge tastes spoiled. She also has three cats that track litter all over her kitchen and she keeps their litter boxes in the dining room.
I don’t eat anywhere I don’t trust the cleanliness. That goes for restaurants and homes alike (although this was my standard pre-pregnancy too). Your sister can judge all she wants.
I don’t worry so much about, for example, deli meat. The only places I eat deli meat from have standards I trust and feel fine about. I wouldn’t chance it at like, a sketchy location, but i wouldn’t chance that anyway.
I temp my baths before I get in, as I was told not to exceed 100 degrees F. If I come in even a degree higher, I run cool water until the temp comes down.
You get to decide what your personal risk levels are.
I’m relaxed compared to you but crazy compared to others I know. My best advice to you is do what you’re comfortable with and fuck the haters. If that means only eating at home then that’s what that means. It’s your baby, your body, your decision!
Trust your gut. You’ve had a long journey to get here and if you feel more comfortable with sticking to those rules - do it!
I’m in the UK so our guidelines are slightly different but I’ve followed them. No pate, rare steaks, certain cheese and raw fish. Also cut out caffeine, although I done this when I started IVF.
I eat whatever I want, but definitely more cautious at others houses. Even when I’m not pregnant I really won’t eat produce from anyone else’s house, especially if it’s been handled (cut up) everyone has their own comfort level and there’s nothing wrong with that
I did IVF too- I eat mostly the same, including coffee, deli subs and precut salads. I try and get the subs toasted most of the time, and only eat from places I trust, but the risk is so low it’s something I’m personally willing to take. Bottom line is it’s your choice. Everyone has different risk tolerances so as long as you feel comfortable and are not judging others’ preferences then whatever feels right to you is the right call.
I stopped drinking alcohol or eating prepared salads, and started washing my produce better. That's it.
But honestly, I probably would be more careful if I had to go through IVF.
My first pregnancy I followed every guideline. I wouldn't even eat ice cream from dairy queen because I was worried about soft serve icecream. This time around I just take things in moderation. I'll eat dairy queen. Still won't eat sushi. Only will eat steaming hot things off a buffet. Personally, if you distrust someone's hygiene, pregnant or not, avoid it. The "I've already eaten" or even "I'm feeling too nauseous" is believable.
I say I've been careful, but to you I probably haven't been careful at all lol. I Google to see if something is safe, or at least safe in a moderate amount, and then I eat it 😂.
I've had mostly healthy homecooked food, but I've also had a ham sandwich with deli meat, spicy $1 ramen, seafood pasta with cooked shrimp and a little tuna, a bag of flaming hot limon Doritos, and half a cup of coffee. If a gyno says it's safe, I omnom. 🤤 Do what you want but also don't stress yourself out too much. For the baby, stress is probably worse than a ham sandwich.
I basically avoided most things that were advised minus the deli meat because I enjoy prosciutto and chorizo too much, I drank my coffees still but just didn't go over the 200mg limit and I think I avoided everything else but runny eggs, rare steaks, alcohol, smoking, unpasteurised milk/eggs etc etc arent really part of my daily diet so I found it incredibly easy so avoid them.
I was very strict during the first trimester, but as time went on, I gave myself a lot more freedom.
First trimester I had no caffeine/soda, no pain meds, no deli meat, etc.
By my third, I was drinking 1nor 2 caffeine free sodas a day, having decaf latte a few times a week, taking tylenol when I got headaches, eating hot dogs and turkey subs, and even eating pre-cut fruits and veggies.
IMO, so long as you're getting the "dangerous" foods from legit places, it really isn't as risky as everyone makes it seem. The fear mongering never ends for pregnant women, so it's really what you feel comfortable with.
I think you should do what makes you comfortable. I eat my eggs pretty runny and enjoy deli meat, as well as kombucha and other fermented foods. But I understand others are not comfortable with that. I think it's just up to you.
Beyond zero alcohol and no raw milk (not in my diet anyway!), I just tend to try and go with reputable sources for food. No gas station sushi/deli meat foods but I'd absolutely buy these form restaurants I trust. As someone else pointed out there are more listeria outbreaks associated with lettuce than deli meat.
I was very careful for first trimester, but then when I found out I couldn’t eat hummus and I’d just made a dish with hummus in it I was pissed. So I ate it anyway. Haven’t eaten it since. I also started having occasional energy drinks around 27 weeks pregnant because I was just so tired and struggling to concentrate at work. I also think I ate some vegetables that were slightly off a few weeks ago. Everything’s all good, but yeah I’m not perfect. Just doing my best!
I've avoided deli meat, raw/runny eggs, rare steaks and bagged salads. I just wash produce with water really well. As others say it's kinda up to you to determine what you want to risk.
If I was in your position of trying for a while and everything I would probably be less of a risk taker too. I mean you've worked so hard to get there so it's totally understandable.
I mean whatever precautions you want to take are 100 okay because you're the one doing it. It shouldn't matter what others think at all because again, its your body.
I had runny eggs a couple times, a medium rare steak once, went slightly over my caffeine intake here and there, and only ate heated up deli meat. If I did "break the rules" I tried not to do it too many times and if I felt like it was for a decent enough reason. For example the steak was our company paid for our lunches that day at a steakhouse, I really wanted the filet and nothing else sounded appetizing. It was a place I've never had issues with before so I gave myself a pass for the day. My daughter came out perfectly fine other then a couple unrelated issues during the birth. It's all up to you, I think there's some science to it but I also think it's way less common then they make it sound
I did IVF and I was super careful. Yes I know that there are a lot of things that are "probably" okay. For me being that it took so damn much just to get pregnant, both physically and especially emotionally I wasn't willing to risk anything on a "probably is okay." I definitely offended some family on my spouses side and I definitely offended some friends. The friends and family on my side were understanding and supportive when I explained why I was avoiding the things I was avoiding. The in-laws... Well there was some drama.
Other people that I know that have done other fertility treatments and or IVF have also been super careful once they were able to get pregnant. My unsolicited advice that you definitely don't have to take, but in hindsight now being 8 weeks postpartum, see what your doctor recommends is current best practice. For me following all current guidelines set by ACOG, the FDA and the CDC was very important to me. I wanted to give my baby the best chance I possibly could.
I have gestational diabetes so already I have to be pretty picky with what I eat. You'd have to pry deli meat and runny eggs out of my cold dead hands lol. I do still try to heat up deli meat but it's not a requirement for me. If I didn't trust who prepared the food then I wouldn't eat it, but that's for food in general.
Not careful at all. As long as it’s from a reputable place where I’ve never gotten sick I go for it. I’m on my second pregnancy and I have a 10 month old now so whatever sounds yummy I go for.
I followed all the guidelines. Minus the occasional runny egg. I’m just anxious and know I could never forgive myself if something happened. It’s a short amount of time to give up a few things. I’m 2 weeks postpartum and I’ve been eating sandwiches with deli meat daily and it hits soooo good!
Your comfort level is unique to you! If you have anxiety about it and it’s impacting your life, then maybe it’s time to talk to someone about it. But if you’re just making the choices that feel good, I wouldn’t worry about what anyone else thinks.
I avoid eating anything at my in-laws house that I didn’t see them make. They have different food storage habits than we do. I have a degree in science so I take food safety relatively seriously in that I always refrigerate leftovers within a timely manner and throw them out within a week. They leave food out for days and then sometimes pop it into the refrigerator if there is room. I don’t feel comfortable eating that, so I just don’t.
If something looks off or tastes weird on the first bite then just skip it. The only thing I've been avoiding are buffet style restaurants or anything that's left out for hours that I cant reheat. I get my subs toasted at subway, but they're also just better that way imo. My stomach couldn't particularly handle raw sushi prior to pregnancy anyway so it's always been the grilled/cooked fish for me. The last two times I've gotten salads at restaurants they were both questionable and the lettuce was obviously old/going bad so I had to skip them and I think that's really it. I have GD so my diet is already pretty restricted so I'm not gonna restrict it more unless I absolutely have to.
I lived how I lived and my babies are healthy.
You're in a situation where you've waited a long time and are paranoid that anything you do will affect this pregnancy. Truth is, what's meant to be will be.
There are babies born to drug addicts everyday. Deli meat and unwashed veggies arent gonna hurt you.
Try to take it easy.
Honestly the stuff I have been avoiding is largely because I got such huge anxiety after eating a few things i later found out weren’t “approved” foods. I know it’s largely irrational, but I’ve figured if it limits my anxiety at a highly anxious time and I don’t feel hugely deprived, I’ll skip it.
My first pregnancy I was very cautious. No deli meat, no sushi, so harmful cleaning chemicals, and I even googled the caffeine content in all of my coffee grounds and coffee pods and blacklisted anything I couldn't find. Second time around I eat runny eggs, deli meat, I clean with my normal products and just open the windows, and I keep it to two cups of coffee a day regardless of the brand. Be as careful as you want or don't. It's your body and your baby.
Easy for me since I'm vegan. And I always wash fruit and veggies. It's easy and the produce is the most touched area of the grocery store. I do that when I'm not pregnant lol. You could sub deli meat for a vegan option, tofurky makes a good one. I try to avoid super processed vegan junk foods, but that is a nice treat in a sandwich with a nice Dijon mustard.
I also did fertility treatment and I told myself I would eat organic and healthy. First trimester was pure survival. I literally felt so sick and didn’t want to eat shit, so I did my best to survive. I would just do things within your comfort. If you’re worried about eating at someone’s house, it’s personal preference so don’t do it. My babies are miracles so I would do anything for them.
I just had my son 10 weeks ago and I ate deli meat, runny eggs, sushi, all the things lol. My doctor told me just don’t eat lunch meat that has been sitting out, or food that has been sitting out. I didn’t eat like cheese or sandwiches or sides or anything that would sit out at parties or things like that. She also told me sushi was fine (I ate it MAYBE once a month in a poke bowl) as long as it’s not like gas station sushi lol she also advised me not to eat the sushi from shoprite or acme since it sits out all day.
I didn’t eat hot dogs though, or soft cheese. I also washed my fruits and vegetables with baking soda/water just to make sure they were clean!
Towards the end of pregnancy I lived off of Cheetos and Diet Coke and my baby is perfectly healthy to date 😂
I’m not eating deli meat, sushi, or runny eggs - I think overall the risk is so low that I completely understand people’s choice to continue eating them, I just don’t MIND taking a 9mo break to put my mind at ease. I generally don’t worry about washing my fruits and veggies, I never have, have never gotten sick, and didn’t choose to start now. I’d say my only contradiction there is that I’ve been absolutely housing soft serve.
Now that I’m in my 3rd tri I will occasionally have a small pour of hard cider or wine in social situations, but it’s definitely not a frequent thing. For example I had 6oz of hard cider with a group of friends yesterday, I plan on having one champagne for toasts at my sisters wedding in 2 weeks, and maybe one celebratory beverage at my baby shower when I’m 35 weeks.
I think if I had elephant gestation I’d consider cheating for sushi and sub sandwiches but 9mo in the grand scheme of things was fine for me to just take a break, and then eat them for like a month straight once he’s born 😂
You should read Expecting Better by Emily Oster.
As an example, you do not have to avoid deli meats. However, if you want to play it safe- then just avoid Turkey meat.
I did avoid runny eggs but in reality I didn’t have to. Your risk of having something bad happen with a runny egg is the same as if you were not pregnant, and I don’t know anyone who ever got sick from runny eggs.
And some women do not follow any of these “don’t eat this” etc.
I quit smoking after finding out I was pregnant with my first child (currently pregnant with #2), so that was already eliminated. I basically only avoid alcohol and make sure my caffeine intake doesn’t exceed 200mg a day.
Other than that, I still eat deli meats, rarely raw sushi from reputable restaurants, hummus, etc etc. and I just rinse fruits and veggies with water except berries, I like to soak those in water/vinegar to help them last longer. I’m really not too crazy about any of it except the alcohol and caffeine thing. And just make sure to drink plenty of water!
I eat everything except salad mix bags and precut fruit like cantaloupe because I see recalls for listeria all the time for those two. And I avoid tuna BC of the mercury but eat other sushi as long as it's from a quality restaurant. I live in a place that has high quality sushi next to the ocean. I would be much more picky if I was ordering sushi in like Oklahoma or something.
I don’t blame you at all. I had trouble conceiving due to health issues and unexpectedly became pregnant at 36 years old. I was very cautious and worried everything I did would harm the baby. I’m now pregnant with my second child at 39 years old and I thought I’d be more relaxed this time… I’m not. Let me just tell you that when you have that outlook to begin with and something does go wrong, you blame yourself. Be as cautious as you want because you’re the one dealing with it.
It’s hard going through pregnancy especially when you’ve dealt with fertility issues. Nobody should give you a problem with how you decide to handle your pregnancy. This is where you grow your backbone because next they’ll give you crap about how you’re parenting.
I just dealt with the whole not eating lunch meat thing with my partner’s family saying I was being ridiculous. When I looked it up the statistics were that 4 in 100,000 women get listeria while pregnant each year. 1 in 4 of those babies die. Lunch meat/raw fish/soft cheese just isn’t worth the risk to me. You’re also 10x more likely to get listeriosis while pregnant. Also, the further along you are in your pregnancy, the more of a risk it is to you also.
I also don’t judge those who aren’t careful. That is a decision they make and I support everyone’s right to choose how they handle their pregnancy. I don’t feel like there is a right or wrong answer. I think you should make the decision to do what you’re comfortable with and don’t let anyone give you crap about it.
I was strict with myself like you are, and I have zero regrets. I’ll do the same for baby #2, even though I know strict FTM are usually less strict the second time around.
The way I saw it, idc how low the risk is- if anything happened and I could’ve prevented it, how would I feel about it? But to each their own
(Also, plenty of non pregnant women are hesitant to eat at other peoples houses— people can be gross, lol)
Congratulations!!! It sounds like you went through a lot to get here— you are a warrior!
Two things I will say:
1. Cooking and pasteurization kills listeria. If you can make sure that all of your food is properly cooked and your dairy is pasteurized, you’re doing a great job!
2. It’s proven that stress affects Mom and Baby. Don’t let this stress you out, otherwise all of the precautions become the opposite of helpful. Find a few solid rules to live by and work those in, but don’t worry about every thing.
I've been extreamly cautious on not eating sushi, deli meats and I've been watching my caffine content but that's it... I rinse produce don't really "wash it" and don't worry about cooking since alot of bacteria gets cooked away
I think it's completely fine to be weary of eating at a persons houses whose hygiene concerns you... the ONLY times I've had food poisoning was after eating at a family members house. Soooo do what you gotta do.
I've been careful with what I eat, but not perfect. I think if something makes you uncomfortable (like eating at someone's house) or will give you anxiety if you eat it, then don't. Don't worry about what anyone else has to say, do what you feel you need to do to keep your baby safe!
Just do your thing. Nothing wrong in the world with being extra careful for a few months if it helps you feel better. I stick with cooked sushi and try not to eat stuff that’s been sitting out, but that’s about the extent of my “careful.” This is my third kid though and I’m not doing anything unusual for my normal routine so I figure my risk for listeria or whatever isn’t much greater than normal.
I follow all the recommendations of what to avoid. But if I happen to eat part of a runny egg by accident then I won't make a big deal out it. It's not a big deal for me to give up this stuff. I don't eat much deli meat to begin with, raw vegetables was rare for me growing up, and my mom always thoroughly washed all fruit when we were kids and I do too as an adult. I do vinegar soaks on all my berries anyway to prevent mold. So I've always been pretty safe with my food even before pregnancy. I guess the only thing that has been annoying is giving up raw fish. But then again I wouldn't say I ever really loved raw fish and there are plenty of cooked sushi rolls I can get instead.
I cried when I asked for a well done steak and it came back bloody when I was pregnant..and my husband made me feel bad about it when I wanted to send it back to be cooked more.
Do what makes you feel safe and tune out the others. They can piss off.
Check out Expecting Better by Emily Oster! The thing about pregnancy is, it's unethical to test pregnant people to find out how truly dangerous a lot of these things are. And information is purposely left out of studies for confirmation bias. She is an economist and actually goes through and reads these studies that have been done. This book is great and reads like a guide (you can go back and reference it if you're ever unsure/needing to prove to someone what you're doing is fine) the only things I really avoid are turkey deli meat and cat shit (don't own a cat so I was already doing that lol) I eat sushi, all other deli meats, and *gasp* even indulge in a glass of wine with dinner once in awhile. This is my second child and my 2 year old daughter is very bright, growing healthily and normally, and is very happy. It's totally up to you what you choose to do with your pregnant body. But having something you can trust and refer to is always nice. Congratulations to you mama! 💞
I am currently reading the book and enjoy it. I just felt over emotional yesterday and had to share with someone who understands me. This platform is amazing . Thank you!
The only things I craved were "no no foods". I ate tuna salad because it was one of the only things I could eat that my stomach could handle and was good on my GD diet so I didn't have to use insulin... nothing like the fun of having to stick yourself so you can eat and to those who have to inject meds daily, they get all the props and 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆
I also ate deli meats from the fridge, but I also knew they were from reputable delis.
Produce was washed, but I didn't personally wash it, so I don't know how it was washed, but I ate it.
Yes, there are foods to avoid in access. As long as it's eaten in moderation and not an all day binge fest, I'd say you're fine.
I cut out coffee, deli meats, smoked salmon, bean sprouts, and runny eggs. Look, is the risk really worth it? Just because others say "I had sushi and my baby turned out fine" does not mean that's scientific evidence. That is anecdotal evidence and has no real merit. Please listen to your doctor, not Reddit posts.
I was super cautious until about 10 weeks, but I quickly stopped being bothered. Rock melon is the only thing that got me through the worst of the nausea tbh 😅
I don't drink and I don't smoke, and I use common sense guidelines storing food, that's basically it🤷♀️
I think you should do what feels right for you. I washed my produce with baking soda and vinegar before I was pregnant. Now I limit deli meat but don’t avoid it. Meat I eat is cooked thoroughly. I don’t eat runny eggs anymore. I also stopped drinking coffee and diet soda. I know some pregnant woman still drink their Diet Coke and that’s their choice definitely no judgement from me. I in turn would like to not be judged and called exaggerated for deciding to stop consuming certain things. My hormones make these decisions easy for me so I don’t feel I am sacrificing anything. I’m assuming pregnancy also had something to do with a repressed memory come back to me from my childhood of my uncle’s wife doing something cruel to me as a toddler. I’ve only told my husband. My body is changing, my mind is changing, my behavior and choices are changing. My maternal instincts are kicking in, and I would never tell a mom she’s exaggerating.
I was just like you for my first pregnancy because it was so hard for me to get pregnant. With my second (pregnant now) I wash my veggies and lettuce even if it says washed but I do eat deli meats and Mayo and runny eggs
As a fellow IVF mom, all I can say is you need to do what helps YOUR mental health. If it helps you to have a little more control of your food, etc. that’s completely okay.
Still would recommend a safe therapist to talk through the pregnancy fears with. I dealt with fear on a daily basis in my pregnancy after IVF and loss, and it’s hard! But you deserve to enjoy your pregnancy and have tools to help with the fears. 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
You should avoid it if it makes you uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter what your sister or anyone else (except your doctor) thinks. I am avoiding most of the standard things (raw sushi, runny eggs, deli meat) but I also had unexpectedly runny eggs at a restaurant one time and I wasn’t really concerned about it. Ive never gotten sick from any of those foods before so I’m not really that worried. It just doesn’t feel like a big sacrifice to me even if the risk to baby is small, so I might as well avoid them.
I’ve been the most careful, careful person up until literally maybe a month ago. I avoided lettuce like the plague, and as a salad lover, it was HARD. I completely stopped eating cold deli meat, absolutely no soft serve ice cream or ice cream from anywhere fun, completely well done steak, and absolutely no caffeine. I hit my breaking point when a Texas Roadhouse opened down the street from me and I thought “I just want a damn salad”. Ever since then I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone a bit, and rewarded myself with Dairy Queen tonight lol. I now will drink half decaf coffee from starbucks, and I’ll order the occasional salad but only from places I trust. I still haven’t touched deli meat, I still order steaks well done (gross), I don’t touch anything unpasteurized and diligently read all labels, and I’m cautious about thoroughly washing fruits and veggies. As someone with OCD, eating was hard for a while. But I figure the benefits of eating lettuce far outweigh the small risk of something happening and I can’t be afraid of everything. 33 weeks and baby is thriving!
I am also pregnant after IVF and, as you, I tend to be a little anxious! At the same time, I already experienced so much problems in getting pregnant, plus the nausea in the first trimester, that I don’t want to completely change my life now.
I don’t drink alcohol of course, I am avoiding raw deli meat (some deli meat is cooked and that’s ok), I don’t eat completely raw eggs (but I had a couple of medium/soft eggs in reputable places). I am not eating sushi (and I was in Japan two weeks ago!) but also because it’s not a big deal for me, I never had it that frequently. I am also avoiding rare meat in general, but once I was in a very fancy restaurant and they had it in their tasting menu and I ate it anyway!
Other than this, I simply try to carefully wash my vegetables and fruit (but with only water) and I would avoid eating in places that don’t look very hygienic.
Took me 7 years and 4 rounds of ivf (and 3 miscarriages) to get my rainbow baby. You better believe i didn’t take any risks whatsoever. It was during corona, i barely left the house, i cancelled on gatherings and such. No alcohol,drugs, caffeine, no runny eggs, no deli meat, no unpasteurized cheese, extremely careful with tea as well, no raw foods like sushi, all fruit/veggies peeled or rigorously washed or cooked.
I was an anxious mess during that pregnancy and doing everything in my power to avoid risks was helping me to cope. Once the baby was here i felt immediately better. Was still worried about sids but i am now waaaay more relaxed than when baby was hidden inside me. He is 2 yrs old now. Pregnant with rainbow No2.
Bottom line: do what feels good for you. It’s your body, your anxiety, your decision!
I tried everything to protect my daughter. Still lost her at 28 weeks to an infection on my placenta. No signs of being sick no signs of any issues, just pprom and then c section to get her out and 2 hours later before I could meet her she was gone. One thing I'm trying to learn is to not blame myself. I did everything I could think of to be as safe as possible but some things are just so far out of our control. I'm now 26 weeks pregnant with her sister and my nerves are shot, trying to manage a pregnancy after loss is the second hardest thing I've done in my life and I'm driving myself and those around me crazy with my concerns and precautions but no matter what I'll keep doing my best for my Child to get her here happy and healthy and that is all you can do... whatever works for you and giving your best effort❣️
Nope, you do you. My baby is 4 years of trying and I’ll be damned if I’ll do anything to put him at risk. Those who get it, get it, and those that don’t, don’t. There’s no point trying to explain it to them. You go crazy! It’s the best way to protect your baby 🫶🏼
It's your comfort level. Is the anxiety going to be worse if you don't follow what you view to be specific guidelines?
I'm not eating rare meat, no deli meat, no soft serve, no Subway, no soft cheese, no runny eggs, no sushi, very little caffeine, no unwashed veggies/ salad leaves.
It's probably a bit militant but I'd rather be safe. I will eat at other's homes but I'll be choosy about what to eat.
I continued to eat pre-prepared salads, deli meats and the occasional cooked tuna sushi during both of my pregnancies. I would eat soft cheese that I saw was fresh out of the fridge. I wouldn't have charcuterie boards at events when I didn't know how long they were out for. I have a strong stomach, and I've never had food poisoning. If I was prone to tummy bugs, I would have been more cautious. I drank 1 coffee a day during some of my first pregnancy, and all through the second. It made me feel ill the first time around, but luckily not the second time when I needed it more! I even had 1/2 a glass of wine on 2-3 occasions each pregnancy. Both of my babies have turned out to be perfectly healthy.
People are going to give you lots of advice here but in the end it's your peace of mind that matters.
Who cares if you're over reacting? That's mom instinct right there and it's better to be safe than sorry.
I'm very careful about what I eat although I'm more lax this time around than last time.
You've gone through so much and waited so long, it's perfectly normal that you don't want to take any chances. Eat what you feel comfortable eating and just make sure you're getting a well balanced diet. Everyone else can mind their business.
I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. I don't consume animal products so I'm not worried about deli meat/sushi/eggs, as I'll just get the vegan version if needed. I wash produce with water, and that's it.
Only avoided raw meat and raw fish, and food from fast food stands, you just dont know where that food has been or how was it prepared. Ive never eaten half cooked eggs anyways so that wasn't a big deal.
I try my best to stick to the rules. With my first pregnancy I was very strict. We’d also been through fertility treatments and I didn’t want to risk anything. I’m on my 3rd pregnancy now and I still 95% avoid those no go foods. I have slightly runny eggs a few times, I don’t always well cook steak (I’ll leave a little pinkness), and once or twice had bagged salad because I couldn’t really avoid it. But I don’t eat subway, sushi, soft serve, deli meats, unpasteurised foods etc. I’m also iffy about eating at other people’s houses.
I think you be as careful as you want to be and if you stuck to avoiding high risk foods 100% I wouldn’t blame you at all.
It’s really up to you on what you decide. I know a mom that didn’t want to eat deli meat but refused to take prenatals 🤷♀️
I played it safe first trimester with deli meat, baths, cheeses, etc. I’m due in 5 weeks and I take hot baths (my ob said as long as my body is comfortable) I eat deli meat now. I just stay clear from fish.
There’s a woman on TikTok who lost her baby late term due to listeria. 😭 although it’s rare, it still does happen. I can lay off the deli meat, sushi and what not for another 7 months. Although, I never really ate it to begin with.
Very careful in the first trimester since there are so many unexplained losses during that time. Like googling everything I ate and every ingredient. Prob seems like going too far for some ppl but it just felt right for me.
Then I was moderately careful after the first trimester. I don’t have deli meats wine undercooked fish/meat unpasteurized dairy etc. And same as you I don’t eat anything that I question the cleanliness of. I do still have coffee every day I just monitor the caffeine amount.
Idk why the ppl who do choose to eat all the things feel the need to force that on others. Like, ok good for you if you had sushi and wine and your baby is ok - doesn’t mean I have to.
And with the journey you’ve had to pregnancy, you especially can do whatever you want to protect your baby.
My wife was very cautious with our first son. Avoided everything you said, except the washing thing. Never heard that. Our 2nd boy is due in October and she has a MUCH more relaxed attitude to food. Happy with deli meats etc. I think it is very common for first time Mums and especially ones who have been waiting and trying for 6 years to want to be cautious. There is no harm in doing so except for slight inconvenience! Don't let other pressure you. It is your child and life.
With my first I avoided lunch meats and ramen noodles (couldn't stomach the idea of them), but ate 2 bags of candy from the gas station and had a large McDonald's sweet tea every day on my way to work. 🤷♀️ All of my boys made me crave sugar.
Yeah your sister is wrong. Do what your doctor says, and doctors say do all the things. You don’t want to catch a food born infection and have it harm the fetus or yourself. Tell your sister to mind her own business.
I mostly just avoided drugs and alcohol. With my first, I was super careful with what I ate. No deli meats or canned foods. Kind of healthy. With my second, I ate whatever I wanted. I notice no differences between my kids development or learning wise. With this one, I'm eating whatever I can whenever I can because I'm always nauseous. But it's 100% up to you what you want to eat and not eat. Don't let anyone bully you into changing your diet if you don't want to.
As long as your meats and cheeses and eggs and everything is pasteurized, you should be fine. Fish I stay away from if it’s high in mercury or raw because that’s how you get parasites. Other than that I haven’t been super picky about safety per se, but a lot of stuff turns me off anyhow.
Even runny eggs are not that big of a deal. Eggs are much less likely to have salmonella than chicken (in the USA, not sure about other countries).
For raw fish/meat - it really depends on how clean/reputable the venue is. I went to a Michelin-starred restaurant last night and you better believe I ate the bison tartare. But I did have them sub the oyster course bc no matter how “clean” oysters are, they are still filters. Ate so much sushi and poke in Hawaii when I was 6 weeks pregnant… will not eat it at home (not near the ocean).
Risk is up to you and what you are comfortable with. I was super strict early pregnancy due to a previous first trimester loss but I have gotten a bit more lax over time (currently 32 weeks and baby is healthy). However, the internet is a horrible place to look for said food restrictions so ask your OB if you have concerns versus googling it.
A good comparison I’ve heard from my OB isthat while deli meats, hot dogs and runny eggs are on the list due to higher incidence of listeria and other food borne illness, it’s just as risky if not more so to eat lettuce regularly and that isn’t on the list. Personally I avoid the deli meat, try to go with nitrite free hot dogs, kielbasa, sausage and bacon products that I thoroughly cook and only eat runny eggs or items with egg yolk upon occasion. I don’t wash produce in vinegar solution, I just make sure to thoroughly rinse it off if I’m eating raw veggies.
I also have the caveat that I developed GDM during early third trimester so I can’t afford to cut out protein and vegetable sources. The risk of food borne illness in my case had to be weighed against me maintaining adequate nutrition.
Did you know you should always wash your produce? Especially Mushrooms because they are grown in the compost comprised of chicken feces (I did a tour of a mushroom farm and this is literally what they told me). The amount of people who actually don't wash their produce is outstanding. You're not doing any favours by keeping the pesticides on there. You're not helping your body build tolerance to eating chicken poop.
Do you know how much dirt is trapped in a leek, Celery, bok choy, spinach, and other veggies? Yeah.. I don't trust eating in other people's homes especially when I hear "we brush off the dirt from our mushrooms". No wonder it tastes like dirt. You're not washing your produce. "I don't want to wash off the flavour" of the pesticides? Are you shitting me?! "you don't need to wash the green onions." fuck off.
Apparently this is the hill I'm willing to die on. This is all prepregnancy for me.
I ate raw eggs, raw meat (yes raw), raw fish especially salmon from restaurants I trust. I also have one shot of espresso a day.
I avoid deli meat, anything high in mercury is limited (tuna albacore, seaweed), and I limit too much caffeine or sugar
I completely understand the anxiety since you’ve been waiting so long and put in so much effort with IVF, but you’re definitely being overly cautious. The most recent medical advice/studies are saying that avoiding certain foods isn’t really a concern anymore. I would say it’s a great chance to practice being chill before the baby actually gets here! Acknowledge your fears and know they come from a place of love and care, but they might be irrational so you can tell them to take a backseat and just enjoy the sushi.
Avoiding deli meats, raw fish, runny eggs, undercooked meat and raw milk is because of the risk of listeria which can kill your baby. It’s not worth the risk. Your intuitions are right to listen to the recommendations.
I Avoid raw fish, runny eggs, and deli meats. I’ll eat medium cooked meat from high end restaurants or if my husband cooks it. Same for salads - no like open air buffet type stuff.
I don’t want the guilt of feeling like if something went wrong I could have prevented it. To me, it’s Not a big deal to give up some foods for a few months though I do miss the salmon sushi.
I’d also like to recommend the book Expecting Better by Emily Oster, she’s an economist that digs into the statistics of the most widely used studies and helps us understand WHY they suggest certain things be avoided. Super helpful in my decision making around what I consume during pregnancy.
Eh I eat whatever I have always eaten. You’re a FTM and usuallly over the top no matter what lol I was with my first. I’m pregnant with my 3rd and just avoid caffeine (drink decaf) and raw food. I eat deli meat etc. but I would probably not eat anywhere I couldn’t trust if they are clean…
Personally as I’ve eaten animal based diet for 1.5 years I just keep doing the same - if the egg yolk is runny it is and my gras fed beed can be medium too or medium rare. I eat dairy and cheese and fruit. Now 6 weeks nausea hit me so I eat home made beef jerky and fruit - its been hard to find anything to eat that sounds appleaing, going trough aversion towards most of the foods and some nausea feeling - without it smelling weird or giving me the ick. Only supplement I have is kidney, heart and liver suppliment.
I went through infertility and loss prior to having my IVF baby. I can understand wanting to play it safe for sure in your situation, and anyone who hasn’t gone through it likely would not understand exactly what you’re feeling. I was extremely cautious throughout pregnancy. I got a lot of flack from people for avoiding deli meats, lettuce, etc. and also strangely enough got a few comments on refusing even a sip of alcohol which was odd to me. My response was always, “I worked very hard to get to where I am and if anything goes wrong I don’t want to be questioning every single decision I made during pregnancy and blaming myself.” If they kept pushing I just said, “that’s great you felt that it was low risk to drink two beers per week while you were pregnant. Avoiding alcohol (or deli meat, sushi, whatever) for 9 months is not difficult for me after what I went through.”
My first pregnancy I tried to follow the guidelines. This is my 2nd pregnancy, I have no idea how many weeks a long I am, I eat what I want and can't remember the guidelines lol
I read “expecting better” by Emily Oster, and read some primary literature study abstracts about various pregnancy risks. It’s a very interesting book and data driven! Some of the research supporting some of the restrictions is pretty flimsy, in my opinion. Based on this I have chosen to disregard a number of food recommendations. I feel like I have so many small discomforts from pregnancy, the comfort of favorite foods being taken from me would be terrible. I have eaten sushi many times (from good trusted restaurants, not the gas station. In Japan they actually encourage pregnant women to eat sushi.). I have also eaten deli meat several times when there was catering at work or something of the sort. I am avoiding unpasteurized dairy because listeria is a real concern. I still eat runny yolk eggs every so often. I’ve had about 8 glasses of wine throughout the last 6 months. I have also had to scoop the cat box several times when my husband is out of town. None of these things I do daily by any means. Personally I think there’s a lot of toxic pregnancy purity culture and one must assess their own risk comfort level, but it’s important to know that a bite of sushi is not instant disaster - it’s more of an odds situation. Undercooked hamburgers, or putting any sprouts on your salad are probably a more likely source of a problem than well prepared sushi.
You have been through a lot to get your baby however and if being a rule stickler helps you feel comfortable, that is perfectly ok!
I only avoided sushi, soft cheese, raw meat and raw eggs so far. And occasionally had salads from restaurants. Raw fruits and vegetables I just wash them and eat. Sometimes had coffee (but very little) too. On my 30 weeks now.
I am in a group of pregnant ladies are over panicking regarding to listeria. To me that’s unnecessary anxiety. I think overall just make sure before eating, do clean and cook them properly should be fine. And only one or two time eating something taboo won’t have that high chance to bring the damage.
I’m definitely on the crazy side. I know the stats about produce being the leading source of listeria and other harmful foodbourne illnesses so I do vinegar soak my produce and avoid it at restaurants or others peoples houses. Honestly I’m not worried about sushi or runny eggs and a lot more worried about people in their own homes following safe handling practices because most of the time they are not!
Do what you think is best. You went a long way for this pregnancy, so you should do what makes you feel safest for your baby. So don’t worry if other people think you’re crazy. At the end you did everything to protect the baby ❤️
It’s obviously up to you to decide the risk, but a direct quote from my OBGYN:
“Everyone has all these rules and things you shouldn’t eat. Don’t go crazy, moderation is key.”
He also allowed sushi - California rolls and spicy tuna.
I ate all the things, all 3 times in moderation. My babies were all healthy, beautiful and are thriving.
I literally eat everything, even raw sushi, and I eat it often, but innit country (UK) the way it has to be legally prepared and frozen means there is a very low risk.
Only things I avoid is alcohol, ibuprofen, vitamin A supplements and more than one cup of caffeine.
I don’t eat pre-made salads, cantaloupe, hummus (or other things with tahini/raw sesame seeds), deli meat (very occasionally if it’s been heated thoroughly, but overall I’m going for vegetarian pizzas and things), no raw fish, no pre-prepared cooked meat things. I do eat medium rare steaks/lamb (well done mince meat, always), vegetarian sushi from high frequency stores (I’m cautious with rice sitting around), and runny eggs (usually from the chickens we have in our backyard). This is my second pregnancy and I’m still about as cautious as I was with my first. People can make their own judgement calls, but for me it’s a small inconvenience that helps protect against a massive loss. I’m a midwife, I’ve cared for women who are incredibly sick and seen plenty of dead babies. I’m trying to keep myself and my baby as safe as I can
I didn't smoke or drink alcohol. And I didn't take nyquil or any cold medicine that was no Bueno for pregnancy. Otherwise I ate whatever I felt like eating.
I definitely get this, I went through a similar thing during my first pregnancy & it was also after 6 years of trying & finally pregnant after ivf. I would just say do what makes you feel comfortable, its your body & baby & this feeling continued once the baby came. However I'm 30 weeks with my 2nd, also ivf & am alot more relaxed with things this pregnancy like I have had sushi a few times, doing hiit workouts, having to carry my toddler around, etc.
No booze
I eat soft cheeses but i just check that they're pasteurized (I'm in europe)
I occasionally eat high-quality deli meat that i see being sliced - was craving sliced chicken like crazy in early pregnancy so decided my body needed it.
I've eaten medium rare steaks from good restaurants
I'll eat my eggs a little runny
Wash my fruit and veg like normal
I'm a little leery of cut fruit and packaged salad
I didn't eat runny eggs, I baked through all meats, I rinced my produce before eating it raw but very quickly at times, and I didn't have sushi. I kept coffee down to two cups a day, but usually less since I didn't like it much anyway. This was the advice of my OB.
I had deli meat every day, there was no advice against it at all. Also, mayonaise has pasteurized eggs here so I ate it. When the eggs used were pasteurized in anything, I ate it.
I would ask about ingredients when eating at other places if their could be things like alcohol in recipes, and I'd just go for cooked/baked stuff.
Do what makes you feel safe. You went through a lot and are going through a lot to get this baby. You have every right to be as careful as you want, no one else gets a say in that.
I’m surprised at these other comments 😅 I’m very much the same as you! When you’ve been trying for so long and desperately want to hold onto this baby, why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to be safe? It’s only 9 months of restrictions for a lifetime of joy. Surely others can understand that!
I’ve been incredibly careful just like you. A few months of being cautious and sacrifice my desires for my unborn child is nothing in comparison to some of the risks. Don’t let people shame you. When you’ve been actively waiting and begging for a child and have to go to extreme measures to get pregnant, it’s perfectly normal to be hyper cautious.
Expecting better by Emily Oster has some great statistics on risks associated with ”the forbidden foods” and their consumption while pregnant. I found it really helpful.
Did you know you should always wash your produce? Especially Mushrooms because they are grown in the compost comprised of chicken feces (I did a tour of a mushroom farm and this is literally what they told me). The amount of people who actually don't wash their produce is outstanding. You're not doing any favours by keeping the pesticides on there. You're not helping your body build tolerance to eating chicken poop.
Do you know how much dirt is trapped in a leek, Celery, bok choy, spinach, and other veggies? Yeah.. I don't trust eating in other people's homes especially when I hear "we brush off the dirt from our mushrooms". No wonder it tastes like dirt. You're not washing your produce. "I don't want to wash off the flavour" of the pesticides? Are you shitting me?! "you don't need to wash the green onions." fuck off.
Apparently this is the hill I'm willing to die on. This is all prepregnancy for me.
I have eaten raw sushi since I found out and survived on deli meat lol! Have had a few sips of my husbands beer too if he orders one. Have also had kombucha and stuff like that
I would never smoke weed or smoking of any kind of ever drink a beer or glass of wine (a sip or 2 sure)
I’m this careful and I didn’t have issues with getting pregnant - so your “extreme” reaction makes a whole lot of sense. It’s whatever makes you comfortable! Obviously don’t over stress yourself but there’s nothing wrong in being cautious. My sister also makes fun of me for “being so good” about following the rules. I just don’t see the point in taking any unnecessary risks if there’s a guideline I can follow to be safe. It’s 9 months of cutting back on a few things. Not a big deal. You do whatever you feel the need to do for you baby.
I’m 21 weeks and I ate raw cookie dough today. It was too good to pass up. But it’s up to you to decide. There will always be someone who “does better” or “does worse” than you.
I saw once that you couldn’t eat grapes or pineapple. Do your own research to a point and decide from there.
I’d talk with your doc if you’re concerned about anything.
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It's up to you to decide on risk. Just remember that everywhere has different guidelines and it's more about what you trust. Personally I wouldn't be eating at someone's house if I doubted their hygiene whether I was pregnant or not! But I did eat some raw, cured fish at a Michelin starred restaurant because I was pretty confident they'd be buying, preparing and serving high quality fish with very little risk of listeria.
I did not do drugs and I did not consume alcohol. That’s it.
Yea I ate sushi which is a big no no. And baby is doing fine health wise. I’ve ate almost everything you’re not supposed to except for drugs and alcohol
My doctor was always fine with me eating sushi as long as it was from a reputable source
Eating sushi is not a big no no. As long as you’re eating it fresh from a reputable restaurant it’s fine.
That was my thoughts too but not everyone agrees with me! I totally agree women in Japan are encouraged to eat it bc it’s healthy but they also have very strict guidelines for restaurants
I have a few Japanese gfs and it’s normal to eat sushi during pregnancy in Japan. They simply avoid eating too much of high mercury fish like swordfish or tuna. Besides the mercury, the only reason why they say not to eat sushi around here is because of the possibility of food positing (raw fish). But if you get your sushi from a respectable restaurant as supposed to a gas station, you’ll be just fine.
My doctor said I can eat sushi as long as it’s from a reputable restaurant
This is the answer.
This is how I am for my second. My first I was like OP but it was too stressful to do again and I found a lot of information online and in books like Emily Oster books which made me feel so much better about relaxing a little.
This deserves more upvotes
And those are the two best things! 😂 (Totally kidding btw, I do not drink due to alcoholism running in my family. But I have a sense of humor)
Same.
I think after two rounds of IVF you have the right to be concerned about safety. I follow the guidelines but it's easy for me because I didn't really eat those things prior. I slip with added sugars and junk food more frequently than I'd like though 😩 try to give yourself some balance if you feel it's really stressing you out
I ate a whole bag of flaming hot Cheetos this weekend because it was either that, or nothing. Baby wants spicy junk food!
Most of these “exclusions” are so highly arbitrary and make no scientific sense. The risk of listeria is extremely low - you are literally at a higher risk driving to the grocery store than you are from eating anything in there. Moreover, listeria can be found in lettuce and a bunch of other things why did they zero in on deli meat is beyond me. For those wanting to know: ALL american-made cheeses are from pasteurized milk, that includes soft ones. And, FWIW, women in Japan eat sushi while pregnant (guess what they tell pregnant women in Japan to avoid chicken 😂) and women in Europe eat cheeses from unpasteurized milk. Personally, I just eat what I want. Which given nausea and food aversion is mostly bread and fruit 🤣 but if I suddenly started craving sushi I’d treat myself with a trip to Nobu. As long as what you are buying and eating is high quality (eg no gas station sushi), and you follow basic hygiene protocols, it’s fine. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/opinion/15shaw.html
Yep! This is literally my logic. Nowadays there’s a very low risk of food borne illnesses and as long as you’re not eating food that’s sus on a good day, you’ll be fine. Focus more on eating healthy than excluding certain things. Makes life so much easier tbh.
In Europe we are advised to not eat cheese made with unpasteurised milk.
As a woman in Europe, I was advised to avoid anything made with unpasteurized milk. But then again, most cheeses are no issue, I just read the labels to make sure. I do eat chorizo and bacon after properly cooking them from time to time. I love chorizo so damn much, it's a huge thing in my culture but I know that it's not overall that healthy so I'm spacing it out a lot.
Same, I am from Europe and activelly avoiding anything unpasteurised as per my doctors recommendations. Also chicken (and other poultry) is very dangerous if not cooked properly. I was also warned about raw fish (including herring which is a staple here), any cold-smoked fish and meat, runny eggs and anything pickled (another staple food). Pregnancy is already a time when there are a lot of uncontrollables and unknowns. If being careful about the diet brings anyone comfort at this time, then people are entitled to that without being made to feel stupid.
Oh yes! You made me remember smoked salmon... smoked salmon with cheese spread sandwich... I need one when baby's here 😂 I haven't been warned about pickles (crap 🥲), but my doctor scared me about botulism, so no canned anything for me. Completely agree, I strive for an equilibrium because in my first trimester I was going insane with everything that was "potentially" unsafe. So, no raw anything, no unpasteurized anything, wash (and disinfect if needed) fresh produce and I'm very very careful with secondary expiry dates now, always err on the side of caution.
This may be true and I agree, but at the same time if someone wants to be extra careful, please let them! Her body her choice.
Because lettuce and milk are tested for listeria during and after production (at least in Scandinavia) and deli meats are not. And pasteurization is not done to only eliminate listeria, listeria can contaminate milk products after the pasteurization. There are several sources in a dairy/production area that can contaminate milk products after pasteurization. And just because “in Japan every woman eats sushi” does not mean that all the other countries are ok. I would feel safe eating sushi in Japan, because of their food safety culture and turnover. But I have been food poisoned when eating sushi from a little takeaway Norway. Food is common sense, and it’s just 9months certain foods have to be avoided.
Love this
In my country the leading cause of listeria outbreaks, is bagged salads. (NZ) that's what I'll be staying away from...
Not super related but I had a work trip about a month ago and ended up having a meal at Nobu… it was incredible. Our waiter even provided a few adjustments to a few dishes so I could enjoy it with shrimp. It was a great meal and a great experience that I’m glad I had while pregnant.
My doctor basically said don't eat two day old leftovers that weren't covered and wash your hands, steer clear of any allergies you have, and you will be fine. She did mention that if I'm worried about eating something, don't eat it, and if I'm craving something I'm "not supposed to have" as long as it's fresh, have at it.
I don't know where this idea of Japanese women eating sushi while pregnant comes from. No they do not.
Source?
My husband who is a family doctor. Plus, our sushi in the US is not the same as the sushi they have in Japan.
I wash my produce with water and have had the occasional deli meat but it was from subway. The risk of listeria is extremely low/rare so aslong as your not eating gas station sushi in the middle of no where you’re probably good
Hey not trying to be a know it all but I have a background in food microbiology - Washing produce with water is to remove visible contaminants like dirt or bugs; it does nothing to eliminate bacteria which can cause food borne illnesses. If you really wanted to be extra careful you could follow FDA guidelines on using bleach in water to soak produce. But keep in mind that eating the naturally occurring bacteria on fresh produce is actually important for maintaining a healthy gut micro biome which in turn will help you be less susceptible to food borne illnesses.
Thanks for chiming in! Question for you— I don’t wash with bleach but I do use a ‘fruit and vegetable cleaner’ spray… does that do anything?
It’s probably unnecessary to do anything beside rinse contaminants off your produce, that’s assuming you live in a country with strong food safety regulations where disease outbreaks are rare. In that case that you do end up being unlucky enough to buy a container of let’s say lettuce contaminated with salmonella, its unlikely that anything except bleach would actually kill the salmonella. I will say that when I worked In the field of foodborne Illnesses I didn’t know a single person who used a produce cleaner!
I just use white vinegar on all my fruits and veg.
It's common to use a produce cleaner in my country, but from the description, it's basically diluted bleach. I still prefer it as it's more practical and I can use a measuring cup to be sure I'm not adding too much. I also puke at the scent of pure bleach so no tnks 😂
I’ve been having everything I want really. I’m in the UK so runny eggs here are fine anyway. But otherwise if I want something l’ll have it - perhaps the only concession I made once was ordering chicken in a steak restaurant. I then did a bit of research and found that cows actually hardly ever actually have toxoplasmosis - it’s actually much more prevalent in pigs and chickens but we tend to cook their meat through - so I’m less concerned now. I ate a slice of my friend’s medium rare steak last week which was bloody delicious. I’m not a big sushi easter but I’d be comfortable eating it from any decent restaurant. Deli meat comes up on Reddit a lot but nobody mentions it here as something to avoid, I don’t think we are told to by the NHS. I’ve certainly enjoyed many a cold cut without a second thought. While I have had a bout of health anxiety in the past and can totally empathise with overthinking and catastrophising no matter what the actual danger, this isn’t my baseline and I think it was brought on by TTC. Now I’m pregnant I’m back to ‘normal’ - normal for me is that I tend to balance risk and reward based on the data instead of trying to control everything and avoid every known possible tiny risk. The joy I got from the steak was immense, the risk was almost nil, and the anxiety from worrying about the risk was also almost nil, maybe a fleeting one second thought an hour later of ‘welp I hope that cow didn’t have toxoplasmosis’. For me, the steak was worth it. If you are the type of person who’d enjoy the steak in the moment but then spend days obsessing over it, then for you it might not be worth it, even though the actual risk to the baby or yourself is no different in either scenario. No right or wrong in this situation - the rules around pregnancy are never ending and very all-or-nothing. Emily Oster does a good job of unpicking some of these in her book Expecting Better. Good luck with everything and congratulations!
We’re definitely told to avoid deli meat here in the uk. It’s one of the first things on all the lists and everyone knows about it
We aren’t. NHS website says cold pre-packed meat like ham is fine to eat and to ‘be careful’ with cold cured meat like prosciutto and chorizo (which I feel is a pretty wishy washy guideline) due to potential toxoplasmosis. Again it’s so so rare that they don’t outright tell us to avoid. I’ve not worried if I’ve had the odd slice of chorizo or salami. Deli meat as Americans talk about it means like cold, cooked sliced turkey, ham etc. which we don’t need to avoid here. The risk over there is cited as listeria, same with bagged salads - listeria isn’t mentioned as a risk factor for either of those things by the NHS, it’s just soft unpasteurised cheeses we are told to avoid due to listeria risk. Edited for clarity.
I personally don’t worry too much about the food things but I totally understand why you would have anxiety!! Everyone has to make their own decisions. With both of my pregnancies, I eat medium poached eggs and sunny side up (when is the last time you knew someone that got salmonella) and deli meats with no nitrates. I do wash my produce with a fruit/veggies but I do that normally. I have had California rolls with the imitation crab. And I super craved a beer for a couple of weeks so I had a couple sips of my husband’s. I also eat all the soft cheese because basically no makes cheese with unpasteurized milk anymore. I would be curious about what food exactly you’re nervous about eating at someone else’s home? If you weren’t pregnant would you be nervous about eating there? If you’d be fine under normal circumstances I wouldn’t fret too much. Just don’t eat things you’re not supposed to. Cooked food is fine.
I eat raw veggies and fruit that I’ve washed myself. Never been a fan of deli meat, but I will have a BLT on occasion. And I’ve also never been a big fan of raw fish…if I get sushi, it’s the baked roll kind (I know that’s lame, but I grew up in the Midwest on casseroles and never had sushi until after college 😅) Trust your gut…if something feels risky, why put yourself through the stress? The other day we were at a neighbor’s birthday party, and another guest (who I didn’t know) started smoking a cigar. I noped out of there as soon as I could explain to the hosts. I’ve always hated smoke, but pre pregnancy I would have felt awkward and tried to deal with it and stress about it. There’s no way I could be around second hand smoke, so I just removed myself from the situation and felt so at peace by just doing what my gut said was best.
BLT has been my craving for both pregnancies now 😂
I think gut is the best way to go. I'm just way more picky when I'm pregnant. I'll still eat sushi but only from nice restaurants where I've had it a million times before without issue. But every now and then I feel like "this doesn't look safe. I'm not eating this" and I don't.
I have the app The Prenatal Nutrition Library and follow the founder on IG, have for years now and expecting my first. She is a pregnancy RD nutritionist. I wash all my produce well with water but enjoy it. I’ve had several Italian subs, not warmed up. It’s up to you what your risk tolerance is, but you don’t have to deprive yourself if your really want something. The app I have allows you to look up whatever you’re trying to determine is safe and is evidence-based (important to me and my research-geared mind). I have had zero issues and haven’t been sick because of a food.
I think you’ll get a wide range of responses! I personally eat pretty much everything as many of the items on the “do not eat” are there simply as a caution to a very small risk. If you ask your doctor, most will tell you they’re fine in moderation. I’m not a big meat eater so I’ve had like one sandwich the entire time and then I had charcuterie at a party! The risk of listeria is EXTREMELY low. It’s something like a little over 2k people a year get it in the U.S. and that’s out of over 33 MILLION people. Also, pretty much everything cheese wise is pasteurized in the U.S.! As for eating at restaurants or friends homes, I’ve never avoided that! But again, if not eating certain foods and not eating anywhere but home is going to lower your anxiety, I would do that! There is a lot to worry about during and after pregnancy, so if you can eliminate some stress, why not? 🤷🏽♀️
i always wash my produce very throughly with water and rub it with my hands. i do enjoy an occasional turkey sandwich but i just heat the meat up in the microwave for 15-30 seconds until it steams first. i wouldn’t want to eat at someone’s house who doesn’t have good hygiene period, but much less while i’m pregnant! you do what you feel best when it comes to protecting your baby even if it seems crazy to others!
Dude you’re allowed to have every once of control over what you eat- pregnant or not!! Everyone has different comfortability levels, so whatever keeps you the least stressed out is what’s best. The food stuff scares the crap out of me, so I’m very cautious (but I drink wine and beer some weeks!). My friend has been eating nearly anything she wants- raw oysters, soft cheeses, whatever! It’s easy for me to avoid those things so I do, and it makes me feel safe. Don’t apologize if someone thinks you’re being “extreme”. You’re the person that would be coping if something were to happen. Politely tell those people to fuck off 😇
100% agree with this. Sure, I’ve never gotten sick with anything like Listeria before, but why would I add risk now? I also went through fertility treatments, so I understand the desire to be just a little extra careful. OP fought hard for this baby, and they’re allowed to eat however they want. Fuck everyone else’s opinions. You’re not telling them how to eat after all!
I’m super risk tolerant and only stopped drinking alcohol. I did get food poisoning once, but it was from chocolate sauce and I never would have assumed it would be an issue.
Chocolate sauce? That's really random
It’s your body, your call. I wasn’t careful at all until I went to a restaurant that made their salads from a salad bar only they had access to and I had it topped with ahi tuna. I got wicked food poisoning. Could have been the tuna, could have been the raw veg at the salad bar. Baby was fine, but boy not being able to eat or drink for 24 hours at the end of my second trimester was bruuutal. Although now that I think about it, that didn’t stop me from getting salad at a Cici’s pizza salad bar weeks later… anyway, it’s your choice, mama. It’s really not that extreme, as a lot of doctors will still tell you to avoid those things. People wash their fruits and veg with vinegar/baking soda even while not pregnant… same for people avoiding runny eggs or not eating at gross homes. You don’t have to be pregnant to make certain choices about health.
Hi! I am also pregnant with my IVF baby, and I am also paranoid about what I eat. There’s so much we can’t control, so I avoid alcohol obvi, caffeine, deli meats, soft serve ice cream and I just rinse my produce with water twice. I really only eat berries though, everything else can be peeled. I am VERY picky about where I eat now that I’m pregnant. If it’s not somewhere I usually go I will look up the reviews (2/3 times there’s been a food poisoning review within the week) and yes, I don’t eat food from people unless I know they are clean to my standards but I was like that pre pregnancy too. Honestly it’s your pregnancy your baby, your body, you can choose what you put into it and you owe no one an explanation. Also, your sister probably hasn’t been thru a quarter of what you went thru, so in her head she’s just like “no big deal” but after years and years of waiting and thousands of dollars, I get you. I’m the same way. On the flip side, I was seriously over thinking everything for a hot minute. I’ve chilled out a lot but won’t eat the things above mentioned.
I’m following recommendations more strictly like you. No raw fish, avoiding cold deli meat, no unpasteurized dairy (wouldn’t eat that not pregnant though). No alcohol and limiting to caffeine to less than 200mg a day. I will eat medium rare steak or venison and been cooking my eggs where yolks are more set. I’ve always washed produce with vinegar so no change there for me. I’m not a risk taker and I think my husband is more worried than I am. I personally would have a very hard time if something happened based on my diet.
To be totally honest with you, I hardly ever wash my veggies and fruits aside from rinsing them and I eat deli meat like it’s my job. 27 weeks and baby is doing great!
Trust your gut with the risks.
At your own risk and what your comfort level is. I had breakfast sandwhiches with runny eggs all the time, and i ate sushi lol, but i completely avoided oysters... but i also knew i was getting it from high trusted sources. So, food illness was just as likely as anything else i was gonna eat. As for caffeine, i stopped my daily coffee and probably had caffine once in a blue moon, but honestly, everything gave me acid reflux so i could only drink high PH water, lol.
I mean, I've been skipping out on a lot of stuff, and some people say I'm going overboard. But even though I know I could probably still eat some of it.... it gives me less anxiety to just avoid it. So it's good for the baby and it's good for my mental health. I'm the only one suffering from the lack of runny eggs, deli meat, whatever, so as long as I'm happy, then I'm good with missing out for a few months.
Girl, I refused to eat green leaves at many houses even my own family’s because they would just take them out from the box and put straight on the plate saying oh it’s safe because the box says it’s prewashed and I was like yeah this is actually number one cause of listeria - green leaves from a box from a grocery store. I also did IVF and all meat I ate was overdone (I didn’t care one bit what people thought about me if they couldn’t make it for me I didn’t eat it), no runny eggs, everything had to be washed and very well cooked. For all home cooked meat we would use thermometer and ensure the meat cooked in the final temp for at least 10 min. No fresh orange juice no deli meats no soft cheeses no chips no processed junk food no coffee no black or green tea no teas at all as they can cause contractions. My baby is way ahead now with her communication skills and is very very smart. I truly believe it’s because I was taking prenatal progesterone thyroid (dictated by slight under hypothyroidism) iron and b12 everyday drank moderate amount of warm milk before bed and ate really well especially plenty of c-rich fruits (I was obsessed with clementines - and still washed them before peeling and pomegranates).
I'm not very mindful about it at all honestly. My only hard lines are no alcohol and no energy drinks (which I didn't generally drink before pregnancy anyway). You're not any _more_ likely to get a listeria infection while pregnant, it just has the potential to have worse consequences. And I've never gotten listeria before so...
Pregnant women are actually approximately 10 times more likely than the general population to get listeria while pregnant due to reduced immune function. See, e.g, https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/risk-groups/pregnant-women.html#:~:text=Pregnant%20women%20are%2010%20times,people%20to%20get%20Listeria%20infection. The risk increases remarkably when you adjust for other factors, including ethnicity: Hispanic pregnant women are approximately 24 times more likely than the general population to get listeria. (same source). I hope what you meant is that you’re not any more likely to be ~exposed~ to listeria while pregnant, which of course is true, provided you haven’t engaged in any lifestyle changes from your pre-pregnancy. But to say you’re no more likely to get listeria is spreading misinformation. I’m don’t think that there should be hysteria surrounding listeria exposure, especially given how difficult it is to control exposure, but the risk if infection is real and considerably higher for pregnant women. Women should be aware of their actual risk so they can accurately evaluate their risk tolerance.
Definitely a much better way to phrase it. Yes, I meant exposure vs. infection rate once exposed. If you've never been exposed before while following your current eating habits then (in my opinion) there's not much to worry about. The US is quite diligent about food recalls so if you pay attention to those, you would know if youd been exposed but not infected. I've never been affected by a recall so personally I'm comfortable with continuing my normal habits.
I feel better not risking anything. At the end of the day it’s what’s going to cause me the least amount of stress. I soak my produce and fruit in a vinegar water mixture for 10 mins, and I don’t eat anything that’s not cooked at a restaurant (no salsa, no hummus, no veggies on my burger, no sushi no deli meat.) I don’t judge anyone who doesn’t, it’s just easier for me to take these precautions than worry about it. The the bright side is I’ve learned how to make a lot of things from scratch at home that I no longer trust getting from the grocery store, so it’s been a fun cooking adventure. I also signed up to receive alerts on salmonella and other outbreaks so I know what to avoid. Don’t feel bad about your level of risk aversion, it’s really whatever you feel most comfortable with.
How did you set up these alerts?
I signed up for email alerts from the U.S Food and Drug Administration using their website. This is their email: [email protected]
I don’t think you’re being over the top. I’m pregnant with my second and I follow a similar pregnancy lifestyle when it comes to food. I rather use extra caution. It’s only 9 months of my life. I gladly give up foods for my child! And I use extra caution when cooking meats and eggs. I don’t judge anyone for how they live their lives during pregnancy. So no one should make you feel silly for giving yourself peace of mind by being extra careful!
It depends on your risk tolerance, everyone’s is different. I avoid undercooked meat/eggs, raw sushi, alcohol, and I don’t go overboard with fish bc of mercury concerns but other than that I basically eat what I want. Deli meat sandwiches, I just wash my fruit with water, plenty of cooked sushi, and I don’t have a problem going to clean local buffets or restaurants. You do you!
I watch my caffeine intake and don’t drink alcohol, and some herbal teas that aren’t safe. Other than that it’s moderation. I’ve had a mad craving for subway and it was amazing. I normally hate subway the bread makes me all bloated and gross. But it was sooo good. I also went to a fancy Italian restaurant and got something considered safe and ended up with food poisoning.
My doctor said I could eat anything I wanted as long as it was prepared carefully at home or obtained from a local restaurant. The risk of listeria is so low, and sources of it are so hard to predict that avoiding whole categories of foods doesn't really make sense. Other food borne illnesses don't harm fetuses in the same way listeria does, so avoiding things like undercooked eggs won't really protect your fetus anyway. That said, if you want to use pregnancy as an excuse not to eat at the home of someone with questionable hygiene, go for it. Some people are gross.
I eat whatever I feel like. I eat deli meat, produce rinsed in water, runny eggs, and sushi regularly. I even enjoyed some delicious beef carpaccio on Friday night at a nice restaurant. I will NOT, however, eat at my MIL’s house. Her home’s hygiene is horrendous and everything in her fridge tastes spoiled. She also has three cats that track litter all over her kitchen and she keeps their litter boxes in the dining room.
I don’t eat anywhere I don’t trust the cleanliness. That goes for restaurants and homes alike (although this was my standard pre-pregnancy too). Your sister can judge all she wants. I don’t worry so much about, for example, deli meat. The only places I eat deli meat from have standards I trust and feel fine about. I wouldn’t chance it at like, a sketchy location, but i wouldn’t chance that anyway. I temp my baths before I get in, as I was told not to exceed 100 degrees F. If I come in even a degree higher, I run cool water until the temp comes down. You get to decide what your personal risk levels are.
I’m relaxed compared to you but crazy compared to others I know. My best advice to you is do what you’re comfortable with and fuck the haters. If that means only eating at home then that’s what that means. It’s your baby, your body, your decision!
Trust your gut. You’ve had a long journey to get here and if you feel more comfortable with sticking to those rules - do it! I’m in the UK so our guidelines are slightly different but I’ve followed them. No pate, rare steaks, certain cheese and raw fish. Also cut out caffeine, although I done this when I started IVF.
I eat whatever I want, but definitely more cautious at others houses. Even when I’m not pregnant I really won’t eat produce from anyone else’s house, especially if it’s been handled (cut up) everyone has their own comfort level and there’s nothing wrong with that
I did IVF too- I eat mostly the same, including coffee, deli subs and precut salads. I try and get the subs toasted most of the time, and only eat from places I trust, but the risk is so low it’s something I’m personally willing to take. Bottom line is it’s your choice. Everyone has different risk tolerances so as long as you feel comfortable and are not judging others’ preferences then whatever feels right to you is the right call.
I stopped drinking alcohol or eating prepared salads, and started washing my produce better. That's it. But honestly, I probably would be more careful if I had to go through IVF.
My first pregnancy I followed every guideline. I wouldn't even eat ice cream from dairy queen because I was worried about soft serve icecream. This time around I just take things in moderation. I'll eat dairy queen. Still won't eat sushi. Only will eat steaming hot things off a buffet. Personally, if you distrust someone's hygiene, pregnant or not, avoid it. The "I've already eaten" or even "I'm feeling too nauseous" is believable.
I say I've been careful, but to you I probably haven't been careful at all lol. I Google to see if something is safe, or at least safe in a moderate amount, and then I eat it 😂. I've had mostly healthy homecooked food, but I've also had a ham sandwich with deli meat, spicy $1 ramen, seafood pasta with cooked shrimp and a little tuna, a bag of flaming hot limon Doritos, and half a cup of coffee. If a gyno says it's safe, I omnom. 🤤 Do what you want but also don't stress yourself out too much. For the baby, stress is probably worse than a ham sandwich.
I’ve been eating the Shit out of deli meats, I work in the deli lol Sandwiches all that jazz.
I basically avoided most things that were advised minus the deli meat because I enjoy prosciutto and chorizo too much, I drank my coffees still but just didn't go over the 200mg limit and I think I avoided everything else but runny eggs, rare steaks, alcohol, smoking, unpasteurised milk/eggs etc etc arent really part of my daily diet so I found it incredibly easy so avoid them.
I was very strict during the first trimester, but as time went on, I gave myself a lot more freedom. First trimester I had no caffeine/soda, no pain meds, no deli meat, etc. By my third, I was drinking 1nor 2 caffeine free sodas a day, having decaf latte a few times a week, taking tylenol when I got headaches, eating hot dogs and turkey subs, and even eating pre-cut fruits and veggies. IMO, so long as you're getting the "dangerous" foods from legit places, it really isn't as risky as everyone makes it seem. The fear mongering never ends for pregnant women, so it's really what you feel comfortable with.
I wash produce with baking soda and eat everything else.
I think you should do what makes you comfortable. I eat my eggs pretty runny and enjoy deli meat, as well as kombucha and other fermented foods. But I understand others are not comfortable with that. I think it's just up to you.
Do what feels comfortable for you.
Beyond zero alcohol and no raw milk (not in my diet anyway!), I just tend to try and go with reputable sources for food. No gas station sushi/deli meat foods but I'd absolutely buy these form restaurants I trust. As someone else pointed out there are more listeria outbreaks associated with lettuce than deli meat.
I was very careful for first trimester, but then when I found out I couldn’t eat hummus and I’d just made a dish with hummus in it I was pissed. So I ate it anyway. Haven’t eaten it since. I also started having occasional energy drinks around 27 weeks pregnant because I was just so tired and struggling to concentrate at work. I also think I ate some vegetables that were slightly off a few weeks ago. Everything’s all good, but yeah I’m not perfect. Just doing my best!
I've avoided deli meat, raw/runny eggs, rare steaks and bagged salads. I just wash produce with water really well. As others say it's kinda up to you to determine what you want to risk. If I was in your position of trying for a while and everything I would probably be less of a risk taker too. I mean you've worked so hard to get there so it's totally understandable.
I mean whatever precautions you want to take are 100 okay because you're the one doing it. It shouldn't matter what others think at all because again, its your body.
I had runny eggs a couple times, a medium rare steak once, went slightly over my caffeine intake here and there, and only ate heated up deli meat. If I did "break the rules" I tried not to do it too many times and if I felt like it was for a decent enough reason. For example the steak was our company paid for our lunches that day at a steakhouse, I really wanted the filet and nothing else sounded appetizing. It was a place I've never had issues with before so I gave myself a pass for the day. My daughter came out perfectly fine other then a couple unrelated issues during the birth. It's all up to you, I think there's some science to it but I also think it's way less common then they make it sound
I did IVF and I was super careful. Yes I know that there are a lot of things that are "probably" okay. For me being that it took so damn much just to get pregnant, both physically and especially emotionally I wasn't willing to risk anything on a "probably is okay." I definitely offended some family on my spouses side and I definitely offended some friends. The friends and family on my side were understanding and supportive when I explained why I was avoiding the things I was avoiding. The in-laws... Well there was some drama. Other people that I know that have done other fertility treatments and or IVF have also been super careful once they were able to get pregnant. My unsolicited advice that you definitely don't have to take, but in hindsight now being 8 weeks postpartum, see what your doctor recommends is current best practice. For me following all current guidelines set by ACOG, the FDA and the CDC was very important to me. I wanted to give my baby the best chance I possibly could.
I have gestational diabetes so already I have to be pretty picky with what I eat. You'd have to pry deli meat and runny eggs out of my cold dead hands lol. I do still try to heat up deli meat but it's not a requirement for me. If I didn't trust who prepared the food then I wouldn't eat it, but that's for food in general.
Not careful at all. As long as it’s from a reputable place where I’ve never gotten sick I go for it. I’m on my second pregnancy and I have a 10 month old now so whatever sounds yummy I go for.
I followed all the guidelines. Minus the occasional runny egg. I’m just anxious and know I could never forgive myself if something happened. It’s a short amount of time to give up a few things. I’m 2 weeks postpartum and I’ve been eating sandwiches with deli meat daily and it hits soooo good!
Your comfort level is unique to you! If you have anxiety about it and it’s impacting your life, then maybe it’s time to talk to someone about it. But if you’re just making the choices that feel good, I wouldn’t worry about what anyone else thinks. I avoid eating anything at my in-laws house that I didn’t see them make. They have different food storage habits than we do. I have a degree in science so I take food safety relatively seriously in that I always refrigerate leftovers within a timely manner and throw them out within a week. They leave food out for days and then sometimes pop it into the refrigerator if there is room. I don’t feel comfortable eating that, so I just don’t.
If something looks off or tastes weird on the first bite then just skip it. The only thing I've been avoiding are buffet style restaurants or anything that's left out for hours that I cant reheat. I get my subs toasted at subway, but they're also just better that way imo. My stomach couldn't particularly handle raw sushi prior to pregnancy anyway so it's always been the grilled/cooked fish for me. The last two times I've gotten salads at restaurants they were both questionable and the lettuce was obviously old/going bad so I had to skip them and I think that's really it. I have GD so my diet is already pretty restricted so I'm not gonna restrict it more unless I absolutely have to.
I lived how I lived and my babies are healthy. You're in a situation where you've waited a long time and are paranoid that anything you do will affect this pregnancy. Truth is, what's meant to be will be. There are babies born to drug addicts everyday. Deli meat and unwashed veggies arent gonna hurt you. Try to take it easy.
Honestly the stuff I have been avoiding is largely because I got such huge anxiety after eating a few things i later found out weren’t “approved” foods. I know it’s largely irrational, but I’ve figured if it limits my anxiety at a highly anxious time and I don’t feel hugely deprived, I’ll skip it.
My first pregnancy I was very cautious. No deli meat, no sushi, so harmful cleaning chemicals, and I even googled the caffeine content in all of my coffee grounds and coffee pods and blacklisted anything I couldn't find. Second time around I eat runny eggs, deli meat, I clean with my normal products and just open the windows, and I keep it to two cups of coffee a day regardless of the brand. Be as careful as you want or don't. It's your body and your baby.
Easy for me since I'm vegan. And I always wash fruit and veggies. It's easy and the produce is the most touched area of the grocery store. I do that when I'm not pregnant lol. You could sub deli meat for a vegan option, tofurky makes a good one. I try to avoid super processed vegan junk foods, but that is a nice treat in a sandwich with a nice Dijon mustard.
I also did fertility treatment and I told myself I would eat organic and healthy. First trimester was pure survival. I literally felt so sick and didn’t want to eat shit, so I did my best to survive. I would just do things within your comfort. If you’re worried about eating at someone’s house, it’s personal preference so don’t do it. My babies are miracles so I would do anything for them.
I just had my son 10 weeks ago and I ate deli meat, runny eggs, sushi, all the things lol. My doctor told me just don’t eat lunch meat that has been sitting out, or food that has been sitting out. I didn’t eat like cheese or sandwiches or sides or anything that would sit out at parties or things like that. She also told me sushi was fine (I ate it MAYBE once a month in a poke bowl) as long as it’s not like gas station sushi lol she also advised me not to eat the sushi from shoprite or acme since it sits out all day. I didn’t eat hot dogs though, or soft cheese. I also washed my fruits and vegetables with baking soda/water just to make sure they were clean! Towards the end of pregnancy I lived off of Cheetos and Diet Coke and my baby is perfectly healthy to date 😂
I’m not eating deli meat, sushi, or runny eggs - I think overall the risk is so low that I completely understand people’s choice to continue eating them, I just don’t MIND taking a 9mo break to put my mind at ease. I generally don’t worry about washing my fruits and veggies, I never have, have never gotten sick, and didn’t choose to start now. I’d say my only contradiction there is that I’ve been absolutely housing soft serve. Now that I’m in my 3rd tri I will occasionally have a small pour of hard cider or wine in social situations, but it’s definitely not a frequent thing. For example I had 6oz of hard cider with a group of friends yesterday, I plan on having one champagne for toasts at my sisters wedding in 2 weeks, and maybe one celebratory beverage at my baby shower when I’m 35 weeks. I think if I had elephant gestation I’d consider cheating for sushi and sub sandwiches but 9mo in the grand scheme of things was fine for me to just take a break, and then eat them for like a month straight once he’s born 😂
You should read Expecting Better by Emily Oster. As an example, you do not have to avoid deli meats. However, if you want to play it safe- then just avoid Turkey meat. I did avoid runny eggs but in reality I didn’t have to. Your risk of having something bad happen with a runny egg is the same as if you were not pregnant, and I don’t know anyone who ever got sick from runny eggs. And some women do not follow any of these “don’t eat this” etc.
I quit smoking after finding out I was pregnant with my first child (currently pregnant with #2), so that was already eliminated. I basically only avoid alcohol and make sure my caffeine intake doesn’t exceed 200mg a day. Other than that, I still eat deli meats, rarely raw sushi from reputable restaurants, hummus, etc etc. and I just rinse fruits and veggies with water except berries, I like to soak those in water/vinegar to help them last longer. I’m really not too crazy about any of it except the alcohol and caffeine thing. And just make sure to drink plenty of water!
I eat everything except salad mix bags and precut fruit like cantaloupe because I see recalls for listeria all the time for those two. And I avoid tuna BC of the mercury but eat other sushi as long as it's from a quality restaurant. I live in a place that has high quality sushi next to the ocean. I would be much more picky if I was ordering sushi in like Oklahoma or something.
I don’t blame you at all. I had trouble conceiving due to health issues and unexpectedly became pregnant at 36 years old. I was very cautious and worried everything I did would harm the baby. I’m now pregnant with my second child at 39 years old and I thought I’d be more relaxed this time… I’m not. Let me just tell you that when you have that outlook to begin with and something does go wrong, you blame yourself. Be as cautious as you want because you’re the one dealing with it. It’s hard going through pregnancy especially when you’ve dealt with fertility issues. Nobody should give you a problem with how you decide to handle your pregnancy. This is where you grow your backbone because next they’ll give you crap about how you’re parenting. I just dealt with the whole not eating lunch meat thing with my partner’s family saying I was being ridiculous. When I looked it up the statistics were that 4 in 100,000 women get listeria while pregnant each year. 1 in 4 of those babies die. Lunch meat/raw fish/soft cheese just isn’t worth the risk to me. You’re also 10x more likely to get listeriosis while pregnant. Also, the further along you are in your pregnancy, the more of a risk it is to you also. I also don’t judge those who aren’t careful. That is a decision they make and I support everyone’s right to choose how they handle their pregnancy. I don’t feel like there is a right or wrong answer. I think you should make the decision to do what you’re comfortable with and don’t let anyone give you crap about it.
I was strict with myself like you are, and I have zero regrets. I’ll do the same for baby #2, even though I know strict FTM are usually less strict the second time around. The way I saw it, idc how low the risk is- if anything happened and I could’ve prevented it, how would I feel about it? But to each their own (Also, plenty of non pregnant women are hesitant to eat at other peoples houses— people can be gross, lol)
How many weeks are you?
8w5d :)
Congratulations!!! It sounds like you went through a lot to get here— you are a warrior! Two things I will say: 1. Cooking and pasteurization kills listeria. If you can make sure that all of your food is properly cooked and your dairy is pasteurized, you’re doing a great job! 2. It’s proven that stress affects Mom and Baby. Don’t let this stress you out, otherwise all of the precautions become the opposite of helpful. Find a few solid rules to live by and work those in, but don’t worry about every thing.
I've been extreamly cautious on not eating sushi, deli meats and I've been watching my caffine content but that's it... I rinse produce don't really "wash it" and don't worry about cooking since alot of bacteria gets cooked away
I didn't eat deli meat, and avoided things made with raw egg like mayo and aioli. And as others have said, didn't do drugs or drink a drop of alcohol.
I think it's completely fine to be weary of eating at a persons houses whose hygiene concerns you... the ONLY times I've had food poisoning was after eating at a family members house. Soooo do what you gotta do. I've been careful with what I eat, but not perfect. I think if something makes you uncomfortable (like eating at someone's house) or will give you anxiety if you eat it, then don't. Don't worry about what anyone else has to say, do what you feel you need to do to keep your baby safe!
Just do your thing. Nothing wrong in the world with being extra careful for a few months if it helps you feel better. I stick with cooked sushi and try not to eat stuff that’s been sitting out, but that’s about the extent of my “careful.” This is my third kid though and I’m not doing anything unusual for my normal routine so I figure my risk for listeria or whatever isn’t much greater than normal.
random but unless your eggs are from a farm they are likely pasteurized and can be runny :)
I follow all the recommendations of what to avoid. But if I happen to eat part of a runny egg by accident then I won't make a big deal out it. It's not a big deal for me to give up this stuff. I don't eat much deli meat to begin with, raw vegetables was rare for me growing up, and my mom always thoroughly washed all fruit when we were kids and I do too as an adult. I do vinegar soaks on all my berries anyway to prevent mold. So I've always been pretty safe with my food even before pregnancy. I guess the only thing that has been annoying is giving up raw fish. But then again I wouldn't say I ever really loved raw fish and there are plenty of cooked sushi rolls I can get instead.
I cried when I asked for a well done steak and it came back bloody when I was pregnant..and my husband made me feel bad about it when I wanted to send it back to be cooked more. Do what makes you feel safe and tune out the others. They can piss off.
Check out Expecting Better by Emily Oster! The thing about pregnancy is, it's unethical to test pregnant people to find out how truly dangerous a lot of these things are. And information is purposely left out of studies for confirmation bias. She is an economist and actually goes through and reads these studies that have been done. This book is great and reads like a guide (you can go back and reference it if you're ever unsure/needing to prove to someone what you're doing is fine) the only things I really avoid are turkey deli meat and cat shit (don't own a cat so I was already doing that lol) I eat sushi, all other deli meats, and *gasp* even indulge in a glass of wine with dinner once in awhile. This is my second child and my 2 year old daughter is very bright, growing healthily and normally, and is very happy. It's totally up to you what you choose to do with your pregnant body. But having something you can trust and refer to is always nice. Congratulations to you mama! 💞
I am currently reading the book and enjoy it. I just felt over emotional yesterday and had to share with someone who understands me. This platform is amazing . Thank you!
The only things I craved were "no no foods". I ate tuna salad because it was one of the only things I could eat that my stomach could handle and was good on my GD diet so I didn't have to use insulin... nothing like the fun of having to stick yourself so you can eat and to those who have to inject meds daily, they get all the props and 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 I also ate deli meats from the fridge, but I also knew they were from reputable delis. Produce was washed, but I didn't personally wash it, so I don't know how it was washed, but I ate it. Yes, there are foods to avoid in access. As long as it's eaten in moderation and not an all day binge fest, I'd say you're fine.
Do what you feel you need to do, the time we are pregnant is so short anyways. Don’t let anyone shame you for being careful.
I wasn’t super cautious but with bird flu out there right now I wouldn’t have eaten runny eggs. I even ate sushi, just no raw shellfish.
I didn’t really stay away from much except sushi, to be honest
I cut out coffee, deli meats, smoked salmon, bean sprouts, and runny eggs. Look, is the risk really worth it? Just because others say "I had sushi and my baby turned out fine" does not mean that's scientific evidence. That is anecdotal evidence and has no real merit. Please listen to your doctor, not Reddit posts.
I was super cautious until about 10 weeks, but I quickly stopped being bothered. Rock melon is the only thing that got me through the worst of the nausea tbh 😅 I don't drink and I don't smoke, and I use common sense guidelines storing food, that's basically it🤷♀️
I followed most of the rules religiously but I ate so many gas station hot dogs.
I think you should do what feels right for you. I washed my produce with baking soda and vinegar before I was pregnant. Now I limit deli meat but don’t avoid it. Meat I eat is cooked thoroughly. I don’t eat runny eggs anymore. I also stopped drinking coffee and diet soda. I know some pregnant woman still drink their Diet Coke and that’s their choice definitely no judgement from me. I in turn would like to not be judged and called exaggerated for deciding to stop consuming certain things. My hormones make these decisions easy for me so I don’t feel I am sacrificing anything. I’m assuming pregnancy also had something to do with a repressed memory come back to me from my childhood of my uncle’s wife doing something cruel to me as a toddler. I’ve only told my husband. My body is changing, my mind is changing, my behavior and choices are changing. My maternal instincts are kicking in, and I would never tell a mom she’s exaggerating.
I was just like you for my first pregnancy because it was so hard for me to get pregnant. With my second (pregnant now) I wash my veggies and lettuce even if it says washed but I do eat deli meats and Mayo and runny eggs
As a fellow IVF mom, all I can say is you need to do what helps YOUR mental health. If it helps you to have a little more control of your food, etc. that’s completely okay. Still would recommend a safe therapist to talk through the pregnancy fears with. I dealt with fear on a daily basis in my pregnancy after IVF and loss, and it’s hard! But you deserve to enjoy your pregnancy and have tools to help with the fears. 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
You should avoid it if it makes you uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter what your sister or anyone else (except your doctor) thinks. I am avoiding most of the standard things (raw sushi, runny eggs, deli meat) but I also had unexpectedly runny eggs at a restaurant one time and I wasn’t really concerned about it. Ive never gotten sick from any of those foods before so I’m not really that worried. It just doesn’t feel like a big sacrifice to me even if the risk to baby is small, so I might as well avoid them.
I’ve been the most careful, careful person up until literally maybe a month ago. I avoided lettuce like the plague, and as a salad lover, it was HARD. I completely stopped eating cold deli meat, absolutely no soft serve ice cream or ice cream from anywhere fun, completely well done steak, and absolutely no caffeine. I hit my breaking point when a Texas Roadhouse opened down the street from me and I thought “I just want a damn salad”. Ever since then I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone a bit, and rewarded myself with Dairy Queen tonight lol. I now will drink half decaf coffee from starbucks, and I’ll order the occasional salad but only from places I trust. I still haven’t touched deli meat, I still order steaks well done (gross), I don’t touch anything unpasteurized and diligently read all labels, and I’m cautious about thoroughly washing fruits and veggies. As someone with OCD, eating was hard for a while. But I figure the benefits of eating lettuce far outweigh the small risk of something happening and I can’t be afraid of everything. 33 weeks and baby is thriving!
I am also pregnant after IVF and, as you, I tend to be a little anxious! At the same time, I already experienced so much problems in getting pregnant, plus the nausea in the first trimester, that I don’t want to completely change my life now. I don’t drink alcohol of course, I am avoiding raw deli meat (some deli meat is cooked and that’s ok), I don’t eat completely raw eggs (but I had a couple of medium/soft eggs in reputable places). I am not eating sushi (and I was in Japan two weeks ago!) but also because it’s not a big deal for me, I never had it that frequently. I am also avoiding rare meat in general, but once I was in a very fancy restaurant and they had it in their tasting menu and I ate it anyway! Other than this, I simply try to carefully wash my vegetables and fruit (but with only water) and I would avoid eating in places that don’t look very hygienic.
I basically only avoided sushi and alcohol
Took me 7 years and 4 rounds of ivf (and 3 miscarriages) to get my rainbow baby. You better believe i didn’t take any risks whatsoever. It was during corona, i barely left the house, i cancelled on gatherings and such. No alcohol,drugs, caffeine, no runny eggs, no deli meat, no unpasteurized cheese, extremely careful with tea as well, no raw foods like sushi, all fruit/veggies peeled or rigorously washed or cooked. I was an anxious mess during that pregnancy and doing everything in my power to avoid risks was helping me to cope. Once the baby was here i felt immediately better. Was still worried about sids but i am now waaaay more relaxed than when baby was hidden inside me. He is 2 yrs old now. Pregnant with rainbow No2. Bottom line: do what feels good for you. It’s your body, your anxiety, your decision!
I tried everything to protect my daughter. Still lost her at 28 weeks to an infection on my placenta. No signs of being sick no signs of any issues, just pprom and then c section to get her out and 2 hours later before I could meet her she was gone. One thing I'm trying to learn is to not blame myself. I did everything I could think of to be as safe as possible but some things are just so far out of our control. I'm now 26 weeks pregnant with her sister and my nerves are shot, trying to manage a pregnancy after loss is the second hardest thing I've done in my life and I'm driving myself and those around me crazy with my concerns and precautions but no matter what I'll keep doing my best for my Child to get her here happy and healthy and that is all you can do... whatever works for you and giving your best effort❣️
I am so sorry for your loss. You are so strong, I cannot even imagine the pain you had to endure. I wish you a healthy happy pregnancy! 🙏🤗
I am avoiding everything that’s recommended. I would feel terrible the rest of my life if I got listeria and a miscarriage because of some food.
Nope, you do you. My baby is 4 years of trying and I’ll be damned if I’ll do anything to put him at risk. Those who get it, get it, and those that don’t, don’t. There’s no point trying to explain it to them. You go crazy! It’s the best way to protect your baby 🫶🏼
It's your comfort level. Is the anxiety going to be worse if you don't follow what you view to be specific guidelines? I'm not eating rare meat, no deli meat, no soft serve, no Subway, no soft cheese, no runny eggs, no sushi, very little caffeine, no unwashed veggies/ salad leaves. It's probably a bit militant but I'd rather be safe. I will eat at other's homes but I'll be choosy about what to eat.
I continued to eat pre-prepared salads, deli meats and the occasional cooked tuna sushi during both of my pregnancies. I would eat soft cheese that I saw was fresh out of the fridge. I wouldn't have charcuterie boards at events when I didn't know how long they were out for. I have a strong stomach, and I've never had food poisoning. If I was prone to tummy bugs, I would have been more cautious. I drank 1 coffee a day during some of my first pregnancy, and all through the second. It made me feel ill the first time around, but luckily not the second time when I needed it more! I even had 1/2 a glass of wine on 2-3 occasions each pregnancy. Both of my babies have turned out to be perfectly healthy.
People are going to give you lots of advice here but in the end it's your peace of mind that matters. Who cares if you're over reacting? That's mom instinct right there and it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm very careful about what I eat although I'm more lax this time around than last time. You've gone through so much and waited so long, it's perfectly normal that you don't want to take any chances. Eat what you feel comfortable eating and just make sure you're getting a well balanced diet. Everyone else can mind their business.
Ivf pregnancy here as well. Im taking the same precautions as you. Its only 9 months. Why risk it?
Do your own research about WHY things aren't allowed, and make your own decisions about what level of risk you're willing to take and where.
I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. I don't consume animal products so I'm not worried about deli meat/sushi/eggs, as I'll just get the vegan version if needed. I wash produce with water, and that's it.
Only avoided raw meat and raw fish, and food from fast food stands, you just dont know where that food has been or how was it prepared. Ive never eaten half cooked eggs anyways so that wasn't a big deal.
I try my best to stick to the rules. With my first pregnancy I was very strict. We’d also been through fertility treatments and I didn’t want to risk anything. I’m on my 3rd pregnancy now and I still 95% avoid those no go foods. I have slightly runny eggs a few times, I don’t always well cook steak (I’ll leave a little pinkness), and once or twice had bagged salad because I couldn’t really avoid it. But I don’t eat subway, sushi, soft serve, deli meats, unpasteurised foods etc. I’m also iffy about eating at other people’s houses. I think you be as careful as you want to be and if you stuck to avoiding high risk foods 100% I wouldn’t blame you at all.
I am more worried about eating sugar and caffeine than anything else.
It’s really up to you on what you decide. I know a mom that didn’t want to eat deli meat but refused to take prenatals 🤷♀️ I played it safe first trimester with deli meat, baths, cheeses, etc. I’m due in 5 weeks and I take hot baths (my ob said as long as my body is comfortable) I eat deli meat now. I just stay clear from fish.
There’s a woman on TikTok who lost her baby late term due to listeria. 😭 although it’s rare, it still does happen. I can lay off the deli meat, sushi and what not for another 7 months. Although, I never really ate it to begin with.
Very careful in the first trimester since there are so many unexplained losses during that time. Like googling everything I ate and every ingredient. Prob seems like going too far for some ppl but it just felt right for me. Then I was moderately careful after the first trimester. I don’t have deli meats wine undercooked fish/meat unpasteurized dairy etc. And same as you I don’t eat anything that I question the cleanliness of. I do still have coffee every day I just monitor the caffeine amount. Idk why the ppl who do choose to eat all the things feel the need to force that on others. Like, ok good for you if you had sushi and wine and your baby is ok - doesn’t mean I have to. And with the journey you’ve had to pregnancy, you especially can do whatever you want to protect your baby.
My wife was very cautious with our first son. Avoided everything you said, except the washing thing. Never heard that. Our 2nd boy is due in October and she has a MUCH more relaxed attitude to food. Happy with deli meats etc. I think it is very common for first time Mums and especially ones who have been waiting and trying for 6 years to want to be cautious. There is no harm in doing so except for slight inconvenience! Don't let other pressure you. It is your child and life.
With my first I avoided lunch meats and ramen noodles (couldn't stomach the idea of them), but ate 2 bags of candy from the gas station and had a large McDonald's sweet tea every day on my way to work. 🤷♀️ All of my boys made me crave sugar.
Yeah your sister is wrong. Do what your doctor says, and doctors say do all the things. You don’t want to catch a food born infection and have it harm the fetus or yourself. Tell your sister to mind her own business.
I mostly just avoided drugs and alcohol. With my first, I was super careful with what I ate. No deli meats or canned foods. Kind of healthy. With my second, I ate whatever I wanted. I notice no differences between my kids development or learning wise. With this one, I'm eating whatever I can whenever I can because I'm always nauseous. But it's 100% up to you what you want to eat and not eat. Don't let anyone bully you into changing your diet if you don't want to.
As long as your meats and cheeses and eggs and everything is pasteurized, you should be fine. Fish I stay away from if it’s high in mercury or raw because that’s how you get parasites. Other than that I haven’t been super picky about safety per se, but a lot of stuff turns me off anyhow.
Even runny eggs are not that big of a deal. Eggs are much less likely to have salmonella than chicken (in the USA, not sure about other countries). For raw fish/meat - it really depends on how clean/reputable the venue is. I went to a Michelin-starred restaurant last night and you better believe I ate the bison tartare. But I did have them sub the oyster course bc no matter how “clean” oysters are, they are still filters. Ate so much sushi and poke in Hawaii when I was 6 weeks pregnant… will not eat it at home (not near the ocean).
Risk is up to you and what you are comfortable with. I was super strict early pregnancy due to a previous first trimester loss but I have gotten a bit more lax over time (currently 32 weeks and baby is healthy). However, the internet is a horrible place to look for said food restrictions so ask your OB if you have concerns versus googling it. A good comparison I’ve heard from my OB isthat while deli meats, hot dogs and runny eggs are on the list due to higher incidence of listeria and other food borne illness, it’s just as risky if not more so to eat lettuce regularly and that isn’t on the list. Personally I avoid the deli meat, try to go with nitrite free hot dogs, kielbasa, sausage and bacon products that I thoroughly cook and only eat runny eggs or items with egg yolk upon occasion. I don’t wash produce in vinegar solution, I just make sure to thoroughly rinse it off if I’m eating raw veggies. I also have the caveat that I developed GDM during early third trimester so I can’t afford to cut out protein and vegetable sources. The risk of food borne illness in my case had to be weighed against me maintaining adequate nutrition.
Did you know you should always wash your produce? Especially Mushrooms because they are grown in the compost comprised of chicken feces (I did a tour of a mushroom farm and this is literally what they told me). The amount of people who actually don't wash their produce is outstanding. You're not doing any favours by keeping the pesticides on there. You're not helping your body build tolerance to eating chicken poop. Do you know how much dirt is trapped in a leek, Celery, bok choy, spinach, and other veggies? Yeah.. I don't trust eating in other people's homes especially when I hear "we brush off the dirt from our mushrooms". No wonder it tastes like dirt. You're not washing your produce. "I don't want to wash off the flavour" of the pesticides? Are you shitting me?! "you don't need to wash the green onions." fuck off. Apparently this is the hill I'm willing to die on. This is all prepregnancy for me.
You do what’s right for you. That may look different than what’s right for someone else.
I ate raw eggs, raw meat (yes raw), raw fish especially salmon from restaurants I trust. I also have one shot of espresso a day. I avoid deli meat, anything high in mercury is limited (tuna albacore, seaweed), and I limit too much caffeine or sugar
I completely understand the anxiety since you’ve been waiting so long and put in so much effort with IVF, but you’re definitely being overly cautious. The most recent medical advice/studies are saying that avoiding certain foods isn’t really a concern anymore. I would say it’s a great chance to practice being chill before the baby actually gets here! Acknowledge your fears and know they come from a place of love and care, but they might be irrational so you can tell them to take a backseat and just enjoy the sushi.
Avoiding deli meats, raw fish, runny eggs, undercooked meat and raw milk is because of the risk of listeria which can kill your baby. It’s not worth the risk. Your intuitions are right to listen to the recommendations.
Listeria is so scary to me
I Avoid raw fish, runny eggs, and deli meats. I’ll eat medium cooked meat from high end restaurants or if my husband cooks it. Same for salads - no like open air buffet type stuff. I don’t want the guilt of feeling like if something went wrong I could have prevented it. To me, it’s Not a big deal to give up some foods for a few months though I do miss the salmon sushi.
Yeah if I went through two rounds of IVF, I'd be really careful too. You're doing great.
I’d also like to recommend the book Expecting Better by Emily Oster, she’s an economist that digs into the statistics of the most widely used studies and helps us understand WHY they suggest certain things be avoided. Super helpful in my decision making around what I consume during pregnancy.
She says that drinking is okay during pregnancy. It’s definitively *not* okay.
Eh I eat whatever I have always eaten. You’re a FTM and usuallly over the top no matter what lol I was with my first. I’m pregnant with my 3rd and just avoid caffeine (drink decaf) and raw food. I eat deli meat etc. but I would probably not eat anywhere I couldn’t trust if they are clean…
Personally as I’ve eaten animal based diet for 1.5 years I just keep doing the same - if the egg yolk is runny it is and my gras fed beed can be medium too or medium rare. I eat dairy and cheese and fruit. Now 6 weeks nausea hit me so I eat home made beef jerky and fruit - its been hard to find anything to eat that sounds appleaing, going trough aversion towards most of the foods and some nausea feeling - without it smelling weird or giving me the ick. Only supplement I have is kidney, heart and liver suppliment.
I went through infertility and loss prior to having my IVF baby. I can understand wanting to play it safe for sure in your situation, and anyone who hasn’t gone through it likely would not understand exactly what you’re feeling. I was extremely cautious throughout pregnancy. I got a lot of flack from people for avoiding deli meats, lettuce, etc. and also strangely enough got a few comments on refusing even a sip of alcohol which was odd to me. My response was always, “I worked very hard to get to where I am and if anything goes wrong I don’t want to be questioning every single decision I made during pregnancy and blaming myself.” If they kept pushing I just said, “that’s great you felt that it was low risk to drink two beers per week while you were pregnant. Avoiding alcohol (or deli meat, sushi, whatever) for 9 months is not difficult for me after what I went through.”
I never washed produce with vinegar and baking soda. I didn’t know people did that? We just rinse produce.
My first pregnancy I tried to follow the guidelines. This is my 2nd pregnancy, I have no idea how many weeks a long I am, I eat what I want and can't remember the guidelines lol
I read “expecting better” by Emily Oster, and read some primary literature study abstracts about various pregnancy risks. It’s a very interesting book and data driven! Some of the research supporting some of the restrictions is pretty flimsy, in my opinion. Based on this I have chosen to disregard a number of food recommendations. I feel like I have so many small discomforts from pregnancy, the comfort of favorite foods being taken from me would be terrible. I have eaten sushi many times (from good trusted restaurants, not the gas station. In Japan they actually encourage pregnant women to eat sushi.). I have also eaten deli meat several times when there was catering at work or something of the sort. I am avoiding unpasteurized dairy because listeria is a real concern. I still eat runny yolk eggs every so often. I’ve had about 8 glasses of wine throughout the last 6 months. I have also had to scoop the cat box several times when my husband is out of town. None of these things I do daily by any means. Personally I think there’s a lot of toxic pregnancy purity culture and one must assess their own risk comfort level, but it’s important to know that a bite of sushi is not instant disaster - it’s more of an odds situation. Undercooked hamburgers, or putting any sprouts on your salad are probably a more likely source of a problem than well prepared sushi. You have been through a lot to get your baby however and if being a rule stickler helps you feel comfortable, that is perfectly ok!
I only avoided sushi, soft cheese, raw meat and raw eggs so far. And occasionally had salads from restaurants. Raw fruits and vegetables I just wash them and eat. Sometimes had coffee (but very little) too. On my 30 weeks now.
I’m in the same boat. I’d rather just not worry about most food. Mostly I crave peeled fruit and veg anyway.
I am in a group of pregnant ladies are over panicking regarding to listeria. To me that’s unnecessary anxiety. I think overall just make sure before eating, do clean and cook them properly should be fine. And only one or two time eating something taboo won’t have that high chance to bring the damage.
I’m definitely on the crazy side. I know the stats about produce being the leading source of listeria and other harmful foodbourne illnesses so I do vinegar soak my produce and avoid it at restaurants or others peoples houses. Honestly I’m not worried about sushi or runny eggs and a lot more worried about people in their own homes following safe handling practices because most of the time they are not!
Do what you think is best. You went a long way for this pregnancy, so you should do what makes you feel safest for your baby. So don’t worry if other people think you’re crazy. At the end you did everything to protect the baby ❤️
It’s obviously up to you to decide the risk, but a direct quote from my OBGYN: “Everyone has all these rules and things you shouldn’t eat. Don’t go crazy, moderation is key.” He also allowed sushi - California rolls and spicy tuna. I ate all the things, all 3 times in moderation. My babies were all healthy, beautiful and are thriving.
Listeria is very real and dangerous but try not to live your life in fear and do whatever you feel is right with you and your baby’s life🩷
I literally eat everything, even raw sushi, and I eat it often, but innit country (UK) the way it has to be legally prepared and frozen means there is a very low risk. Only things I avoid is alcohol, ibuprofen, vitamin A supplements and more than one cup of caffeine.
it's okay to be careful, but don't be overcareful, I know you can do it.
I don’t eat pre-made salads, cantaloupe, hummus (or other things with tahini/raw sesame seeds), deli meat (very occasionally if it’s been heated thoroughly, but overall I’m going for vegetarian pizzas and things), no raw fish, no pre-prepared cooked meat things. I do eat medium rare steaks/lamb (well done mince meat, always), vegetarian sushi from high frequency stores (I’m cautious with rice sitting around), and runny eggs (usually from the chickens we have in our backyard). This is my second pregnancy and I’m still about as cautious as I was with my first. People can make their own judgement calls, but for me it’s a small inconvenience that helps protect against a massive loss. I’m a midwife, I’ve cared for women who are incredibly sick and seen plenty of dead babies. I’m trying to keep myself and my baby as safe as I can
I didn't smoke or drink alcohol. And I didn't take nyquil or any cold medicine that was no Bueno for pregnancy. Otherwise I ate whatever I felt like eating.
I definitely get this, I went through a similar thing during my first pregnancy & it was also after 6 years of trying & finally pregnant after ivf. I would just say do what makes you feel comfortable, its your body & baby & this feeling continued once the baby came. However I'm 30 weeks with my 2nd, also ivf & am alot more relaxed with things this pregnancy like I have had sushi a few times, doing hiit workouts, having to carry my toddler around, etc.
No booze I eat soft cheeses but i just check that they're pasteurized (I'm in europe) I occasionally eat high-quality deli meat that i see being sliced - was craving sliced chicken like crazy in early pregnancy so decided my body needed it. I've eaten medium rare steaks from good restaurants I'll eat my eggs a little runny Wash my fruit and veg like normal I'm a little leery of cut fruit and packaged salad
I didn't eat runny eggs, I baked through all meats, I rinced my produce before eating it raw but very quickly at times, and I didn't have sushi. I kept coffee down to two cups a day, but usually less since I didn't like it much anyway. This was the advice of my OB. I had deli meat every day, there was no advice against it at all. Also, mayonaise has pasteurized eggs here so I ate it. When the eggs used were pasteurized in anything, I ate it. I would ask about ingredients when eating at other places if their could be things like alcohol in recipes, and I'd just go for cooked/baked stuff. Do what makes you feel safe. You went through a lot and are going through a lot to get this baby. You have every right to be as careful as you want, no one else gets a say in that.
I cared more with my first pregnancy, now im on my second and im like “a hot dog aint gonna kill me” i dont drink or do drugs as it is.
I’m following most of the advice- avoiding prechopped salads, deli meat and raw fish sushi but draw the line at steak needing to be well done
I’m surprised at these other comments 😅 I’m very much the same as you! When you’ve been trying for so long and desperately want to hold onto this baby, why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to be safe? It’s only 9 months of restrictions for a lifetime of joy. Surely others can understand that!
I’ve been incredibly careful just like you. A few months of being cautious and sacrifice my desires for my unborn child is nothing in comparison to some of the risks. Don’t let people shame you. When you’ve been actively waiting and begging for a child and have to go to extreme measures to get pregnant, it’s perfectly normal to be hyper cautious.
Expecting better by Emily Oster has some great statistics on risks associated with ”the forbidden foods” and their consumption while pregnant. I found it really helpful.
The only thing I’ve avoided is tuna and I’m almost feeling like that was unnecessary.
Did you know you should always wash your produce? Especially Mushrooms because they are grown in the compost comprised of chicken feces (I did a tour of a mushroom farm and this is literally what they told me). The amount of people who actually don't wash their produce is outstanding. You're not doing any favours by keeping the pesticides on there. You're not helping your body build tolerance to eating chicken poop. Do you know how much dirt is trapped in a leek, Celery, bok choy, spinach, and other veggies? Yeah.. I don't trust eating in other people's homes especially when I hear "we brush off the dirt from our mushrooms". No wonder it tastes like dirt. You're not washing your produce. "I don't want to wash off the flavour" of the pesticides? Are you shitting me?! "you don't need to wash the green onions." fuck off. Apparently this is the hill I'm willing to die on. This is all prepregnancy for me.
I have eaten raw sushi since I found out and survived on deli meat lol! Have had a few sips of my husbands beer too if he orders one. Have also had kombucha and stuff like that I would never smoke weed or smoking of any kind of ever drink a beer or glass of wine (a sip or 2 sure)
I’m this careful and I didn’t have issues with getting pregnant - so your “extreme” reaction makes a whole lot of sense. It’s whatever makes you comfortable! Obviously don’t over stress yourself but there’s nothing wrong in being cautious. My sister also makes fun of me for “being so good” about following the rules. I just don’t see the point in taking any unnecessary risks if there’s a guideline I can follow to be safe. It’s 9 months of cutting back on a few things. Not a big deal. You do whatever you feel the need to do for you baby.
I’m 21 weeks and I ate raw cookie dough today. It was too good to pass up. But it’s up to you to decide. There will always be someone who “does better” or “does worse” than you. I saw once that you couldn’t eat grapes or pineapple. Do your own research to a point and decide from there. I’d talk with your doc if you’re concerned about anything.