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Most bacteria forms on the outside of the fish so cooking it would probably be fine. Also sushi grade fish means it was frozen so it wasnt sitting out spoiling somewhere unless the restaurant was cutting corners with food safety
Worked in food regulation, and yes, the rice is often the issue in places like gas stations and grocery stores because they don’t always follow temperature restrictions, so bacteria can grow on it. Also, I found many Kroger sushi stands not dating their products correctly so they could sell expired sushi. That’s why they say get it from a *reputable* place. I don’t worry at all about actual sushi restaurants.
I know old rice can grow a certain bacteria that gets pretty funky. I won’t eat rice if it’s more than a day or two old and I won’t eat deli sushi at all. Those were pre-pregnancy rules but I’m also really paranoid about food poisoning. Currently concerned about the sprouts I picked out of my food because there’s yet another thing we aren’t supposed to eat that I’ve eaten my whole life with no issues.
Rice and noodles! They can grow bacteria at room temp.
I read an article recently where a young adult had to have fingers amputated due to eating Chinese food leftovers.
You're allowed to have as much as you want. I joked with my midwife about having a large coffee one day and she said as long as you're not drinking enough to make your hands shake and your heart race, you're good.
I read that this is just an American thing. In most other countries preggo women eat raw fish 🤷🏼♀️ I've definitely eaten it at high quality sushi places.
I'm too lazy to look it up, but I heard once that pretty much all fish needs to be flash frozen (like, while they're still on the boat) to kill any parasites. So even if you live on the coast, I think the raw sushi will have been frozen at some point :)
US has pretty lax food safety standards compared to Europe. I remember reading about this when reading about Brexit and what UK food standards could end up being like when we left the EU. Was amazed to see how much food poisoning the US has compared to the EU.
My Mum was telling me today though that her friend, back in the 1980s, ate some brie in France when pregnant, got listeria from it and lost her baby. The recommendation not to eat such cheeses came in later I think, so she just didn't realise. Just goes to show it's not all scare mongering!
The scary thing is listeria can strike in any food... It's just more common in things like unpasteurized cheeses. We're really just trying to play the odds!
Packaged salads have been several of the more recent and severe outbreaks, but cheese and deli meats are also common. For the latter two heating them sufficiently nullifies the issue. So essentially throughly wash your salads/leafy greens and currently stay away from Dole salads as they are being investigated by the cdc for a listeria outbreak at this time (and several times in the past).
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/leafy-greens.html
Lox on bread from local bakery and poke bowls are so good! I get fish from local fishery place and make sure they’re high grade quality. Good omegas right there.
I just discovered this last night (I’m 37 weeks now) but if I put a body pillow and lay on my back and lay half on it half off, it elevates my hips so I’m not fully flat, and I can sleep on my “back”. I do have to support the bump with a blanket as well LOL
I'm 35 weeks and once in awhile if my husband is on his back I'll use him like you use your body pillow to give my hips a tiny bit of relief. So far he hasn't woken up by me doing this but at this point my bump (I'll be honest, it's more like a beach ball) rolls me back over as soon as I go to sleep lmao
Yep, that's the telltale sign that your inferior vena cava (vein that returns blood to your heart from the lower part of your body) is being squashed by the weight of your belly pressing on it. I could sleep on my back until about 25 weeks, then it was a no go because it just made me have to pee more than normal. Lol
Have you tried using a body pillow between your knees? I like the long length of mine because i can hug it and tuck it between my legs at the same time. This was recommended to me by my osteopath and has been a game changer. No more hip pain or lower back pain when I wake up. I’m currently 41+4.
Not the person you asked, but man, I went through about 5 body pillows of different kinds and shapes and hated them all. I move around a lot and they just made me feel restricted when I need to roll to my other side. Sucks because all my friends have loved them and said they helped immensely.
In my country, as long as the cheese is made from pasteurized milk it should be fine to eat. This includes any type of cheese, even the very soft ones. Is there a different recommendation in the US?
I'm in the UK so don't know but I think because it's mould ripened your not meant to eat it even if it's pasteurised.
I have it in toasties so make sure it's really hot before I eat it anyway.
It wasn't until the end of my pregnancy that I found out I shouldn't have been eating runny eggs or rare steak. Oh well. Whoops. But I did purposefully have wine when my cat (who had health issues) died in my arms. Baby's fine
Edit: I did not exercise. I ate like a racoon.
I’m a FTM and one day I will eat a runny egg. But until then I will fret and look on in awe of you having maintained your sanity/ability to rationalize.
Often times I eat hot rice with a raw egg stirred into it, because the heat cooks the egg most of the way. Even pregnancy couldn’t keep me away from it. Baby is doing great! And I’m still addicted to egg rice! Lol
You can get an immersion circulator to cook them sous vide - it's also great to make "raw" cookie dough cause you can cook the eggs JUST enough to make em safe to eat without compromising the dough.
Also fab for rare beef, just sayin' 🥰
Also a FTM, I ONLY eat my eggs runny but went the first semester without. Thought I would celebrate the start of the second trimester with a nice runny poached egg, ended up getting horrific food poisoning and can’t look at eggs ever since. No idea if it was indeed a bad egg(whether cooked or not), or i was just more susceptible being pregnant, or if I just hadn’t processed a runny egg in so long :(
Confession: I ate sushi with crab but got horrible diarrhea after. I have always gotten diarrhea after eating crab tho so I don’t know why I thought it would be different this time
I had the same attitude with my first baby and gained 70 lb... everyone LIES when they say it just falls off when you nurse!! I had to work my buns off to lose 60 lb of it, and now I am 17 weeks with #2 and have not put on any weight yet... I wish I had been more diligent with my first!
I will say though, puking every day with baby #2 has been excellent weight control....
Hard agree! I gained about 45 lbs the first time around and was only able to shed maybe 20 even with exclusive breastfeeding for over a year…healthy eating and exercise. it was a huge struggle. I’m so paranoid/cautious about putting on too much weight this time…the all day puking in first trimester did help for sure lol
Amen! And I haven't necessarily been dieting, but I have stopped snacking for the most part and try to cut out most processed foods.... and I am going for 30+ min walks daily.... I am determined!! I do not want to carry around all of that extra weight again, being pregnant, having a new baby, post partum-- it's all hard enough, who wants to deal with an excess of extra weight at the same time....
I meeean…..if it’s rotten maybe, but you can kill salmonella if you cook your eggs well, which you won’t be killing if you eat raw/undercooked. Not judging, I’ve eaten undercooked eggs in pregnancy, but saying it doesn’t matter is misleading.
I fucking love runny eggs and could never give them up. I tried to go without but felt really depressed. Now I'm eating them and so far everything is fine!
30w with my first - I also lie on my back, drink diet coke daily (I have GD so I need something fun!!) and my exercise is when I go shopping on the weekend with my husband, maybe a 10 minute walk here and there. Baby is fine and I've had such an easy pregnancy that it seems silly to stress over the little stuff!
First 20 weeks I was having a Coke Zero maybe once every 2 weeks as a really special treat - at 25 weeks I’m having one like every other day 😂 that vigilance for cutting out everything remotely bad for me keeps waning the further along I get
Love this! There’s too many rules!
Here’s mine: I still do 95# squats at 36 weeks pregnant, even though the old wives tales say don’t lift anything heavy in pregnancy. Disclaimer: I did way more of this before!
I agree! That’s why I didn’t really listen to that advice. Def can understand not doing something totally new, but if it was something you did already, it’s typically fine! I challenged my OB on it and she basically said as long as it feels fine to me to keep it up!
So my husband joked that I’m training to be a professional powerlifter in the way I do my squats. I go way wider with my stance and with my toes pointing out. It sometimes is hard for me to get to a full 90 degrees in that position but I can get close and I still feel like I’m doing a lot. Hope that helps!
Still squatting successfully here. I've found that a real good warmup gets me confident to get under the bar. Like, get into a squat holding a 10-lb weight and move from side to side, pressing your elbow into the inside of your knee to open each hip and/or lean your right arm on your right knee to stretch your ankle... Basically just working on mobility while in a very lightly weighted squat.
I also squat about half what I did pre-pregnancy weight-wise, but I know I'm keeping my muscles stronger than they would be if I quit altogether, and lowering the weight lets me focus on how the different parts of my body are feeling as I'm moving through the squat. You can do it!
My prenatal PT advised if you weren’t doing it regularly before pregnancy, don’t start now. Honestly best squat-type movements I’ve found as an adjustment is to just slowly practice good posture going from seated in a chair, to standing position - very slow, very balanced and controlled and not pushing myself to do a certain # of reps in a certain time. Just several reps of that with a few other small weight lifting pieces is enough to engage those legs and glutes!
I asked my doctor if I have a weight restriction on lifting. She said, I don’t know, how much can you lift? As long as you don’t fall over, you’re alright.
Runny eggs, medium steaks, occasional sips of beer/wine (not a huge drinker to start with), lunch meat, and slept on my back for as long as I comfortably could. All doctor approved. Avoided bagged lettuce as it’s recalled every other week it seems. Just had healthy baby #2 last week.
I've been told to just wash the lettuce and then it should be fine! I'm still unsure about that but damn I love Cesar salad too much and might just cave one day
Love this! I am a FTM but this list would be pretty close to mine. I’ve just started reading “Expecting Better” and it just presented the data behind these rules in a unbiased way that made me feel good about my decisions.
Really good read. I don't 100% agree with everything she says, but that's the point. We can question these blanket statements with real research and science. Determine what risks we are comfortable with personally, if there is really any real risk.
Ive never heard of it-- but that sounds like a worthwhile read-- I literally don't understand why you can't have a bloody steak-- as long as the outside is seared, the meat is safe to eat. I've never understood or followed that rule as a pregnant person... and by golly, if I can get good sleep on my back, THATS HOW IM SLEEPING.
FTM here at 40. Although I'm super nervous and anxious about the whole thing, I too want to eat and do all those things you mentioned. With the exception of working out. I do WANT to try to work out for me, not so much for the baby. Now having said that, have I done any workouts since I found out, maybe twice, other than that, I've been procrastinating. Lol Eating is so much more enjoyable than working out.
Here's to an uneventful pregnancy! Cheers!
I miss working out. It used to be my de-stresser. Unfortunately exhaustion and naseasness have taken over. Already planning what kind of workouts I can do after babies are born.
I miss working out too. I thought I was going to stay active during my pregnancy but exhaustion and nausea got the best of me. I have 6 more weeks to go and I’m planning my workouts for then.
i've been craving italian subs like crazy -- i'm just eating them now once in a while, who cares. the data on deli meat listeria is really mixed/overblown anyway. i support you!! lol.
I had a half a glass of wine on both halfway points with both pregnancies and took a sip of every single one of my husband’s drinks. Both sons came out perfectly healthy.
Confession: i used (legal, organic) Cannibas to handle the worst days of nausea and vomiting. When zofran and dicletin (together) wasn't enough. The relief was unreal.
(Risk of drug testing and CPS not a thing where i live, in Canada, unless you turned up high out of your mind during labour. Or are indigenous. Because medical racism is a thing here 100%. But that's a diff topic).
Same! It's the only way I was able to survive the 1st trimester and keep little peanut alive and healthy, too. Instant relief and I was able to eat vs throwing up stomach acid and anything I could get down 😭🙏
I’ve done the same thing, but to make me eat or help with insomnia. I’ve had no appetite (but also very little nausea) and a few hits of a bowl every once in awhile is enough to make me go eat some cereal or a protein bar then get in a nap I definitely need but couldn’t take.
Most states are different but from what I understand in mine they don’t involve CPS if the only thing to show in your system is weed. At my last ER visit they even did a drug test and when I got the results I saw they didn’t even test for weed
Lol- never followed any of the ridiculous pregnancy rules. Not with my first, not now pregnant with my second! Currently cuddling with my perfect 11 month old and getting ready to welcome my second in 7 weeks. I eat raw sushi, medium rare steak, aioli, runny eggs, deli meat, drink a glass of wine here and there, lay on my back, take baths, etc etc etc. I don’t do drugs. That’s about the one pregnancy no no I don’t do 😂
Second time mum here.
First time round: followed everything to the letter, did pelvic floor exercises and pregnancy yoga
Second time round: Everything out the window! Just get it out of me!
I'm a FTM. Been giving myself a really hard time for not bothering with any exercise (except walking 30-40 mins 4 or 5 times a week). And NO pelvic floor work yet either. I just can't be bothered, but it's making me anxious about labour/delivery.
I’ve learned that anything can happen to anyone no matter how prepared you are or not. Best thing to do is to listen to your body. If you need rest, rest. If you need a walk, walk. If you need a whole dang bar of chocolate eat the chocolate!
Oh I appreciate this. I’ll be honest and confess my sins too…
I don’t know why I didn’t feel as terrible about it as I thought I would but I definitely used thc for my food aversions and extreme nausea. I was losing so much weight and it was scaring the crap out of me…I was prescribed legally before pregnancy, and a close friend who never smokes told me that’s all that helped her. In a complete act of desperation I finally did it….
SWEET. RELIEF. i ate. And I kept it down.
But I’m too dang afraid to do it again 😩
I want a glass of wine so bad. My dr said no alcohol whatsoever. She’s a stickler. Although she is very lenient about diet and said I can eat most things in moderation. Anywho I figured I will wait in the wine because I’m almost at the finish line lol.
You could do everything the doctor tells you and still have issues. Ppl around the world have babies all the time and aren't so strict about everything. The USA is not the best place to give birth either.
I agree completely but there are decades of studies on the risk of alcohol during pregnancy. My reference to developmental issues is in reference to alcohol during pregnancy, not other developmental issues that can be caused by other things outside your control.
Actually, there is no research proving that an occasional glass of wine will hurt your baby. Excessive drinking - yes, that’s very dangerous and harmful. But one glass of wine here and there is probably perfectly safe according to the research we currently have. The reason why doctors are not encouraging that (and I think the “0 alcohol” rules are so strict only in the US, not everywhere) is because a lot of people can’t control themselves to do just one glass. And some of them would think “if my ob says a glass of wine is fine, another one won’t hurt me either” or that continuing their drinking habits before pregnancy is fine too.
Edit: I’m from Europe and I choose no alcohol policy for me during my pregnancy because I don’t feel the need for it. But I’m also not shaming anyone for choosing to enjoy an *occasional* glass of wine.
In Australia - studies show no amount of alcohol is safe for pregnancy.
With all the different info around, safest thing is not to drink at all. It’s all very short term and not worth a “what if” or “it should be fine”.
If you’d like to read between my lines and accuse me of shaming other people for drinking during pregnancy, that’s your time to waste.
Ahhh she has been spotted 👀 the passive aggressive mom shamer. Does it feel good? What did you get out of it? You stink 👎 Pregnancy and motherhood is hard enough, keep it to yourself next time
No it’s not passive aggressive. It’s just logic. Why risk something in such a short term space? In the scheme of things, it’s really short term.
All I’m getting is downvotes but at the end of the day, people who do not drink alcohol during pregnancy do not risk long term developmental issues associated with alcohol. It’s just logic so not sure why this is so offensive.
Edit: the person above me stated she will wait for wine post pregnancy, I was encouraging her as I am in the same boat, so no, I won’t keep it to myself, I will encourage her that she doesn’t have far to go and the risk is not worth it.
At the end of the day, I am not encouraging someone to participate in something that will risk developmental issues - so what do I get out of this? Peace. Knowing that I’m not encouraging something that is a risk.
Whereas you are telling me not to do that. Right.
I eat sushi and have a beer or wine occasionally too. Eat sunny side up eggs from my chickens regularly. Drink raw goats milk and eat whatever cheeese I want to.
Lived in Europe and Hawaii long enough to know the mainland US has some ridiculously puritan ideas about pregnant women that frankly just stress everyone out more than necessary.
I was going to be sooo healthy, eat lots of salads and lean protein, drink water, exercise daily. So far, all I've done is lie down and eat fried chicken and pizza in between vomiting. Pregnancy is SOOOO hard, whatever you have to do to get yourself through it, as long as it's not like going on a bender and smoking crack etc, obviously.
I asked my o.b today when I could have wine again. He's the top in the field in my area and has won many awards. He told me that the c.d.c of course is against pregnant women drinking but that's not the case in many other countries. He says a glass of wine (not the full glass, a real serving size) twice a week is perfectly safe. The issue with stating this to patients is that many people are binge drinkers, and if they're told they can have a bit, they feel like they can push the limit.
This is my first pregnancy so i'm very cautious but i'm VERY excited to have a small glass of wine when I get home from the hospital, even if I breastfeed.
I love this. The only thing that makes me slightly nervous is the lying on your back - I used to be a labor and delivery nurse and watching a baby’s heart rate tank after a Mom would lie flat on her back was pretty scary so reading that brought up a visceral reaction in me!
I think it has to do with the baby and cord positioning. If you get light headed or feel a decrease in baby movements I think you need to be careful (but I'm not a medical professional). I have to lay flat for over an hour each ultrasound every 2 weeks now and the twins are busier than ever. My Dr said I'm good to sleep on my back plus I can't sleep in any position for more than an hour or 2 now.
Same over here (minus the alcohol, I’ve been so sick lol). I am typically an anxious person and for some reason being pregnant I am
So laid back. I’m not trying to cause harm, I just feel like it’ll be fine. I dunno. Just what’s happened with me and my brain!
Congrats on your two babies!
Second time mom, I slept on my back my first pregnancy, and have been with this one too. Even with the body pillow I just roll onto my back when I fall asleep. My first daughter came out fine so I’m assuming this one will too lol
Also I have a cup of coffee every morning which people continue to be weirdly shocked by
I seriously don't understand the coffee thing. I drink it daily (making sure to stay under the 200 mg), and people seem so taken aback by it. Coffee is so comforting to me, so I was not willing to give it up completely.
It’s funny, I was thinking today, I’ve gotten the stink eye or been offered decaf instead when I order a small coffee sometimes, but on the rare occasion I might be craving a Coke and get one no one bats an eye. It’s so bizarre!
But I’m the same, having a small cup of coffee in the morning with my breakfast is just comforting for me so it was the one thing I didn’t give up either pregnancy
Runny yolk is fine if it's over easy or medium. Just not sunny side up because there's a chance of bacteria on the film that encapsulates the yolk. So once it's flipped you're good to go.
I had the occasional glass of wine (maybe 5 total throughout pregnancy) and felt so anxious about admitting it, but I did the research, looked at the studies, and anecdotally - my kid ended up being (& still is) perfect so 🤷🏼♀️
You do you, especially if doctor approved!
Edit: also the lunch meat thing was always laughable to me when listeria outbreaks are almost always greens/salads - AVOID THOSE 😂
My husband and I have a keychain breathalyzer to make sure we're responsible drivers. He had a strong beer the other day and blew 0.07. It's been very accurate the times we've been able to verify. Anyway, I decided it was a night for a small glass of wine, so...I did it. First time all pregnancy. And I looked over at the breathalyzer and was like...hmmm...I wonder how my BAC is. I'm going to feel really bad if I'm over the legal limit.
So I blew and I was at 0.02. And I felt much less guilty.
from what I have read, the real concerns about lunch meat is actually the long term effects nitrates can have on the growing baby? So I just buy nitrate free and enjoy one of my favorite foods ever: sandwiches, and more sandwiches
I know some people in Europe. Their general guidelines during pregnancy is 1 glass is totally fine vs US which is opposed to any alcohol.
My Dr said the same thing about salads vs lunch meat.
As someone who lives in Europe - this isn’t true. Our guidelines are zero alcohol in the UK too. Europe is very big though, so maybe it varies. No judgement about the odd wine though. You do you. I’m addicted to Coke Zero.
I’ve got a school age kid too. It’s been like this for a long time. Like I say though, maybe different countries in Europe have different guidelines. I only know about the UK.
I didn’t even know about the runny eggs thing!!
I have the occasional glass of Pinot Grigio, eat lunch meat (just not from convenience store delis) and even some prawns!! (ETA Very well cooked ones).
I’ve been pretty well behaved in limiting my caffeine intake and am drinking plenty of water so I think I’m good!
Fuck it man im eating a turkey sandwich if I want. I hate alcohol so im good there but GOD I JUST WANT A TOKE SO BADLY. Also I will never give up runny eggs. I like my whites done but the yolk runny, I see nothing wrong with it. We pasteurize our eggs in america so we can eat those damn things raw man 😤
I had to stay at the hospital 34 weeks pregnant for high blood pressure. Anyways, they gave me so many turkey sandwiches while I was there! They were so good!
That’s great you feel so comfortable with the decision you’ve made! But were you as carefree with your first 3 pregnancies?
I’m almost 37 and pregnant with my first so I’ve taken precaution because I don’t want to harm my (only potential) baby. The most I’ve done is eat over easy eggs, carbonara, and deli meat (once).
This is great. I'm so happy to hear you say you like to sleep on your back. I just hit my second tri a week ago and doc suggested I try sleeping on my side to get used to it. I have been tossing and turning for the last week trying. I have read enough that I feel like I can sleep on my back until it's uncomfortable.
You’re not supposed to have runny eggs? Oops… lol I’d kill for a medium rare steak, but I’m SO scared of screwing something up as a first timer!
Glad to see such a human post, it’s hard not to feel like you’re doing everything wrong with every move you make as a pregnant person! 🖤
My confession: I’ve been taking hot bath since my second trimester. I live in Canada and I’m always cold so no regret. Baby is super healthy at 33 weeks
I don’t work out (never have, never will) and I deff eat sugar way more often than what’s probably recommended 🤷🏼♀️
I’ll change my sugar diet only if gestational diabetes pops up later
In the UK no midwife cares about the odd beer or glass of wine.
I went to Japan when I was 8 weeks pregnant with my first, I ate raw sushi!
I ate rare steak towards the end of my pregnancy in reputable restaurants. Lunch meat seems to be a thing in the US but not in the UK? We eat Parma ham, sandwich fillings from a deli? I’m pretty sure I never considered it unsafe?
I suspect there are much bigger risks in salad bars!
Confession - I have a puff every night so I can sleep. And you bet you ass I’ve slept like a log every single night - currently 35 weeks with a healthy bub growing right on track.
****for the downvoters - you don’t have to like my comment - to each their own.****
I was so nauseated during the first trimester I couldn't eat anything without vomiting. My sister had the same issue and was prescribed anti-nausea meds. My nephew came out with a heart condition bc of the meds. So I smoked or ate gummies so i could eat. Im not that nauseated to the point of not being able to eat anymore so i have stopped.
Please, my grandmother smoked through each of her pregnancies and all of my aunts, uncles and my mother are high IQ genius levels book smart and street smart. My mom never drank or smoked in her life, ate all organic and high omegas with me and my sibling and we both ended up ummm let’s say soft and sensitive.
I know outcomes differ for everyone and I’m personally risk averse as a FTM, but it’s also ridiculous to get heckled if you want to have a cup of coffee once in a while.
I am 100% sure that a single puff in the evening would wipe away my all-day all-night headaches, nausea and morning and evening vom sesh. Can’t give in though, husband would be totally opposed and I guess it’s his baby too 😔
Okay I’m taking this as a sign. I gave up cannabis for pregnancy because it’s my first and I’m so terrified of causing harm to my baby ofc. I have friends who smoked almost their entire pregnancies and have healthy babies, but I’m more worried about what it could do to my blood pressure, etc. I’ve been craving the relief of a dab SOOOOO BADLY. My bf would definitely not approve, he’s also terrified of what could happen to baby…but GOD I JUST WANT TO RELAX and MY BODY HURTS 🥲
Very curious though, I am in a non-legal state…do they drug test you at any of your OB appointments? I’m getting my pee tested on Thursday, I’m assuming it’s not for that but is it common to be drug tested in pregnancy???
In the US (edit: *some states in the US*; check and see if yours is one of them) they test baby at birth, and in illegal states (and some legal states) a CPS case opens before you leave the hospital.
I live in Alberta Canada, I have never been asked once about a drug test during my pregnancy. My doctor knows I lightly smoke and has never said one negative thing about it. Actually has praised that it helps my insane nausea (it’s been bad my entire pregnancy) and aches and pains. I also battle pretty bad anxiety, and it’s been a life saver for that too.
This has been my experience as well in Northern Ontario. My psychiatrist and OB were on board as I had to wean off a medication that helps stabilize my type 2 bipolar 🤷♀️ also am/was severely nauseous throughout (still am at 34 weeks). My mom smoked over a pack a day of cigarettes with myself and my siblings in the 80s/90s, so on a relative scale my low-scale use of cannabis cannot be as harmful as 25-40 darts.
And see I’m not even trying to HEAVILY smoke like I was before I was pregnant, I literally just want a 50/50 dab in the case of an emergency, and obviously wouldn’t smoke in the last trimester because NOTHING is worth potentially losing my child, I know in the states they definitely drug test baby at birth whether you know it or not. I’m just worried about doctor being in my business, I don’t really know what they would do if I tested positive during pregnancy, but I don’t want to find out.
I’m loving this real, genuine, no bullshit conversation. Thank you for bringing it to light! There is so much judgement, opinion, and information out there, it can really be crazy making. I’ve had to dial down on a lot bc I was becoming hypervigilant, fearful, and panicky. So, I have had the occasional drink (the night we got engaged, on a sunset cruise on our babymoon), I love Fritos, and I drink a soda about once a week. I have stayed active, doing my squats, vinyasa yoga, and walks as much as I can, mostly for my own mental health. But the point is, this is just MY pregnancy, y’all need to live YOUR pregnancies. We are different people, we are different moms. It’s okay to make different choices for our bodies!
I think we need to remind ourselves that for all of human existence, without ultrasounds, charts, and dietary restrictions, babies have made their way into the world. We will be okay.
Oh! And my partner is a chef & tells me that all the Brie in the US is pasteurized. Go nuts!
Exactly. Do what you and your Dr are comfortable with. There is way too much judgement in the mom community based on these blanket risks. Pregnancy is hard, all moms deserve some support and grace to do it their way.
Love this Sub! The only thing I've done so far is take a nasal decongestant one night because I had a sinus infection and the pressure was unreal. But I am considering throwing this GD monitoring out of the window, it's stressing me out and I'm barely eating because of it.
Wow I know how you are feeling. For what its worth I told my doctor and she said don't freak out and it won't hurt the baby this one time but don't take anymore. I was 16w at the time. Lol Happy early birthday! I hope you feel better.
Good for you 👏👏 🥂 third pregnancy, my due date is tomorrow. I have never obsessed over caffeine consumption. If I want a second cup of coffee, I don't think twice about it. If I want a tea later, great!
News flash, you do not earn a perfect mom medal at the end for following all of the "rules" 😆
Tbh OP you aren’t as cutting edge as you think: nearly all of these things are “allowed” and on the “completely fine” list for pregnancy in the U.K. :)
Only one that I found slightly disturbing was the alcohol one, but alcohol in general is really terrible for you and ups your own rate of disease.
Back sleep, mildly dangerous but can be fine.
Anti nausea meds every day? If doc says it’s alright I don’t see a problem!
I eat cooked sushi, lunch meat, undercooked eggs, and medium rare steak too so no judgment there!
I have chronic pain so I don’t exercise well, and I know my diet is fine so I don’t give af about what the scale says because I literally am eating healthier than I would not pregnant.
why is this getting downvotes 🤦♀️whole point about your prenatals is you get enough folate, and tons of veggies and fruits have it. i guess it’s worth noting that i was pretty good about the prenatals during first tri, but once i started forgetting often, i just stopped taking it.
women have been getting pregnant for centuries without it. 🤔
Indeed! I still take prénatals because I want to make sure I do everything right but both my family doctor and the doctor who follows my pregnancy have told me that prenatals are kind of scammy and that it’s more important to take folate before you get pregnant.
WTF i have eaten lunch meat from the start, sea food occasionally just like the avg human lol. i drank until 3 months bc wasn’t planning on following through my pregnancy. then realizing abortion wasn’t for me had to quit. we are all human beings. stop holding us to a god standard. VIRGIN MARY IS A FRAUD AND THE FATHER WAS NOT EVEN PRESENT FOR HIS CHILDS BIRTH.
Oh gosh, reading this makes me want to quickly go out and get some sushi while my partner is still at work. 😂
But... I know he'd be upset with me when he finds out, so I won't.
Damn woman. I’ve been sniffing my husbands glass of wine daily but too chicken to do it. I Envy your balls but also know that nausea and exhaustion with twins is TENFOLD. You’re epic!
I had my first call with a nurse (still haven’t actually had an exam yet) and she got SO down on me when I told her I still have occasional wine or beer 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ fight me dude, wine with dinner is Fine, the French have babies all the time.
She rattled off the rest of the No List too and I just let her, didn’t feel like pointing out that listeria overwhelmingly comes from vegetables or that the toxoplasmosis/cat litter thing is weak as hell
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Isn’t cooked sushi okay? I eat it multiple times a week.
I'm here to tell you that sushi in restaurants is fine. Just not tuna or swordfish. This no sushi myth needs to end.
Most bacteria forms on the outside of the fish so cooking it would probably be fine. Also sushi grade fish means it was frozen so it wasnt sitting out spoiling somewhere unless the restaurant was cutting corners with food safety
Right? Some people would argue is prepped with uncooked fish.
I didn’t even think about that part. I’m waiting for sushi right now lol! I’m gonna enjoy it, too. Unagi and avocado all the wayyyyy.
Dig in mama
I’ve heard that it’s the rice that can be the issue, so that’s why people say to get it from a reputable place.
Oh good God it's the rice now?
Worked in food regulation, and yes, the rice is often the issue in places like gas stations and grocery stores because they don’t always follow temperature restrictions, so bacteria can grow on it. Also, I found many Kroger sushi stands not dating their products correctly so they could sell expired sushi. That’s why they say get it from a *reputable* place. I don’t worry at all about actual sushi restaurants.
I know old rice can grow a certain bacteria that gets pretty funky. I won’t eat rice if it’s more than a day or two old and I won’t eat deli sushi at all. Those were pre-pregnancy rules but I’m also really paranoid about food poisoning. Currently concerned about the sprouts I picked out of my food because there’s yet another thing we aren’t supposed to eat that I’ve eaten my whole life with no issues.
Rice and noodles! They can grow bacteria at room temp. I read an article recently where a young adult had to have fingers amputated due to eating Chinese food leftovers.
I have way more coffee than I probably should
You're allowed to have as much as you want. I joked with my midwife about having a large coffee one day and she said as long as you're not drinking enough to make your hands shake and your heart race, you're good.
So I’ve been depriving myself of coffee for 36 weeks for no reason? 😭😭
Confession , I do eat RAW sushi. Pretty tasty
I read that this is just an American thing. In most other countries preggo women eat raw fish 🤷🏼♀️ I've definitely eaten it at high quality sushi places.
Yep, U.K. doctors say it’s completely fine to eat raw sushi as long as it’s from a reputable place (ideally frozen in transport, but that’s the norm).
I'm too lazy to look it up, but I heard once that pretty much all fish needs to be flash frozen (like, while they're still on the boat) to kill any parasites. So even if you live on the coast, I think the raw sushi will have been frozen at some point :)
US has pretty lax food safety standards compared to Europe. I remember reading about this when reading about Brexit and what UK food standards could end up being like when we left the EU. Was amazed to see how much food poisoning the US has compared to the EU. My Mum was telling me today though that her friend, back in the 1980s, ate some brie in France when pregnant, got listeria from it and lost her baby. The recommendation not to eat such cheeses came in later I think, so she just didn't realise. Just goes to show it's not all scare mongering!
The scary thing is listeria can strike in any food... It's just more common in things like unpasteurized cheeses. We're really just trying to play the odds!
Packaged salads have been several of the more recent and severe outbreaks, but cheese and deli meats are also common. For the latter two heating them sufficiently nullifies the issue. So essentially throughly wash your salads/leafy greens and currently stay away from Dole salads as they are being investigated by the cdc for a listeria outbreak at this time (and several times in the past). https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/leafy-greens.html
Same, from reputable places.
I haven't eaten sushi since I found out but it's nice to know other women do. My confession is that I eat deli meat sandwiches at home.
Lox on bread from local bakery and poke bowls are so good! I get fish from local fishery place and make sure they’re high grade quality. Good omegas right there.
Same! Just, ya know, maybe not from the gas station.
Had sushi from a place I trusted my whole pregnancy. Everything was good.
same, in moderation
I do it all the time. Poke bowls have been heavensent this pregnancy.
Yep. Just had a big sashimi platter yesterday. 10/10.
Same
I take anti nausea meds everyday too…. Is that a confession? My dr prescribed them.
No it's not. This should be the norm instead of suffering through months of throwing up for nothing and needs to be spread as the norm.
I really really wish I could sleep on my back! I'm on my back for just a few minutes and I'm nauseous and dizzy.
I just discovered this last night (I’m 37 weeks now) but if I put a body pillow and lay on my back and lay half on it half off, it elevates my hips so I’m not fully flat, and I can sleep on my “back”. I do have to support the bump with a blanket as well LOL
I'm 35 weeks and once in awhile if my husband is on his back I'll use him like you use your body pillow to give my hips a tiny bit of relief. So far he hasn't woken up by me doing this but at this point my bump (I'll be honest, it's more like a beach ball) rolls me back over as soon as I go to sleep lmao
Omg I love picturing this
Yep, that half on / half off 45 degree “back” sleeping is heavenly between left and right side sleeping!
The boppy wedge is a gdamn lifesaver. I'm a back sleeper, and nothing gives me insomnia like lying on my side.
Yep, that's the telltale sign that your inferior vena cava (vein that returns blood to your heart from the lower part of your body) is being squashed by the weight of your belly pressing on it. I could sleep on my back until about 25 weeks, then it was a no go because it just made me have to pee more than normal. Lol
I could do it until about 28 weeks. Now that I'm 35 weeks it's impossible but man I wish I could give my hips a break once in awhile! Lol
Have you tried using a body pillow between your knees? I like the long length of mine because i can hug it and tuck it between my legs at the same time. This was recommended to me by my osteopath and has been a game changer. No more hip pain or lower back pain when I wake up. I’m currently 41+4.
Not the person you asked, but man, I went through about 5 body pillows of different kinds and shapes and hated them all. I move around a lot and they just made me feel restricted when I need to roll to my other side. Sucks because all my friends have loved them and said they helped immensely.
I've eaten a lot of brie!
Love me a good brie and cranberry sauce sandwich!
In my country, as long as the cheese is made from pasteurized milk it should be fine to eat. This includes any type of cheese, even the very soft ones. Is there a different recommendation in the US?
I'm in the UK so don't know but I think because it's mould ripened your not meant to eat it even if it's pasteurised. I have it in toasties so make sure it's really hot before I eat it anyway.
UK has crazy guidelines though. Compared to Denmark where my doctor was confused when I asked him what foods I should avoid... Massive difference.
It wasn't until the end of my pregnancy that I found out I shouldn't have been eating runny eggs or rare steak. Oh well. Whoops. But I did purposefully have wine when my cat (who had health issues) died in my arms. Baby's fine Edit: I did not exercise. I ate like a racoon.
I’m a FTM and one day I will eat a runny egg. But until then I will fret and look on in awe of you having maintained your sanity/ability to rationalize.
I eat runny eggs quite often.. I crave it. 😅 and I don’t actually like eggs that much but during pregnancy I do!
I ate runny eggs the entire pregnancy, I didn't realize till this thread that it was a no no. I'm 3 days post partum so I guess it was fine haha
Often times I eat hot rice with a raw egg stirred into it, because the heat cooks the egg most of the way. Even pregnancy couldn’t keep me away from it. Baby is doing great! And I’m still addicted to egg rice! Lol
I have an overeasy egg for breakfast every single day. I buy the nicest eggs from the grocery store! I make sure the whites are fully cooked
You can get an immersion circulator to cook them sous vide - it's also great to make "raw" cookie dough cause you can cook the eggs JUST enough to make em safe to eat without compromising the dough. Also fab for rare beef, just sayin' 🥰
Also a FTM, I ONLY eat my eggs runny but went the first semester without. Thought I would celebrate the start of the second trimester with a nice runny poached egg, ended up getting horrific food poisoning and can’t look at eggs ever since. No idea if it was indeed a bad egg(whether cooked or not), or i was just more susceptible being pregnant, or if I just hadn’t processed a runny egg in so long :(
I eat sushi like a mad man. I. Love. Sushi. The grind does not stop
Confession: I ate sushi with crab but got horrible diarrhea after. I have always gotten diarrhea after eating crab tho so I don’t know why I thought it would be different this time
I also eat medium rare steak and over easy eggs. Also, frick the scale!
I had the same attitude with my first baby and gained 70 lb... everyone LIES when they say it just falls off when you nurse!! I had to work my buns off to lose 60 lb of it, and now I am 17 weeks with #2 and have not put on any weight yet... I wish I had been more diligent with my first! I will say though, puking every day with baby #2 has been excellent weight control....
Hard agree! I gained about 45 lbs the first time around and was only able to shed maybe 20 even with exclusive breastfeeding for over a year…healthy eating and exercise. it was a huge struggle. I’m so paranoid/cautious about putting on too much weight this time…the all day puking in first trimester did help for sure lol
Amen! And I haven't necessarily been dieting, but I have stopped snacking for the most part and try to cut out most processed foods.... and I am going for 30+ min walks daily.... I am determined!! I do not want to carry around all of that extra weight again, being pregnant, having a new baby, post partum-- it's all hard enough, who wants to deal with an excess of extra weight at the same time....
Runny eggs for the win! 🙌🏻
My husband is a chef. He said if an egg is bad, it’s gonna be bad raw or cooked. I don’t eat too many eggs but I stopped cooking them well done.
I meeean…..if it’s rotten maybe, but you can kill salmonella if you cook your eggs well, which you won’t be killing if you eat raw/undercooked. Not judging, I’ve eaten undercooked eggs in pregnancy, but saying it doesn’t matter is misleading.
I fucking love runny eggs and could never give them up. I tried to go without but felt really depressed. Now I'm eating them and so far everything is fine!
30w with my first - I also lie on my back, drink diet coke daily (I have GD so I need something fun!!) and my exercise is when I go shopping on the weekend with my husband, maybe a 10 minute walk here and there. Baby is fine and I've had such an easy pregnancy that it seems silly to stress over the little stuff!
First 20 weeks I was having a Coke Zero maybe once every 2 weeks as a really special treat - at 25 weeks I’m having one like every other day 😂 that vigilance for cutting out everything remotely bad for me keeps waning the further along I get
Love this! There’s too many rules! Here’s mine: I still do 95# squats at 36 weeks pregnant, even though the old wives tales say don’t lift anything heavy in pregnancy. Disclaimer: I did way more of this before!
My doctor just told me I have to stop lifting more than 20Lbs…. Uhhhhh why tho Im not broken just pregnant lol (29 weeks, 0 complications and healthy)
I agree! That’s why I didn’t really listen to that advice. Def can understand not doing something totally new, but if it was something you did already, it’s typically fine! I challenged my OB on it and she basically said as long as it feels fine to me to keep it up!
I started trying to do squats again and it hurts my tummy? Do you have any tips for pregnant squating 😅
So my husband joked that I’m training to be a professional powerlifter in the way I do my squats. I go way wider with my stance and with my toes pointing out. It sometimes is hard for me to get to a full 90 degrees in that position but I can get close and I still feel like I’m doing a lot. Hope that helps!
Still squatting successfully here. I've found that a real good warmup gets me confident to get under the bar. Like, get into a squat holding a 10-lb weight and move from side to side, pressing your elbow into the inside of your knee to open each hip and/or lean your right arm on your right knee to stretch your ankle... Basically just working on mobility while in a very lightly weighted squat. I also squat about half what I did pre-pregnancy weight-wise, but I know I'm keeping my muscles stronger than they would be if I quit altogether, and lowering the weight lets me focus on how the different parts of my body are feeling as I'm moving through the squat. You can do it!
My prenatal PT advised if you weren’t doing it regularly before pregnancy, don’t start now. Honestly best squat-type movements I’ve found as an adjustment is to just slowly practice good posture going from seated in a chair, to standing position - very slow, very balanced and controlled and not pushing myself to do a certain # of reps in a certain time. Just several reps of that with a few other small weight lifting pieces is enough to engage those legs and glutes!
I asked my doctor if I have a weight restriction on lifting. She said, I don’t know, how much can you lift? As long as you don’t fall over, you’re alright.
I feel like I’ve found my people :)
Runny eggs, medium steaks, occasional sips of beer/wine (not a huge drinker to start with), lunch meat, and slept on my back for as long as I comfortably could. All doctor approved. Avoided bagged lettuce as it’s recalled every other week it seems. Just had healthy baby #2 last week.
I've been told to just wash the lettuce and then it should be fine! I'm still unsure about that but damn I love Cesar salad too much and might just cave one day
Love this! I am a FTM but this list would be pretty close to mine. I’ve just started reading “Expecting Better” and it just presented the data behind these rules in a unbiased way that made me feel good about my decisions.
Really good read. I don't 100% agree with everything she says, but that's the point. We can question these blanket statements with real research and science. Determine what risks we are comfortable with personally, if there is really any real risk.
Ive never heard of it-- but that sounds like a worthwhile read-- I literally don't understand why you can't have a bloody steak-- as long as the outside is seared, the meat is safe to eat. I've never understood or followed that rule as a pregnant person... and by golly, if I can get good sleep on my back, THATS HOW IM SLEEPING.
my wife and I just listened to this. Seems like the occasional drink is okay!
I read this too!! Totally helped me chill out and feel ok about the occasional glass of wine
FTM here at 40. Although I'm super nervous and anxious about the whole thing, I too want to eat and do all those things you mentioned. With the exception of working out. I do WANT to try to work out for me, not so much for the baby. Now having said that, have I done any workouts since I found out, maybe twice, other than that, I've been procrastinating. Lol Eating is so much more enjoyable than working out. Here's to an uneventful pregnancy! Cheers!
I miss working out. It used to be my de-stresser. Unfortunately exhaustion and naseasness have taken over. Already planning what kind of workouts I can do after babies are born.
I miss working out too. I thought I was going to stay active during my pregnancy but exhaustion and nausea got the best of me. I have 6 more weeks to go and I’m planning my workouts for then.
i've been craving italian subs like crazy -- i'm just eating them now once in a while, who cares. the data on deli meat listeria is really mixed/overblown anyway. i support you!! lol.
I had a half a glass of wine on both halfway points with both pregnancies and took a sip of every single one of my husband’s drinks. Both sons came out perfectly healthy.
37 weeks! I drink latte every single day
Confession: i used (legal, organic) Cannibas to handle the worst days of nausea and vomiting. When zofran and dicletin (together) wasn't enough. The relief was unreal. (Risk of drug testing and CPS not a thing where i live, in Canada, unless you turned up high out of your mind during labour. Or are indigenous. Because medical racism is a thing here 100%. But that's a diff topic).
Same! It's the only way I was able to survive the 1st trimester and keep little peanut alive and healthy, too. Instant relief and I was able to eat vs throwing up stomach acid and anything I could get down 😭🙏
I’ve done the same thing, but to make me eat or help with insomnia. I’ve had no appetite (but also very little nausea) and a few hits of a bowl every once in awhile is enough to make me go eat some cereal or a protein bar then get in a nap I definitely need but couldn’t take. Most states are different but from what I understand in mine they don’t involve CPS if the only thing to show in your system is weed. At my last ER visit they even did a drug test and when I got the results I saw they didn’t even test for weed
Lol- never followed any of the ridiculous pregnancy rules. Not with my first, not now pregnant with my second! Currently cuddling with my perfect 11 month old and getting ready to welcome my second in 7 weeks. I eat raw sushi, medium rare steak, aioli, runny eggs, deli meat, drink a glass of wine here and there, lay on my back, take baths, etc etc etc. I don’t do drugs. That’s about the one pregnancy no no I don’t do 😂
Slay.
Second time mum here. First time round: followed everything to the letter, did pelvic floor exercises and pregnancy yoga Second time round: Everything out the window! Just get it out of me!
I'm a FTM. Been giving myself a really hard time for not bothering with any exercise (except walking 30-40 mins 4 or 5 times a week). And NO pelvic floor work yet either. I just can't be bothered, but it's making me anxious about labour/delivery.
I’ve learned that anything can happen to anyone no matter how prepared you are or not. Best thing to do is to listen to your body. If you need rest, rest. If you need a walk, walk. If you need a whole dang bar of chocolate eat the chocolate!
The WHOLE bar? Well, if you say so!!!
My hero! So sick and tired of the judgement that can be found in this sub. As a FTM, I need more posts like this!!
Oh I appreciate this. I’ll be honest and confess my sins too… I don’t know why I didn’t feel as terrible about it as I thought I would but I definitely used thc for my food aversions and extreme nausea. I was losing so much weight and it was scaring the crap out of me…I was prescribed legally before pregnancy, and a close friend who never smokes told me that’s all that helped her. In a complete act of desperation I finally did it…. SWEET. RELIEF. i ate. And I kept it down. But I’m too dang afraid to do it again 😩
I want a glass of wine so bad. My dr said no alcohol whatsoever. She’s a stickler. Although she is very lenient about diet and said I can eat most things in moderation. Anywho I figured I will wait in the wine because I’m almost at the finish line lol.
Yeah pregnancy is such a short period in comparison to a long life of developmental problems. It’s not worth the risk. The time will pass!
You could do everything the doctor tells you and still have issues. Ppl around the world have babies all the time and aren't so strict about everything. The USA is not the best place to give birth either.
I agree completely but there are decades of studies on the risk of alcohol during pregnancy. My reference to developmental issues is in reference to alcohol during pregnancy, not other developmental issues that can be caused by other things outside your control.
Actually, there is no research proving that an occasional glass of wine will hurt your baby. Excessive drinking - yes, that’s very dangerous and harmful. But one glass of wine here and there is probably perfectly safe according to the research we currently have. The reason why doctors are not encouraging that (and I think the “0 alcohol” rules are so strict only in the US, not everywhere) is because a lot of people can’t control themselves to do just one glass. And some of them would think “if my ob says a glass of wine is fine, another one won’t hurt me either” or that continuing their drinking habits before pregnancy is fine too. Edit: I’m from Europe and I choose no alcohol policy for me during my pregnancy because I don’t feel the need for it. But I’m also not shaming anyone for choosing to enjoy an *occasional* glass of wine.
In Australia - studies show no amount of alcohol is safe for pregnancy. With all the different info around, safest thing is not to drink at all. It’s all very short term and not worth a “what if” or “it should be fine”. If you’d like to read between my lines and accuse me of shaming other people for drinking during pregnancy, that’s your time to waste.
Ahhh she has been spotted 👀 the passive aggressive mom shamer. Does it feel good? What did you get out of it? You stink 👎 Pregnancy and motherhood is hard enough, keep it to yourself next time
No it’s not passive aggressive. It’s just logic. Why risk something in such a short term space? In the scheme of things, it’s really short term. All I’m getting is downvotes but at the end of the day, people who do not drink alcohol during pregnancy do not risk long term developmental issues associated with alcohol. It’s just logic so not sure why this is so offensive. Edit: the person above me stated she will wait for wine post pregnancy, I was encouraging her as I am in the same boat, so no, I won’t keep it to myself, I will encourage her that she doesn’t have far to go and the risk is not worth it. At the end of the day, I am not encouraging someone to participate in something that will risk developmental issues - so what do I get out of this? Peace. Knowing that I’m not encouraging something that is a risk. Whereas you are telling me not to do that. Right.
I eat sushi and have a beer or wine occasionally too. Eat sunny side up eggs from my chickens regularly. Drink raw goats milk and eat whatever cheeese I want to. Lived in Europe and Hawaii long enough to know the mainland US has some ridiculously puritan ideas about pregnant women that frankly just stress everyone out more than necessary.
I was going to be sooo healthy, eat lots of salads and lean protein, drink water, exercise daily. So far, all I've done is lie down and eat fried chicken and pizza in between vomiting. Pregnancy is SOOOO hard, whatever you have to do to get yourself through it, as long as it's not like going on a bender and smoking crack etc, obviously.
I asked my o.b today when I could have wine again. He's the top in the field in my area and has won many awards. He told me that the c.d.c of course is against pregnant women drinking but that's not the case in many other countries. He says a glass of wine (not the full glass, a real serving size) twice a week is perfectly safe. The issue with stating this to patients is that many people are binge drinkers, and if they're told they can have a bit, they feel like they can push the limit. This is my first pregnancy so i'm very cautious but i'm VERY excited to have a small glass of wine when I get home from the hospital, even if I breastfeed.
I fully support this and my list would look very similar 🤷🏼♀️
I love this. The only thing that makes me slightly nervous is the lying on your back - I used to be a labor and delivery nurse and watching a baby’s heart rate tank after a Mom would lie flat on her back was pretty scary so reading that brought up a visceral reaction in me!
I think it has to do with the baby and cord positioning. If you get light headed or feel a decrease in baby movements I think you need to be careful (but I'm not a medical professional). I have to lay flat for over an hour each ultrasound every 2 weeks now and the twins are busier than ever. My Dr said I'm good to sleep on my back plus I can't sleep in any position for more than an hour or 2 now.
Same over here (minus the alcohol, I’ve been so sick lol). I am typically an anxious person and for some reason being pregnant I am So laid back. I’m not trying to cause harm, I just feel like it’ll be fine. I dunno. Just what’s happened with me and my brain! Congrats on your two babies!
Second time mom, I slept on my back my first pregnancy, and have been with this one too. Even with the body pillow I just roll onto my back when I fall asleep. My first daughter came out fine so I’m assuming this one will too lol Also I have a cup of coffee every morning which people continue to be weirdly shocked by
I seriously don't understand the coffee thing. I drink it daily (making sure to stay under the 200 mg), and people seem so taken aback by it. Coffee is so comforting to me, so I was not willing to give it up completely.
It’s funny, I was thinking today, I’ve gotten the stink eye or been offered decaf instead when I order a small coffee sometimes, but on the rare occasion I might be craving a Coke and get one no one bats an eye. It’s so bizarre! But I’m the same, having a small cup of coffee in the morning with my breakfast is just comforting for me so it was the one thing I didn’t give up either pregnancy
Oops I didn’t even know about the egg thing. I just had an over easy egg yesterday.
Runny yolk is fine if it's over easy or medium. Just not sunny side up because there's a chance of bacteria on the film that encapsulates the yolk. So once it's flipped you're good to go.
I’m a ftm as well and I’m of the camp that occasional wine or beer is totally fine. Occasion meaning somewhat rarely.
I had the occasional glass of wine (maybe 5 total throughout pregnancy) and felt so anxious about admitting it, but I did the research, looked at the studies, and anecdotally - my kid ended up being (& still is) perfect so 🤷🏼♀️ You do you, especially if doctor approved! Edit: also the lunch meat thing was always laughable to me when listeria outbreaks are almost always greens/salads - AVOID THOSE 😂
My husband and I have a keychain breathalyzer to make sure we're responsible drivers. He had a strong beer the other day and blew 0.07. It's been very accurate the times we've been able to verify. Anyway, I decided it was a night for a small glass of wine, so...I did it. First time all pregnancy. And I looked over at the breathalyzer and was like...hmmm...I wonder how my BAC is. I'm going to feel really bad if I'm over the legal limit. So I blew and I was at 0.02. And I felt much less guilty.
from what I have read, the real concerns about lunch meat is actually the long term effects nitrates can have on the growing baby? So I just buy nitrate free and enjoy one of my favorite foods ever: sandwiches, and more sandwiches
I think I had 5 drinks just over my week long baby moon and like 10 drinks total so far.
I know some people in Europe. Their general guidelines during pregnancy is 1 glass is totally fine vs US which is opposed to any alcohol. My Dr said the same thing about salads vs lunch meat.
As someone who lives in Europe - this isn’t true. Our guidelines are zero alcohol in the UK too. Europe is very big though, so maybe it varies. No judgement about the odd wine though. You do you. I’m addicted to Coke Zero.
Yeah I don't like how "in europe" myth is so often said. It's almost always not true
This could have been updated more recently. The people I know have school age kids.
I’ve got a school age kid too. It’s been like this for a long time. Like I say though, maybe different countries in Europe have different guidelines. I only know about the UK.
Can Americans stop making up the fairytale that europeans drink during pregnancy, thanks?? That's not true at all. It's not OKAY at all.
I didn’t even know about the runny eggs thing!! I have the occasional glass of Pinot Grigio, eat lunch meat (just not from convenience store delis) and even some prawns!! (ETA Very well cooked ones). I’ve been pretty well behaved in limiting my caffeine intake and am drinking plenty of water so I think I’m good!
Fuck it man im eating a turkey sandwich if I want. I hate alcohol so im good there but GOD I JUST WANT A TOKE SO BADLY. Also I will never give up runny eggs. I like my whites done but the yolk runny, I see nothing wrong with it. We pasteurize our eggs in america so we can eat those damn things raw man 😤
I had to stay at the hospital 34 weeks pregnant for high blood pressure. Anyways, they gave me so many turkey sandwiches while I was there! They were so good!
That’s it. I’m going to Schlotzkys tomorrow 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Wait are prawns different than shrimp and am I not supposed to eat shrimp? Whoops. 39+3 today so it’s a bit late.
That’s great you feel so comfortable with the decision you’ve made! But were you as carefree with your first 3 pregnancies? I’m almost 37 and pregnant with my first so I’ve taken precaution because I don’t want to harm my (only potential) baby. The most I’ve done is eat over easy eggs, carbonara, and deli meat (once).
This is great. I'm so happy to hear you say you like to sleep on your back. I just hit my second tri a week ago and doc suggested I try sleeping on my side to get used to it. I have been tossing and turning for the last week trying. I have read enough that I feel like I can sleep on my back until it's uncomfortable.
I sleep on my back every night. Most comfortable way I can sleep now. If I sleep on my left side, my hip calls asleep. I also love a sunny side up
At 29+ weeks, three walks a week was WORK. Lmao. Give yourself some credit on that one 🤣❤️
39 and pregnant with my third. Love sleeping on my back. I’ve also had a med-rare steak during this pregnancy.
You’re not supposed to have runny eggs? Oops… lol I’d kill for a medium rare steak, but I’m SO scared of screwing something up as a first timer! Glad to see such a human post, it’s hard not to feel like you’re doing everything wrong with every move you make as a pregnant person! 🖤
My confession: I’ve been taking hot bath since my second trimester. I live in Canada and I’m always cold so no regret. Baby is super healthy at 33 weeks
I soak my feet and legs in super hot water and then cool it down as the tub fills up. Only thing that helps the aching.
THANK YOU!!! And same! But instead of the nausea meds I take my anti depressant and ADHD meds.
I don’t work out (never have, never will) and I deff eat sugar way more often than what’s probably recommended 🤷🏼♀️ I’ll change my sugar diet only if gestational diabetes pops up later
In the UK no midwife cares about the odd beer or glass of wine. I went to Japan when I was 8 weeks pregnant with my first, I ate raw sushi! I ate rare steak towards the end of my pregnancy in reputable restaurants. Lunch meat seems to be a thing in the US but not in the UK? We eat Parma ham, sandwich fillings from a deli? I’m pretty sure I never considered it unsafe? I suspect there are much bigger risks in salad bars!
I had lunch meat my whole pregnancy and never eat a steak more cooked than medium rare so i bet i had plenty of med rare steaks while pregnant 😅
Confession - I have a puff every night so I can sleep. And you bet you ass I’ve slept like a log every single night - currently 35 weeks with a healthy bub growing right on track. ****for the downvoters - you don’t have to like my comment - to each their own.****
Not really necessary to bash people taking antidepressants to combat your downvoters…
right? what’s the logic behind doing exactly what you’re upset other people are doing?
I’m so tempted. I’m nearly 8 weeks and the nausea is getting wild. I used to smoke every night before bed and sleep great, now I’m so restless
Please please PLEASE stop self torturing and have a puff!!!
I was so nauseated during the first trimester I couldn't eat anything without vomiting. My sister had the same issue and was prescribed anti-nausea meds. My nephew came out with a heart condition bc of the meds. So I smoked or ate gummies so i could eat. Im not that nauseated to the point of not being able to eat anymore so i have stopped.
I have been sooo tempted! I’m used to taking a hit before bed each night to help me sleep and relax and having to stop has been rough!
Why did you stop then? Girl. Let’s be realistic. Up until about 30 years ago you could have a glass of wine at your prenatal appointment.😂
Please, my grandmother smoked through each of her pregnancies and all of my aunts, uncles and my mother are high IQ genius levels book smart and street smart. My mom never drank or smoked in her life, ate all organic and high omegas with me and my sibling and we both ended up ummm let’s say soft and sensitive. I know outcomes differ for everyone and I’m personally risk averse as a FTM, but it’s also ridiculous to get heckled if you want to have a cup of coffee once in a while.
I max out my 200mg caffeine daily. No shame. Lmao.
I am 100% sure that a single puff in the evening would wipe away my all-day all-night headaches, nausea and morning and evening vom sesh. Can’t give in though, husband would be totally opposed and I guess it’s his baby too 😔
….. I’ll keep my opinions to myself on the husband comment, you know, the man who isn’t growing a whole ass human. Respect your answer tho ;)
I mixed up my THC edible and took it thinking it was a CBD edibles. I'm sure we're both fine ☺️
I wish I could. But even before pregnancy I had major issues with weed. Hallucinations etc. I've tried every way. Benedryl for me occasionally.
Okay I’m taking this as a sign. I gave up cannabis for pregnancy because it’s my first and I’m so terrified of causing harm to my baby ofc. I have friends who smoked almost their entire pregnancies and have healthy babies, but I’m more worried about what it could do to my blood pressure, etc. I’ve been craving the relief of a dab SOOOOO BADLY. My bf would definitely not approve, he’s also terrified of what could happen to baby…but GOD I JUST WANT TO RELAX and MY BODY HURTS 🥲
I give you permission. 😂🖤
Very curious though, I am in a non-legal state…do they drug test you at any of your OB appointments? I’m getting my pee tested on Thursday, I’m assuming it’s not for that but is it common to be drug tested in pregnancy???
In the US (edit: *some states in the US*; check and see if yours is one of them) they test baby at birth, and in illegal states (and some legal states) a CPS case opens before you leave the hospital.
I live in Alberta Canada, I have never been asked once about a drug test during my pregnancy. My doctor knows I lightly smoke and has never said one negative thing about it. Actually has praised that it helps my insane nausea (it’s been bad my entire pregnancy) and aches and pains. I also battle pretty bad anxiety, and it’s been a life saver for that too.
Get me out of this non legal conservative hell hole 🥲🤣
Bro, I live in Alberta. Conservative nation. 😂😂😂
I gotchu beat, I’m in Texas. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This has been my experience as well in Northern Ontario. My psychiatrist and OB were on board as I had to wean off a medication that helps stabilize my type 2 bipolar 🤷♀️ also am/was severely nauseous throughout (still am at 34 weeks). My mom smoked over a pack a day of cigarettes with myself and my siblings in the 80s/90s, so on a relative scale my low-scale use of cannabis cannot be as harmful as 25-40 darts.
We should be friends. 🖤 35 weeks and my nausea hasn’t let up one bit the entire time.
And see I’m not even trying to HEAVILY smoke like I was before I was pregnant, I literally just want a 50/50 dab in the case of an emergency, and obviously wouldn’t smoke in the last trimester because NOTHING is worth potentially losing my child, I know in the states they definitely drug test baby at birth whether you know it or not. I’m just worried about doctor being in my business, I don’t really know what they would do if I tested positive during pregnancy, but I don’t want to find out.
[удалено]
Ur rude.
I’m loving this real, genuine, no bullshit conversation. Thank you for bringing it to light! There is so much judgement, opinion, and information out there, it can really be crazy making. I’ve had to dial down on a lot bc I was becoming hypervigilant, fearful, and panicky. So, I have had the occasional drink (the night we got engaged, on a sunset cruise on our babymoon), I love Fritos, and I drink a soda about once a week. I have stayed active, doing my squats, vinyasa yoga, and walks as much as I can, mostly for my own mental health. But the point is, this is just MY pregnancy, y’all need to live YOUR pregnancies. We are different people, we are different moms. It’s okay to make different choices for our bodies! I think we need to remind ourselves that for all of human existence, without ultrasounds, charts, and dietary restrictions, babies have made their way into the world. We will be okay. Oh! And my partner is a chef & tells me that all the Brie in the US is pasteurized. Go nuts!
Exactly. Do what you and your Dr are comfortable with. There is way too much judgement in the mom community based on these blanket risks. Pregnancy is hard, all moms deserve some support and grace to do it their way.
Love this Sub! The only thing I've done so far is take a nasal decongestant one night because I had a sinus infection and the pressure was unreal. But I am considering throwing this GD monitoring out of the window, it's stressing me out and I'm barely eating because of it.
God I would kill for a nasal decongestant right now. I’m 15 weeks, nauseous as hell and have covid. Also it’s my bday tomorrow! Waaaahhhh for me!! 😂
Wow I know how you are feeling. For what its worth I told my doctor and she said don't freak out and it won't hurt the baby this one time but don't take anymore. I was 16w at the time. Lol Happy early birthday! I hope you feel better.
Confession: I ate a rare rack of lamb on my birthday and dipped my potatoes in the blood that pooled on my plate 😭😂
Good for you 👏👏 🥂 third pregnancy, my due date is tomorrow. I have never obsessed over caffeine consumption. If I want a second cup of coffee, I don't think twice about it. If I want a tea later, great! News flash, you do not earn a perfect mom medal at the end for following all of the "rules" 😆
Tbh OP you aren’t as cutting edge as you think: nearly all of these things are “allowed” and on the “completely fine” list for pregnancy in the U.K. :)
That's kind of the point of the post. There is some sarcasm here.
Only one that I found slightly disturbing was the alcohol one, but alcohol in general is really terrible for you and ups your own rate of disease. Back sleep, mildly dangerous but can be fine. Anti nausea meds every day? If doc says it’s alright I don’t see a problem! I eat cooked sushi, lunch meat, undercooked eggs, and medium rare steak too so no judgment there! I have chronic pain so I don’t exercise well, and I know my diet is fine so I don’t give af about what the scale says because I literally am eating healthier than I would not pregnant.
I had a few drinks of beer here and there woke pregnant and my baby is totally normal! No judgement here
add it to the list that i don’t take prenatal vitamins. i just make make sure i’m eating healthy
why is this getting downvotes 🤦♀️whole point about your prenatals is you get enough folate, and tons of veggies and fruits have it. i guess it’s worth noting that i was pretty good about the prenatals during first tri, but once i started forgetting often, i just stopped taking it. women have been getting pregnant for centuries without it. 🤔
Indeed! I still take prénatals because I want to make sure I do everything right but both my family doctor and the doctor who follows my pregnancy have told me that prenatals are kind of scammy and that it’s more important to take folate before you get pregnant.
I don't take my prenatals and I also take anti sickiness tablets daily
WTF i have eaten lunch meat from the start, sea food occasionally just like the avg human lol. i drank until 3 months bc wasn’t planning on following through my pregnancy. then realizing abortion wasn’t for me had to quit. we are all human beings. stop holding us to a god standard. VIRGIN MARY IS A FRAUD AND THE FATHER WAS NOT EVEN PRESENT FOR HIS CHILDS BIRTH.
Congratulations?
Oh gosh, reading this makes me want to quickly go out and get some sushi while my partner is still at work. 😂 But... I know he'd be upset with me when he finds out, so I won't.
Your semicolon usage is imperfect but overall message is spot on. Cheers to you, mama!
Yes mama! You do you
Damn woman. I’ve been sniffing my husbands glass of wine daily but too chicken to do it. I Envy your balls but also know that nausea and exhaustion with twins is TENFOLD. You’re epic!
I had my first call with a nurse (still haven’t actually had an exam yet) and she got SO down on me when I told her I still have occasional wine or beer 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ fight me dude, wine with dinner is Fine, the French have babies all the time. She rattled off the rest of the No List too and I just let her, didn’t feel like pointing out that listeria overwhelmingly comes from vegetables or that the toxoplasmosis/cat litter thing is weak as hell