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Diet restrictions in pregnancy
Was wondering about diet restrictions when pregnant and how strict generally people are with their diet. So drinking caffeine, eating cold meats, raw fish, shellfish & oysters (i love miss them so much) and cooking meats to well-done etc.
On one hand, i think women have been having babies since the dawn of time and these restrictions are recent and children have, in the most cases, been born fine. For example, my mother would have drank 10+ cups of tea a day and both me and my sister are fine. Allergies in children are increasing, is this because the are not introduced to small amount of bacteria in the womb so they have immunity to it???????
On the other hand, I'm not a doctor and don't feel qualified allow myself to eat some of these things out of fear of what I may do to my baby.
This is my first pregnancy. I have been limiting tea to 2 cups a day and following all the other diet restrictions exactly. Am I being too strict on myself?
Note: This poll is not related to smoking, alcohol, misuse of prescription drugs or illegal drugs. Its just about diet.
On one hand, i think women have been having babies since the dawn of time and these restrictions are recent and children have, in the most cases, been born fine. For example, my mother would have drank 10+ cups of tea a day and both me and my sister are fine. Allergies in children are increasing, is this because the are not introduced to small amount of bacteria in the womb so they have immunity to it???????
On the other hand, I'm not a doctor and don't feel qualified allow myself to eat some of these things out of fear of what I may do to my baby.
This is my first pregnancy. I have been limiting tea to 2 cups a day and following all the other diet restrictions exactly. Am I being too strict on myself?
Note: This poll is not related to smoking, alcohol, misuse of prescription drugs or illegal drugs. Its just about diet.
I have been out for sushi a number of times with both of my pregnancies and I eat sushi rolls that are cooked or the ones that are deep fried. The ones that have crab (usually they use imitation crab) or shellfish (shrimp, crawfish) or eel are always cooked - as long as you keep the raw fish off the top - like if they put strips of salmon or something on it. I have stayed away from all the raw ones - even though I LOVE super white tuna and salmon! I know it'd probably be OK every now and then, but I'm just not willing to risk it. I do eat regular cooked fish, like canned tuna or grilled salmon fairly often, too, to make sure I get my weekly dose of Omega 3's and such.
That's what I was thinking! Japanese women have babies and sushi is a large part of their diet!
I think I will have some shrimp sushi and spicy salmon sashimi tonight!
I think I will have some shrimp sushi and spicy salmon sashimi tonight!
So excited to see other mom's are eating sushi too! I worked in a sushi restaurant back in the day and I remember the Japanese women would eat sushi while pregnant.I thought well if they do it then so can I. I too limit my intake of high mercury fish, but other than that the only raw seafood I don't eat while pregnant is oysters.
Glad to see this question. I also don't follow all the restrictions. I usually have a hot chocolate in the morning (coffee & tea are disgusting to me right now) and a can of coke at dinner. I live in New England and love seafood! This has been really hard for me. I am dying for sushi!! I know I could have the california rolls but I know it will just be a tease lol. Anyone else have raw sushi or is there a specific cooked sushi that I'm unaware of??
it does seem crazy that were not even phased by it! i just think when i go into labour il get to meet my baby :)
Not too sure about the looking forward to labour part but definitely looking forward to having the little bub in my arms :P. Saw your having a scan soon. Is it your 18week scan? Good luck with it.
Chezross I am soo looking forward to labor haha that's funny cuz everyone tells me I'm crazy
I dont follow diet restrictions either. I've never been a big seafood fan I just like lobster and crab. I hate sushi. And my meat always has to be well done, never liked that "pink meat" or still bleeding meat. caffeine is my biggest indulgence, I have about 4 cans of MNT Dew a day. Lunch meat made me sick when I had morning sickness so I wont touch it now lol. I have a farming family (mine as well as DH's family) so raw milk, butter, fresh yard eggs, and goats milk is a must for me. I grew up with it. And I also grew up with eat whatever my step brought home from the woods. This is the way I've always ate and the way I Will always eat. Dont really care what the doc says lol :) DD was healthy and Baby is growing and is healthy, so I'm not worried.
Great question!! I wonder the same thing. I'm pregnant with my first as well and follow the diet to a T, but after reading everyones responses I'll ease up because I'm dying for a sandwich!!!
Sorry that was long, but I also forgot to mention that my son is completely healthy and also has no signs of any complications except for being a chunky baby LOL
I voted other because the diet restrictions didn't cover cultural meals. I'm Samoan(Polynesian) and I ate boiled plantains, baked Taro root, and I eat raw fish.
The caffeine, I drink 7up, ginger ale or sierra mist whenever I get the chance. :) I have at least half a pot of coffee through out the day if I have no pop. I went into a withdrawal that was more dangerous for my baby and me because I had cut out caffeine completely and the doc was like ok you can have your caffeine. ;)
The whole warm your lunch meat thing made it taste funny to me afterwards, so I just started making my lunch meats from scratch. It was cheaper especially since I have so many leftovers from the holidays when I was really chowing down. My husband likes his meat to "still have a pulse", so he says, so every now and then I will steal a piece of two from his plate, especially when my meat tastes a little dry. I crave nothing but BBQ slathered Ribs from anywhere as long as it was drenched in BBQ sauce.
Seafood, I eat it all, except the ones with high mercury content. I don't eat the local seafood raw because the water has such a high Mercury content on its own. But eating oysters raw is a risk everyone, pregnant or not, takes. I just so happen to really like my seafood and sushi. You can't tell an Islander, much less a pregnant one with cravings that she can't have her fish. LOL I even had octopus sushi with tune shashimi.
Just so everyone doesn't freak out at my diet, I have only gained 12 lbs being considered obese pre-pregnancy(254lbs 5'8" I threw up 14 lbs during my 1st trimester so 240 if you count that). I have no signs of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or toxemia. I had a whole bag of twizzlers 30 minutes before my glucose test and passed with a 98. If anything I was almost considered anemic. The only weight issue i have had is due to stress and by the time my next appointment comes around, everything has resolved itself and I am at a normal weight gain. Anyway I pretty much did and eat whatever I want, just in proportion.
The caffeine, I drink 7up, ginger ale or sierra mist whenever I get the chance. :) I have at least half a pot of coffee through out the day if I have no pop. I went into a withdrawal that was more dangerous for my baby and me because I had cut out caffeine completely and the doc was like ok you can have your caffeine. ;)
The whole warm your lunch meat thing made it taste funny to me afterwards, so I just started making my lunch meats from scratch. It was cheaper especially since I have so many leftovers from the holidays when I was really chowing down. My husband likes his meat to "still have a pulse", so he says, so every now and then I will steal a piece of two from his plate, especially when my meat tastes a little dry. I crave nothing but BBQ slathered Ribs from anywhere as long as it was drenched in BBQ sauce.
Seafood, I eat it all, except the ones with high mercury content. I don't eat the local seafood raw because the water has such a high Mercury content on its own. But eating oysters raw is a risk everyone, pregnant or not, takes. I just so happen to really like my seafood and sushi. You can't tell an Islander, much less a pregnant one with cravings that she can't have her fish. LOL I even had octopus sushi with tune shashimi.
Just so everyone doesn't freak out at my diet, I have only gained 12 lbs being considered obese pre-pregnancy(254lbs 5'8" I threw up 14 lbs during my 1st trimester so 240 if you count that). I have no signs of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or toxemia. I had a whole bag of twizzlers 30 minutes before my glucose test and passed with a 98. If anything I was almost considered anemic. The only weight issue i have had is due to stress and by the time my next appointment comes around, everything has resolved itself and I am at a normal weight gain. Anyway I pretty much did and eat whatever I want, just in proportion.
i totally agree with what you said about babies being born fine, my mum smoked all the way through her pregnancy with me, and i have no underlying health problems.
i follow not eating raw meats or eggs or mayo part but because i work nights the caffiene restrictions are really difficult to follow, but most days i manage 1 brew in the morning and 1 in the evening.
when are you due?
i follow not eating raw meats or eggs or mayo part but because i work nights the caffiene restrictions are really difficult to follow, but most days i manage 1 brew in the morning and 1 in the evening.
when are you due?
I really surprised but pleased to see the results. I think I will continue as I am while I'm still in the developmental stage of my pregnancy and then I'l ease up once I hit the later stages. Thank you all for your input.
Like most women with my first pregnancy I followed every single guideline for diet. I had zero caffiene, fish, lunch meats, soft cheese, yogurt, etc. Then with my second I continued to have ice tea a few times a week or a coke at the movie theater. In the third trimester after the suggestions of the L&D nurses I had a glass of wine.
This time around the only thing I'm sticking too is to take it easy on the caffeine (no more than 1 per day) and to avoid soft cheese other than cream cheese. I even had sushi last week. Some soft cheeses have a bacteria that can cause still birth thus why I avoid it. Like someone else said every state, dr, and pregnancy is different. For me having things in moderation is my guideline. I don't think a coke and a hotdog at a baseball game are that big of a deal.
This time around the only thing I'm sticking too is to take it easy on the caffeine (no more than 1 per day) and to avoid soft cheese other than cream cheese. I even had sushi last week. Some soft cheeses have a bacteria that can cause still birth thus why I avoid it. Like someone else said every state, dr, and pregnancy is different. For me having things in moderation is my guideline. I don't think a coke and a hotdog at a baseball game are that big of a deal.
With my first pregnancy, I followed every guideline there was. I didn't drink ANY caffeine, except for the occasional Barq's Root Beer - which does have a little in it. I NEVER ate lunch meat, except for every now and then - like if we had a luncheon at work and they brought Subway in - but I microwaved it first. I also did NOT eat any shellfish, because my doctor said no to it, for a reason other than mercury, I forget now.
This pregnancy, we live in a different state, different doctor, and she has different rules. Pretty much the same as the first except she says OK to shellfish - good thing, we live near the gulf and everyone eats shellfish here! :-) I also drink more caffeine - no more than probably one or two times a week, and I also have an occasional O'Doul's Amber non-alcoholic beer here and there because I am CRAVING beer this time! Last time, beer and wine sounded disgusting, but this time, I really want both! The non-alcoholic wine tastes gross, so I stick to my fake beers every now and then. My baby and I are both growing healthy, so I figure all is well.
This pregnancy, we live in a different state, different doctor, and she has different rules. Pretty much the same as the first except she says OK to shellfish - good thing, we live near the gulf and everyone eats shellfish here! :-) I also drink more caffeine - no more than probably one or two times a week, and I also have an occasional O'Doul's Amber non-alcoholic beer here and there because I am CRAVING beer this time! Last time, beer and wine sounded disgusting, but this time, I really want both! The non-alcoholic wine tastes gross, so I stick to my fake beers every now and then. My baby and I are both growing healthy, so I figure all is well.
I follow some, and some I don't. I don't like seafood at all so that wasn't an issue. Caffeine I stayed away from for about the first 22wks (I was so sick and could hardly keep anything down), but lately I've been having a can of soda a day then mostly water. Lunch meat I eat occasionally, maybe once every 2 wks or so. BUT hot dogs...wow that's another story! I crave them from the gas station! It's just not the same if I make them at home! I try to just have them once a week, maybe twice! ;) I think the key is moderation, like someone else said. I have a friend who is 30 wks pregnant (I'm 28wks!) and all she drinks is Coke & Mt Dew, no water, no milk, no juice, nothing else. She has told me that she drinks probably close to 8 cans or more a day! Constantly is eating sushi too! I've asked her if she is worried about her eating habits and she just says "nope.", as she ***** down a Mt Dew! It's crazy!
In the beginning I was RELIGIOUS about following pregnancy diet restrictions. No cold lunchmeat, hot dogs with NO nitrates, completely caffine free, limited fish and so on. Now, at the end of my pregnancy, I do eat cold lunchmeat, I just stay away from smoked or cured lunchmeat as it is not cooked. I usually go with cooked ham or oven roasted turkey breast. I do drink 1-2 cups of tea each week. The rest of the guidelines I do follow. For me, it wasn't a difficult change, like the other women it was already a part of my natural diet.
I always suggest following your doctor's instructions, especially if you really trust and like your dr. For me, a few food restrictions were worth the cause. :) But I don't think you will spontaniously combust if you eat a hot dog with some nitrates in it. LOL
I always suggest following your doctor's instructions, especially if you really trust and like your dr. For me, a few food restrictions were worth the cause. :) But I don't think you will spontaniously combust if you eat a hot dog with some nitrates in it. LOL
I also didn't really follow any rules for my two pregnancies...I drank caffeine (always less than 250mg a day) but I don't like seafood so that wasn't an issue and I don't really like deli meats either.....but I did avoid the whole "eating for two" mentality and managed to keep my weight gain very minimal....eat for a very healthy one, consider what goes into your body, and you'll be fine! I did eat less sweets while pregnant...but not really intentionally, both times I Just craved sweets less.
I voted other becuase I didn't really follow the diet guidelines...it just so happened that my normal diet fell under a lot of them. I don't eat red meat so undercooked red meat was always out of the question. I don't eat seafood anyway. I'm not a big lunchmeat person but when I do eat it I like it warm anyway.
As for caffeine. I'm a BIG caffeine junky. Under 300 mg (i think) of caffeine per day is ok according to some studies/docs.
Just FYI I've had 5 babies that had NO issues from my diet.
As for caffeine. I'm a BIG caffeine junky. Under 300 mg (i think) of caffeine per day is ok according to some studies/docs.
Just FYI I've had 5 babies that had NO issues from my diet.
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