Moldy Cheese

SamanthAnalise

So tonight for dinner, I ate some cheddar cheese off the hard block. It had been opened before, but rewrapped in the package and some clear wrap, but it doesn't expire until April. After I ate a little piece, I noticed some white mold on the edge of the block and the end of it. I don't know if the piece that I ate had the mold or not. I am 30 weeks, and freaking out about Listeria. Does anyone know anything about this? Could this harm my baby? Then, I read that Listeria sometimes your symptoms will not show up. Please help, thank you!

SarahFoley725

Girl, we are going to have to put you in a bubble for the next 10 weeks.

AlissaLee17

Listeria isn't a fungus...

skruhmin

Technically cheese is one giant bacterial process...

Edited because remembering science is too hard for this tired mom brain.

SamanthAnalise

For real! I need my own bubble, so I can stop worrying! Since listeria isn't a fungus tho, how come listeria can grow on cheese?

AlissaLee17

Listeria can grow on just about any food. It's a genus of bacteria. The food is contaminated by surfaces. You worry about things like cheese or meats from a deli because they use the same machinery and food surfaces for a lot of different foods, so contamination is more likely if they aren't properly cleaning their equipment.

soxfan9968

ecwk

SamanthAnalise said:

So tonight for dinner, I ate some cheddar cheese off the hard block. It had been opened before, but rewrapped in the package and some clear wrap, but it doesn't expire until April. After I ate a little piece, I noticed some white mold on the edge of the block and the end of it. I don't know if the piece that I ate had the mold or not. I am 30 weeks, and freaking out about Listeria. Does anyone know anything about this? Could this harm my baby? Then, I read that Listeria sometimes your symptoms will not show up. Please help, thank you!

Honestly, are you serious? You really need to relax and stop freaking out about every tiny thing you consume. Half a bottle of Gatorade yesterday and a piece of cheese today? For real? Your baby will be fine.
Do you suffer from anxiety? I'm not saying that to be rude, I'm asking honestly. It might be worth having a chat with your doctor if you are worrying about these sorts of things. The stress you are apparently feeling is disproportionate to these problems. You're going to have a lot more things to worry about once baby is here and it might be helpful for you to investigate some coping techniques. I wish you the best.

cmerribury

Listeria can grown on anything. It's a bacteria. Finding mold on your cheese is gross, but you are fine.

AlissaLee17

I used to test meat for all sorts of fun stuff, including listeria, from different butcher shops and such. It was a gross job, but I never saw a positive listeria (thankfully).

soxfan9968

Because it's a bacteria that requires small amounts of water and sugar. That's it. Fresh cheese has water. It's made of milk (a nutrient rich environment) which contains lactose a sugar.

kyraaD

dude, you need to relax. parenting is going to be a real struggle if you're already this worried about such small things. the chances of actually getting listeria is really quite small. you & your baby are fine. but honestly, if you're THAT worried about it, i would be calling a doctor or something instead of hopping on TB & making a post about it.

oceanchild

Eh whenever I find moldy spots on my cheese i just slice them off and keep on eating. Bc CHEEEEEEZ

cmerribury

That's what my grandma always told me to do, @oceanchild! No point in throwing the baby out with the bath water!

oceanchild

Right?! I mean some of that fancy expensive cheese is just "moldy" cheese anyhow LOL.

red3ye

*giggle* this remind me of the comment earlier: babies born after the due date are expired.... hope the expired cheese does not effect when the baby will be born

soxfan9968

cmerribury said:

That's what my grandma always told me to do, @oceanchild! No point in throwing the baby out with the bath water!

Well that depends, is baby moldy? Lick it. If it's sour it's also probably expired. Time for a new one!!

mybigfatgreekfetus

I'm naturally an anxious person and have been diagnosed with panic/anxiety since I was a teenager. Early on I worried about everything I ate. Then I realized- anything in small amouts is probably not a big deal. You know what really isn't good for baby? Freaking out! That made me change my tune and let me relax a little. Even ate a bite of raw cookie dough and a bit of my husband's medium rare steak. Would I chug a bottle of wine? No. But worrying about Gatorade or moldy cheese isn't helping you or your baby. Hang in there girl! Home stretch!

skruhmin

Mmmmmm cookie dough. 

LIly436

You will be fine. Just cut this moldy part off and if still anxious use this cheese for something you bake (pizza). Even if you eat it, you will be fine, because it is not the dangerous kind of mold. If you see the black or green one, then it is time to throw it away, because it is not tasty any more, but it still edible and fairly safe. Don't forget that you still have a pretty well working immune system