October 2024 Moms

The Great Big Question Thread

Have a question? Drop it here so we can try and answer it, or point you in the right direction!

(Try to place questions here rather than in "one off" threads - keeps the board looking cleaner.)

Re: The Great Big Question Thread

  • I'm not sure if this is a question or a venting session, and I'm sure this is going to feel so old hat to you STM+. But OMG I'm already going a bit nuts with all of the conflicting info on what you can/cannot do while pregnant! I admit to having forgotten that pregnant women can't(?) have brie cheese, and had purchased some to make baked brie with, but then I remembered and started googling safe cheese, and I'm already seeing so much that's in conflict. "No soft cheese." "Soft cheese is fine if it's pasteurized and not mould-ripened." "Blue cheese is off limits." "Stilton and other harder blue cheeses are perfectly fine as long as they're pasteurized."

    I guess besides just ranting, maybe my question is how have people managed the onslaught of information on what is and isn't safe for pregnant women?
  • I liked the Emily Oster Expecting Better book. I'm a data person and I really vibed with her approach. When info wasn't in the book, then I generally looked at the NHS recommendations. Even though I live in the U.S., I find that the NHS is more reasonable and has better science behind some of its decisions. That being said, I went down the rabbit hole of scientific studies / articles on way too many things the first time around. I think it's very normal to feel overwhelmed by all of the conflicting info. We just do our best. 🤷
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  • @ferret22 Yeah, I need to start reading that one. I'm an economist, just like Emily Oster, and I've heard such great things about that book. Thanks!
  • Baby number 3, and I think a lot of these rules are silly. I’m not really changing my diet at all. People worry about lunch meats and cheese, but most cases of food borne issues you hear about come from supermarket fruits and vegetables. Just use common sense and practice basic food safety. 
  • First time around I tried to tune out the unwanted voices and opinions and tried to do my own research to understand the risk of each thing I wasn’t allowed and whether that risk was worth it for me. I chose not to drink at all and followed most food rules but ate sushi if it was at a high quality sushi spot, oysters if they were super fresh and local, deli meats if they were warmed up… cheese seems to be a non issue here because most of it is now pasteurized in the states I think? For me the deciding factor was anxiety, if the item I was consuming or the activity I was doing gave me anxiety it wasn’t worth it. The thing I struggled with the most was not taking hot baths! But I will say my baths got hotter and hotter as my due date grew closer haha
  • Im very overwhelmed by food choices also. We conceived through IVF so I received a pregnancy diet paper from my clinic, but there’s food not on the clinics paper that is on the Bump food list… so I’m putting them both together. That said, we eat out a lot and I’m working to make healthy choices when we do (lots of chicken) but there’s so many conflicting things online about everything! Steak for example! Some people say red meat has to be thoroughly cooked, no pink or red, while others say medium is fine, and another community of women continue to eat their meat medium rare! It’s hard for me not to fixate on such conflicting info. I don’t really have a good answer for you, but know I’m feeling your struggle!
  • I too was very overwhelmed at all the different information especially about herbal tea.  Some of my favorite tea blends have organic licorace root and I have no way of knowing how much is in each bag.  Some study linked licorace too decreased outcomes.  There's no studies saying what is a safe amount.  I'm sure one tea bag shouldn't be too much of a risk but I find myself staying away from it regardless.  
  • I’m only 7 weeks pregnant and came back positive for BV (bacterial vaginosis) so the doctor prescribed me Metronidazole without explaining any potential risks to my baby. However, when I spoke with the pharmacist to pick up the medication, they explained that there’s a risk of the baby getting cleft lip with or without a cleft palate with taking metronidazole during the 1st trimester since the baby is developing and super fragile!! (The medication passes through the placenta). I’ve been trying to call my Dr to see if there are safer alternatives but I’m waiting to hear back from her. Has anyone else come across a similar issue and decided to take the medication anyways?? Any alternatives to drugs or maybe alternative drugs you have used? 

    (I’m also considered a high risk pregnancy so I’m scared and doubtful with everything I’m putting into my body😭)
  • We just had our dating sonogram and it's measuring two weeks less than what we thought it should be. We only had sex once and I tracked LH with test strips so I def know when I ovulated. It makes me nervous that something's wrong and baby's not growing right. Has anyone else had sonogram dates that seemed off?
  • @ferret22 I haven’t had mine yet this pregnancy but last pregnancy my scan was measuring a week behind and I was fairly certain my original date was right. But in the end my daughter was born at 41 weeks - a week after the later due date they gave me… so maybe I was off somehow. Did you bring up your concern to the doctor? Did she/he seem concerned about it? 
  • @puzzlehead11 They were a bit concerned and scheduled me for another ultrasound this coming Friday to "check for viability". I'm pretty stressed about it.
  • @ferret22 that’s so stressful, I’m so sorry. Sending you good thoughts!! I hope all goes well ❤️
  • Hello everyone, Im new here, I just found out I’m expecting twins after having 3 miscarriages. So I’m super nervous for this pregnancy.. I’m 9 weeks 3 days pregnant as of today. Any advice would be great? Thank you!
  • @ferret22 that is stressful, I’m so sorry! Sending positive thoughts for Friday ❤️
  • @ferret22 Also sending good vibes your way and keeping you in my thoughts for Friday!
  • tuvarrituvarri member
    edited March 2024
    Hello all, I'm new here. This is my first pregnancy and I'm one day shy of 9 weeks. I was wondering how everyone deals with nausea and cooking dinners?? I feel kind of useless right now and I've always cooked I love cooking and now if I cook I can't eat when I'm done. Any tips??
  • Im very overwhelmed by food choices also. We conceived through IVF so I received a pregnancy diet paper from my clinic, but there’s food not on the clinics paper that is on the Bump food list… so I’m putting them both together. That said, we eat out a lot and I’m working to make healthy choices when we do (lots of chicken) but there’s so many conflicting things online about everything! Steak for example! Some people say red meat has to be thoroughly cooked, no pink or red, while others say medium is fine, and another community of women continue to eat their meat medium rare! It’s hard for me not to fixate on such conflicting info. I don’t really have a good answer for you, but know I’m feeling your struggle!

    So my understanding of steak is that whole steak is fine when cooked to medium rare, but you want to be more careful with things like a ground beef in a burger, which you should thoroughly cook instead. Since the meat is ground up, there's more exposed surface area for the bacteria to grow, and the additional processing needed to grind it can also cause contamination. So that's why it's considered riskier.

    This is just general food safety advice though, not specifically applied to pregnancy, but my guess is that's the logic behind it. I know plenty of people who eat their burgers medium to medium rare without issues, but it may be something we should be more cautious about as pregnant people.
  • @ferret22 I hope your appointment went well today ❤️
  • @tuvarri We have an Instant Pot and I did a lot of "dump" dinners in early pregnancy last time, or casseroles. That way I could prep it early if needed, then either pop in the oven or dump in the Instant Pot and go. I prepped a lot of dump meals for postpartum, too. You can find dump recipes and cookbooks. A lot of them can be thrown into a big zip baggie and frozen, then you just dump and cook!
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