Am I supposed to eat this?

blastula · January 2015

Hi everyone!

I've been lurking for a while now but I think I'm ready to jump in! I'm pregnant with my first, due July 4th.

I'm also a science writer, and I'm currently working on an article about the science and history of foods that pregnant women are and especially aren't supposed to eat. I've been reading lots of forums with suggestions and recommendations, and every time I eat something different I feel like I'm googling "is X ok to eat during pregnancy?"! In my research I've found some really interesting information about the risks associated with various foods, especially with cheese. There was one article I found that said that there has been more listeria found in pasteurized cheeses than unpasteurized ones, but the recommendation is still to stick with pasteurized!

I've also heard about some very strange (to me as an American) advice that others have gotten or heard from their families. For example, a friend of mine who was born in China said her mother was told to drink wine that had rats drowned in it when she was pregnant because rats are smart animals and it will make the baby smart!

I'd love to hear any examples or stories that you have from your own experience. Is there something you were told to eat or not to eat that really surprised you? Does your mom or grandma tell you stories about different times or different cultures that had very different recommendations for pregnancy? I'm still in the background research phase, so I won't be quoting anyone or anything, and if nothing else I thought it would be an interesting discussion!

xx

BabysMomma4 · January 2015

Wish I could help you, but most of the things I've heard are fairly standard and nothing weird! Definitely weird about the wine with rats!!! How awful! We still have plenty of time to hear stuff so if I do, I'll let you know!

audi681 · January 2015

It's so confusing to me, but I err on the side of caution.

After reading many threads on this board, I see that women eat sushi, cold cuts, and drink alcohol. I read that everything is cool in moderation. I really don't know. This is my first pregnancy and I was pretty tightly wound my whole first semester, but I am older and had a difficult time getting pregnant. I really didn't want to do anything that would catalyze a miscarriage. I am still cautious about what I eat, but I did get my nails done for the first time today, which I also hear a lot of mixed things about!

daisyjo743 · January 2015

My grandmother used to tell me that if I drank soda when breastfeeding the bubbles would go into the baby!

sarahsairsair · January 2015

I had a friend from Hong Kong - her family (grandma, aunts etc) told her never to eat watermelon when menstruating or pregnant :-/

blastula · February 2015

Huh! That's so interesting, I wonder what the explanation is! The connection to the period reminds me of how my southeastern European relatives always would warn against the womb getting too cold in general but especially during your period or while pregnant—no swimming during your period (or even bathing for my great grandma!!) and no sitting on cold things.

mrsbeachcat · February 2015

I think the one that's surprised me the most is the whole "no raw/undercooked" eggs one, which means no poached eggs or hollandaise sauce. In the US we vaccinate chickens against the salmonella virus (which is why we refrigerate the eggs and most coutries which do not vaccinate do not refrigerate because the eggs naturally have a barrier that protects against the virus which the cold would break down... yay run on sentences!). The last I read there haven't actually been any reported cases of miscarriage (or other birth defects) caused by salmonella from undercooked eggs in the US in many years (like since before vaccination became a thing in the 90s), so it's weird to me that the advice to avoid one of the most delicious breakfasts on the planet (eggs benedict) is still so engrained.

I guess the weirdest advice I've been told on foods TO eat was from my french grandmother who claimed if you drank a lot of lemonade with sugar you'd have a sweet baby.

nbf7 · February 2015

My MIL is from Iran and she says caviar and apples are very good for the baby,supposedly makes them smart on the other hand though she also says not to look at ugly things or people or I'll have an ugly baby too :-w 8-}

alondradaniel · February 2015

I also did the same and googled everything before I ate it. I cNt get enough of cheese so I was sad to have to cut down on cheeses and my ultimate fave feta which I use for my salads. But when I went to my doctor he said to not Google stuff or else I wouldn't be eating anything at all he gave me a list of foods that people think they can't eat but they really can. Feta was one of them and fish. He actually told me to eat it 3x a week for the baby's brain development.

ShawnaM83 · February 2015

I have never been told not to eat it and i take a lot of crap for choosing to avoid it, but I won't consume nuts or nut products while pregnant. My mom has a severe allergy to all nuts and I read a study that was looking at the effects of eating nut products and the risk of a nut allergy, especially with a family history of the allergy. The study was still ongoing, so it didn't have any conclusive evidence (this was about 6-7 years ago, btw). After reading it, I started looking at personal experiences and realized everyone I knew who had a nut allergy was an older sibling. After the nut allergy was discovered, the mom took the products out of the house and thus didn't consume any while pregnant the next time. I also talked to a lot of moms with children who are allergic to nuts and most of them said they actually did eat a lot of nuts and peanut butter while pregnant. Knowing how serious the allergy is and seeing firsthand how scary a reaction can be, I have chosen to err on the side of caution and am ignoring my serious crazing for peanut butter cups.

mrsbeachcat · February 2015

@ShawnaM83‌ As far as peanut allergies go, today scientists actually recommend the exact opposite of what you just stated.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2014/02/03/as-peanut-allergies-rise-trying-to-determine-a-cause/

mountaingirl5280 · February 2015

When my MIL was pregnant with my DH, her dr. told her to take up smoking in order to keep the baby small and make giving birth easier (she's very petite)! She ignored his advice.

it's interesting how advice changes from generation to generation -- not just for pregnant women but for food health in general. I'm curious about the effects of processed foods on the development of the fetus and wonder why something like color changing cheetos is not on the do not eat list while fresh pressed juice is.

good luck with your research.

audi681 · February 2015

A friend posted this on my FB account yesterday. I thought it correlated nicely with this thread:

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14653/7-things-ive-learned-from-being-pregnant-in-4-countries.html

cutiepie0104 · February 2015

I have a grandmother I asked a few questions. So far she has told me she used to drink 2 pots of coffee while pregnant and had three children, 2 with no issues one with Adhd, but Women who do everything by the book have had children with Adhd (my mother who is ironically a coffee addict). She also ate a lot of Red meat while pregnant living in a farm atmosphere that is what you ate. Im sure none of this is scientific, but had been interesting to me.I would see if you can get a small group of seniors together and see what they have gone through.

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