I wish there was a master cheat sheet for what I'm supposed to stay away from!

alileecam · October 2015

I've been pregnant before, but for some reason, I still struggle to remember what is okay/isn't okay/harmful/etc. during pregnancy without Googling furiously before every bite or purchase. I feel like our doctors will give us different guidelines, and we'll all have slightly different lists of what we'll avoid while we are pregnant. However, I wish I had a very black-and-white definitive list that I could laminate and carry around. I have already slipped up and eaten goat cheese (not sure of pasteurization; I have read that goat cheese is made from pasteurized milk in the US, and I have also read that it's always made from raw milk...). There have also been situations where I almost feel forced to choose something that's not a good bet because no one knows I am pregnant (besides my husband and sister)--for example, at work last week, we got a delivery from a restaurant client of sandwiches, all of which had deli meat, or salami, or a ton of mayo, etc. My doc appointment isn't until November 2nd, so for now, I am trying to avoid the usual: raw or undercooked meat, soft and/or unpasteurized cheese, anything containing raw eggs, too much caffeine (I did break down and have coffee a few times--again, to try to keep a low profile and not arouse suspicion at work). I have seen threads on herbal teas, different health/beauty products (shampoo/conditioner, etc.)--some things I haven't even thought of yet. For my last pregnancy, I was actually lactose intolerant altogether (according to my doctor), so I ended up being good on the soft cheese thing, because I wasn't eating dairy at all by the end.

Can you share the things you are avoiding, either because you have done research on what to avoid or because of doctor's advice? And maybe the surprising things your doctor told you were totally fine that you thought weren't?

sthomas1222 · October 2015

Eat and drink all the thing in moderation. Seriously. Deli meat is fine, soft cheese is fine (it's hard to find unpasteurized cheese in the US and it's usually marked), soft serve is fine, mayo is DEFINITELY fine... And caffeine is fine though you'll hear limit to 200-300mg/day (depending on the doctor). Hell even sushi from a reputable place is perfectly fine. Think of all the cases of E.Coli and salmonella recalls lately. Fruit and spinach... You won't be told to avoid those...

sthomas1222 · October 2015

Oh I guess don't go eating undercooked hamburger and raw meat. But get your steak medium if that's what you like...

VeraMali · October 2015

I'm with @sthomas1222 all things in moderation! Now I do give up coffee for the first trimester but only because I have no willpower when it comes to coffee! It's all or nothing for me there, haha! But yea deli meat, mayo, sushi, soft cheeses and all that other stuff that is considered pregnancy voodoo on some bodies list, I'm pretty okay with. Heck my last pregnancy I craved sushi and ate it at least once a week, but I knew the place I got it from well. If you really do want a no no list I guess you could always ask your doctor at your next visit and write it all down.

NamelessAria · October 2015

I'm totally that person who will worry myself sick over relatively unimportant things in life if I let myself. So because of that I'm trying to only put the safest things in my body unless it's really needed to make a compromise. So right now my "no" list looks something like

No soft cheese or anything not pasteurized. As a side note here, it's weird to me that cream cheese and cottage cheese are pasturized and therefor okay.
No deli meat, smoked meat, raw meat or ground meat (because I'm not sure on the ground meat and I hate it anyhow generally speaking). Also, no "nearly raw" meat and no fish high in mercury. Although I'm not giving up my salmon once or twice a week!
No caffeine
No herbal teas except the occasional peppermint or fresh ginger tea.
No herbal supplements. I may make an exception for this and take ginger once morning sickness starts since so many studies have found it to be very helpful. And no study has found any negative effects yet.
No mayo (but it's disgusting anyhow so that's no sacrifice)
No alcohol. I do plan to occasionally cook with a little red wine but only since all the alcohol will cook out so it should be safe.

As far as medications go I'm sticking to: nothing for pain except Tylenol. Nothing for allergies except Benadryl or Claritin. Nothing for asthma at the moment since my current inhaler has been definitively shown to cause miscarriages X( I'm hoping my doctor can find something safe for me to use.

Misc: No exercise that leaves me panting for breath. I keep reading that if you're panting for breath your blood oxygen level is low and that effects baby. No exercise that leaves my heart rate above 140 for long. Apparently that's bad. Although I feel relatively sure I'd be panting at that point so those are probably the same.

As far as shampoo/conditioner/perfume/etc I've been on this natural kick for about two years. So nothing in my house really has the "bad" ingredients. I even switched to a natural deodorant. So I'm assuming I'm pretty safe there. But allegedly babies exposed to things like Fabreeze frequently have a 41% higher chance of developing asthma. If I start using Fabreeze I have a 100% chance of my asthma getting worse and poorly controlled. So I guess that works out? haha

I like the Ovia pregnancy app. It has a medication safety lookup and a food safety lookup. It's made it a little easier to figure out what I can/can't have.

LizM61409 · October 2015

Here it is in black and white from the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections-listeria.html

The thing everyone seems to forget is that lunch meat and hot dogs are okay if heated just before serving. I'm not giving up my firehouse subs!

NicknShan · October 2015

My OB said, and I quote, "Don't worry about deli meats or soft cheeses. You'll more likely be served undercooked chicken at a restaurant and get ill from that before deli meat or soft cheese will ever be a problem. You want to avoid something? Avoid ordering chicken at a restaurant."

Touche.

I stay away from sushi, alcohol, 2nd hand smoke, lemon grass, and really anything that hasn't been tested for pregnant women (supplements/Class C medications etc...).

I do exercise. I do eat cheese. I do eat deli meat on occasion (if it is the only option at work). I do drink a cup of coffee when I need it. Oh, I do order chicken when I go to a restaurant. I am just cautious before I dive in to verify it is cooked properly.

MynaBird · October 2015

If you live in the US, pretty much any soft cheese you see will be pasteurized. It's not easy to get unpasteurized cheese here. As my doctor put it, "You'd more or less have to drive to a farm, buy it direct from the farmer, AND specify that you wanted it unpasteurized."

So my advice is to be sure to learn *why* things are said to be "off-limits." Ask questions and do research. Most of the things I asked my OB about last time he just told me to chill out about.

I read somewhere recently that last year's biggest listeria outbreak was from unrefrigerated caramel apples. Does that mean I won't eat a caramel apple? No. That just means if I do want to eat a caramel apple, I'll make sure it's one I am confident was handled safely.

Aaaaaaand now I'm dying for a caramel apple.

emucoleman · October 2015

I avoid a lot of things but in all honesty most of this stuff doesn't matter that much. Here are the things that really matter, in my opinion: No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol. Those things have a definite risk.

With most of the other stuff, what they're worried about is you getting sick, because if you did it would hold a risk for your baby. But the risk of getting sick from deli meat is pretty low. And like PP have said, you can get sick from any food if it's handled incorrectly.

That said--I do try to avoid deli meat, unpasteurized soft cheeses, sushi, rare meat, caffeine, etc. just because I have a "better safe than sorry" mentality about it. But I also wouldn't blame anyone who ate that stuff. And if you accidentally ate it, then there's really no reason to worry. I ate a pretty rare steak before I found out I was pregnant, and it made no difference (because I didn't get sick).

sthomas1222 · October 2015

NamelessAria said:
I'm totally that person who will worry myself sick over relatively unimportant things in life if I let myself. So because of that I'm trying to only put the safest things in my body unless it's really needed to make a compromise. So right now my "no" list looks something like
No soft cheese or anything not pasteurized. As a side note here, it's weird to me that cream cheese and cottage cheese are pasturized and therefor okay.
No deli meat, smoked meat, raw meat or ground meat (because I'm not sure on the ground meat and I hate it anyhow generally speaking). Also, no "nearly raw" meat and no fish high in mercury. Although I'm not giving up my salmon once or twice a week!
No caffeine
No herbal teas except the occasional peppermint or fresh ginger tea.
No herbal supplements. I may make an exception for this and take ginger once morning sickness starts since so many studies have found it to be very helpful. And no study has found any negative effects yet.
No mayo (but it's disgusting anyhow so that's no sacrifice)
No alcohol. I do plan to occasionally cook with a little red wine but only since all the alcohol will cook out so it should be safe.
As far as medications go I'm sticking to: nothing for pain except Tylenol. Nothing for allergies except Benadryl or Claritin. Nothing for asthma at the moment since my current inhaler has been definitively shown to cause miscarriages X( I'm hoping my doctor can find something safe for me to use.

Misc: No exercise that leaves me panting for breath. I keep reading that if you're panting for breath your blood oxygen level is low and that effects baby. No exercise that leaves my heart rate above 140 for long. Apparently that's bad. Although I feel relatively sure I'd be panting at that point so those are probably the same.

As far as shampoo/conditioner/perfume/etc I've been on this natural kick for about two years. So nothing in my house really has the "bad" ingredients. I even switched to a natural deodorant. So I'm assuming I'm pretty safe there. But allegedly babies exposed to things like Fabreeze frequently have a 41% higher chance of developing asthma. If I start using Fabreeze I have a 100% chance of my asthma getting worse and poorly controlled. So I guess that works out? haha

I like the Ovia pregnancy app. It has a medication safety lookup and a food safety lookup. It's made it a little easier to figure out what I can/can't have.

This makes me anxious just reading. I'm also sad that as a society we've come to this when outside the US it's sooooo different.

colesmom33 · October 2015

Wth? When did Mayo make the list?? I never heard that when I was pregnant with my 15-month-old!

mrsbpowers · October 2015

I am a nurse and work with several doctors every day, one of which just recently had her second baby. These are peds doctors and also know their stuff when it comes to pregnancy. They have told me several times - as long as I'm not eating something straight up RAW, drinking alcohol or doing drugs, everything is fine. There are lists with foods to avoid because eating those foods in excess can be dangerous. PLEASE don't think if you eat a turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo that you're going to have a miscarriage the next day. Like these other ladies have said, eat what you want in moderation. Drink caffeine in moderation (1-2 servings daily). Don't over think these rules and lists!

cluelesssm · October 2015

What's the rule on imitation crab meat made from Alaskan Pollock? Because I read that pollock is ok to eat, so I ate a TON of cold imitation crab from the deli yesterday and today lol. Then I read the imitation crab needs to be hot?

Lyzza350 · October 2015

NamelessAria said:
I'm totally that person who will worry myself sick over relatively unimportant things in life if I let myself. So because of that I'm trying to only put the safest things in my body unless it's really needed to make a compromise. So right now my "no" list looks something like
No soft cheese or anything not pasteurized. As a side note here, it's weird to me that cream cheese and cottage cheese are pasturized and therefor okay.
No deli meat, smoked meat, raw meat or ground meat (because I'm not sure on the ground meat and I hate it anyhow generally speaking). Also, no "nearly raw" meat and no fish high in mercury. Although I'm not giving up my salmon once or twice a week!
No caffeine
No herbal teas except the occasional peppermint or fresh ginger tea.
No herbal supplements. I may make an exception for this and take ginger once morning sickness starts since so many studies have found it to be very helpful. And no study has found any negative effects yet.
No mayo (but it's disgusting anyhow so that's no sacrifice)
No alcohol. I do plan to occasionally cook with a little red wine but only since all the alcohol will cook out so it should be safe.
As far as medications go I'm sticking to: nothing for pain except Tylenol. Nothing for allergies except Benadryl or Claritin. Nothing for asthma at the moment since my current inhaler has been definitively shown to cause miscarriages X( I'm hoping my doctor can find something safe for me to use.

Misc: No exercise that leaves me panting for breath. I keep reading that if you're panting for breath your blood oxygen level is low and that effects baby. No exercise that leaves my heart rate above 140 for long. Apparently that's bad. Although I feel relatively sure I'd be panting at that point so those are probably the same.

As far as shampoo/conditioner/perfume/etc I've been on this natural kick for about two years. So nothing in my house really has the "bad" ingredients. I even switched to a natural deodorant. So I'm assuming I'm pretty safe there. But allegedly babies exposed to things like Fabreeze frequently have a 41% higher chance of developing asthma. If I start using Fabreeze I have a 100% chance of my asthma getting worse and poorly controlled. So I guess that works out? haha

I like the Ovia pregnancy app. It has a medication safety lookup and a food safety lookup. It's made it a little easier to figure out what I can/can't have.

What shampoo/ perfume brand do you use?

pregPT · October 2015

Check out 'Expecting Better' by Emily Oster - she's an economist and pools a whole bunch of data from the available research on pregnancy dos and donts, prenatal testing, etc.

lm45678 · October 2015

mrsbpowers said:
I am a nurse and work with several doctors every day, one of which just recently had her second baby. These are peds doctors and also know their stuff when it comes to pregnancy. They have told me several times - as long as I'm not eating something straight up RAW, drinking alcohol or doing drugs, everything is fine. There are lists with foods to avoid because eating those foods in excess can be dangerous. PLEASE don't think if you eat a turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo that you're going to have a miscarriage the next day. Like these other ladies have said, eat what you want in moderation. Drink caffeine in moderation (1-2 servings daily). Don't over think these rules and lists!

I'm a nurse too and this is what I'm sticking to - trying to remain as calm as possible.

I am not eating raw or undercooked food, limiting caffeine, NO alcohol at all, and generally making safe decisions. I haven't eaten any cold cuts but I am pretty certain I'll eat at least one turkey sandwich in the next 7.5 months.

If you really look at what you shouldn't have, it's everything that's not great for you anyway!

crdo · October 2015

LizM61409 said:
Here it is in black and white from the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections-listeria.html

The thing everyone seems to forget is that lunch meat and hot dogs are okay if heated just before serving. I'm not giving up my firehouse subs!

My doctor specifically told me yesterday that if I'm going to get a sub, go to Firehouse!

Also OP, my doctor echoed what others are saying here:
-eat what you normally eat, except:
just heat deli meat to steaming before eating,
salmon is fine (wild caught is best),
light tuna not albacore,
No weird herbal teas, just stick to "normal" teas such as plain ginger, plain peppermint, Earl grey, etc.
Of course no alcohol
Nothing unpasteurized (though it's very hard to find unpasteurized in the US)
-check the USDA website for additional specifics
-no retinol of any kind in beauty/skin care, just stick to basic products, and limit/avoid benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid (though a very small amount of SA in a wash is ok since so little will be absorbed)

Porchina66 · October 2015

jaceyannie said:
Wth? When did Mayo make the list?? I never heard that when I was pregnant with my 15-month-old!

For real. I have never heard this.

Lilwatz · October 2015

sthomas1222 said:

I'm totally that person who will worry myself sick over relatively unimportant things in life if I let myself. So because of that I'm trying to only put the safest things in my body unless it's really needed to make a compromise. So right now my "no" list looks something like
No soft cheese or anything not pasteurized. As a side note here, it's weird to me that cream cheese and cottage cheese are pasturized and therefor okay.
No deli meat, smoked meat, raw meat or ground meat (because I'm not sure on the ground meat and I hate it anyhow generally speaking). Also, no "nearly raw" meat and no fish high in mercury. Although I'm not giving up my salmon once or twice a week!
No caffeine
No herbal teas except the occasional peppermint or fresh ginger tea.
No herbal supplements. I may make an exception for this and take ginger once morning sickness starts since so many studies have found it to be very helpful. And no study has found any negative effects yet.
No mayo (but it's disgusting anyhow so that's no sacrifice)
No alcohol. I do plan to occasionally cook with a little red wine but only since all the alcohol will cook out so it should be safe.
As far as medications go I'm sticking to: nothing for pain except Tylenol. Nothing for allergies except Benadryl or Claritin. Nothing for asthma at the moment since my current inhaler has been definitively shown to cause miscarriages X( I'm hoping my doctor can find something safe for me to use.

Misc: No exercise that leaves me panting for breath. I keep reading that if you're panting for breath your blood oxygen level is low and that effects baby. No exercise that leaves my heart rate above 140 for long. Apparently that's bad. Although I feel relatively sure I'd be panting at that point so those are probably the same.

As far as shampoo/conditioner/perfume/etc I've been on this natural kick for about two years. So nothing in my house really has the "bad" ingredients. I even switched to a natural deodorant. So I'm assuming I'm pretty safe there. But allegedly babies exposed to things like Fabreeze frequently have a 41% higher chance of developing asthma. If I start using Fabreeze I have a 100% chance of my asthma getting worse and poorly controlled. So I guess that works out? haha

I like the Ovia pregnancy app. It has a medication safety lookup and a food safety lookup. It's made it a little easier to figure out what I can/can't have.
This makes me anxious just reading. I'm also sad that as a society we've come to this when outside the US it's sooooo different.

It makes you sad? That women are cautious about hurting their tiny, unborn, developing babies? Yes, we are cautious here. Yes, the are guidelines for each mom to make their own choice. I have no idea why that would sadden you. Do you know why they put deli meats on the list? Because in the incredibly unlikely event you get listeria, it can be very, very, very bad for the baby. I'm glad I know that. Did I eat some not heated up last time? Yes. Will I probably again this time? Yes. But I do cut back to avoid exposing myself to the risk more often. I also gave up caffeine when TTC #1 and haven't picked it back up (it's been almost 3 years). I did it because there are studies that show there is a direct link between caffeine consumption during pregnancy/breastfeeding and ADHD. Could I drink a cup a day and have no issues? Maybe. Do I want to risk that for my child? No. Again, my choice. I have no idea why anyone would think knowledge of the risks is sad. Writing that is just dismissive of the incredibly valid concerns of the OP (and many, many other women on this board).

Wyattnash00 · October 2015

Yum, love firehouse subs! That's a win!

verily · October 2015

Porchina66 said:
Wth? When did Mayo make the list?? I never heard that when I was pregnant with my 15-month-old!
For real. I have never heard this.

Homemade mayos and aiolis contain raw egg yolk. Kraft and Hellman's are pasteurized, so they're not on the avoid list.

Porchina66 · October 2015

verily said:

Porchina66 said:

jaceyannie said:
Wth? When did Mayo make the list?? I never heard that when I was pregnant with my 15-month-old!
For real. I have never heard this.

Homemade mayos and aiolis contain raw egg yolk. Kraft and Hellman's are pasteurized, so they're not on the avoid list.

Pasteurized eggs...just sayin...

noelietrex · October 2015

I don't know what everyone else is doing, but I'm doing no alcohol, no caffeine, no medications of any kind (except prenatal and vitamin D), no unpasteurized cheeses (yes I was previously buying raw milk cheese weekly), no sushi, no predator fish, no deli meat, no meats that aren't well-done and none from restaurants because I prefer organic, no harsh chemical cleaners or bath/body products, no makeup that isn't natural and organic, trying to do no processed foods or pure junky stuff, and no lifting heavier than I was before pregnancy or running/rowing further than before pregnancy. I do crossfit 5 days a week though, and my midwife encouraged me to keep doing it even though it's vigorous exercise as long as I don't do anything I'm not already conditioned for. Plus I won't be doing box jumps or rope climbs because of the risk of falling or ab work because I don't want to risk diastasis recti (split abs). This is just my list though. Read all the books, talk to your doctor, and make your own list that works for you! It's cool seeing everyone else's lists too, some stuff I hadn't considered like mayo (though I don't like mayo anyway)

MynaBird · October 2015

Lilwatz said:

sthomas1222 said:
This makes me anxious just reading. I'm also sad that as a society we've come to this when outside the US it's sooooo different.

It makes you sad? That women are cautious about hurting their tiny, unborn, developing babies? Yes, we are cautious here. Yes, the are guidelines for each mom to make their own choice. I have no idea why that would sadden you. Do you know why they put deli meats on the list? Because in the incredibly unlikely event you get listeria, it can be very, very, very bad for the baby. I'm glad I know that. Did I eat some not heated up last time? Yes. Will I probably again this time? Yes. But I do cut back to avoid exposing myself to the risk more often. I also gave up caffeine when TTC #1 and haven't picked it back up (it's been almost 3 years). I did it because there are studies that show there is a direct link between caffeine consumption during pregnancy/breastfeeding and ADHD. Could I drink a cup a day and have no issues? Maybe. Do I want to risk that for my child? No. Again, my choice. I have no idea why anyone would think knowledge of the risks is sad. Writing that is just dismissive of the incredibly valid concerns of the OP (and many, many other women on this board).

little_bren · October 2015

Just saw the doc today and they gave me a list of meds and topical things that are okay. I'm pretty good about avoiding the foods I'm supposed to but as I've said on other posts... Last time around, I ate some turkey sandwiches and some raw cookie dough and everyone lived.

alileecam · October 2015

noelietrex said:

I do crossfit 5 days a week though, and my midwife encouraged me to keep doing it even though it's vigorous exercise as long as I don't do anything I'm not already conditioned for. Plus I won't be doing box jumps or rope climbs because of the risk of falling or ab work because I don't want to risk diastasis recti (split abs).

Whoops on the box jumps. I do something close to Crossfit (in fact, I am not sure exactly how my trainer's workouts are different; we do a lot of the same things as my friends who do Crossfit), and I've done box jumps a few times since I found out I am pregnant. My trainer seems to think that I can do everything the EXACT same as before I was pregnant (and I don't really think that I should), so I am actually easing up on my workouts until I can run it past my doctor. It won't hurt my feelings to skip burpees for a while.

BTW, @noelietrex , 5 times a week? Wow! Go, fit mama!

andrearstrange · October 2015

My doctor prescribed me singulair for asthma/allergies and told me to take it throughout pregnancy

CharminglySouthern · October 2015

As a very wise bumpie once said "eat your food. You are pregnant, not made of glass." @PrimRoseMama

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