Diet Coke. Sushi. Deli meat. Coffee. Unpasteurized cheese. Wine. Hot tubs.
This is just a tiny list of the things pregnant women are supposed to give up once we find out there’s a baby in our belly. I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person who, if you tell her she can’t have something, becomes fixated on wanting that very thing.
It’s easy to become paranoid while pregnant and view every hot dog as a listeria-harbouring death trap, every cup of coffee as the black sludge that will be responsible for giving your baby that third eye. Granted, there are things that are wise to avoid (like crystal meth and sky-diving) but I have never really been overly cautious. With my other two pregnancies I drank Diet Coke throughout, and with this one, if I’m at a coffee shop I will guiltlessly order a small extra-sweet (no judging) mocha with whip (hey, I said no judging!) and not worry about the caffeine. Everything in moderation.
Did you become hyper-vigilant about foods and activities to avoid while pregnant? If so, what did you miss the most? Or did you eat sushi and wash it down with a double martini while deep-frying you baby in a scalding hot tub?
I’m pregnant with my first and would say I’m middle of the road in terms of vigilance. My dad is a doctor and he says that although there is a grain of truth in much of the ‘do not eat’ lists, some of it is a bit overboard in terms of things to avoid. I drink a lot less coffee than I used to and I’m not anywhere near the limit but I didn’t cut it out completely. I never really ate that much sushi to begin with and as long as cheese is pasteurized, it’s fine to eat. I never switched to organic produce.
I have gotten much more vigilant over the years, I am on pregnancy number 7 and I am now the girl asking the waiter about the cheese… Up until baby number 3, I didn’t even know about most of those things (listeria etc). But #3 was stillborn for unexplained reasons, so I learned all I could about keeping the unborn safe and clung to the ‘lists’ pretty carefully for the next couple babies. I am a bit more relaxed this time, but avoid all known dangers of course!
The crazy thing is that a lot of these are different than when I was pregnant 11 years ago! With my first I was much more vigilant but still not crazy (I craved Taco Bell so badly that near then end it was a weekly “treat” GROSS!). I think, as most have said, moderation is key.
I TRY to have only 1 caffeinated drink a day, which is what my doc told me was ok. Every now and then I might accidently on purpose have a coffee in the morning and a coke with supper. I occasionally eat unpasteurized cheese, only because I didn’t even know this rule existed until my 3rd pregnancy, I ate feta and goat cheese ALL THE TIME with my 2nd, and she’s fine. So far. Hah. I’ve never been a sushi lover, or a wine lover… so the rest is not so hard. Except for the no cocktails rule when we’re out for supper. That makes me pouty.
I must say though, of all those types of things, watching a pregnant woman smoke grosses me out to the max.
I did crazy stuff trying to get pregnant, cut out all refined sugar, alcohol and caffeine, took chinese herbs until the stink of them came out my skin. (None of it made much difference) Then once I was pregnant, yeah, I thought of little guy and what would keep him healthy but mostly I evaluated things by . . how bad would that be to throw up? . . . . .
LOL, I was soooo hyper-vigilant with my first. I wouldn’t even drink decaf coffee, because…ahhh…not sure why. I also ate all organic food and tried to avoid wheat and dairy until my midwives pretty much ordered me to add dairy back in.
But during my second pregnancy, not so much. I would stop at Tim Hortons almost every day on the way to work for a maple dip donut (HEAVEN ON EARTH!) and an iced cap. I would drink the iced cap, then five minutes later the baby would start moving around like crazy. I felt a bit guilty, but seven years later and she seems to be fine!
I was obsessed with tropical fruit during both pregnancies, though: mangoes, passionfruit, kiwi, oranges, lemons (MAN! I would buy 10lb bags of lemons and make homemade lemonade then drink the WHOLE jug!)
I gave up almost everything they told me to avoid…most of the time. I had bites of hot dogs, deli meat, soda (although, I tried to keep it to one a day), and I took a scalding bath…although, that was really uncomfortable, since my body was already hotter than normal! My baby girl is fine. 🙂
I’m all about moderation. That includes a small glass of wine, sushi, coffee, deli meat, raw milk, all that is good and delicious. The lists of what not to do/eat while pregnant make me crazy. Almost as crazy as the ‘required baby items’ lists. So while you avoid everything delicious, please go ahead and buy 18 infant size onsies and five dozen blankets.
I’m so glad that you wrote about this. Caffeine was one thing I didn’t give up. During the first 3 months, I didn’t like the smell of a fresh cup of coffee but after the first trimester it was a necessity. I looked forward to my cup of Kicking Horse coffee every morning. I think my favorite story was when I walked into prenatal classes with a caffeinated grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte and heard the gasps, felt the looks, and listened to the comments other moms and the nurse made under their breaths. Maybe they did what they did because they were missing Starbucks and wanted to indulge in the same sort of thing. I don’t know the reasons but it made me enjoy the treat even more!
It’s funny….I got less and less paranoid with each of my pregnancies. With my first, I gave up EVERYTHING! With my second, I switched to coffee that was half caffeinated, half decaf. (I needed the caffeine to get me going at 5:30 in the morning!)
I don’t drink coffee anymore, but with my third pregnancy, I worried ALOT less about caffeine, aspartame, etc…. It was also my best pregnancy!
You can spot the first time Mom. I think it is totally normal, and we all do it. My husband had lunch with a friend who was expecting her first child. She “grilled” the waiter to find out if the goat cheese in the salad was pasturized or not – he looked at her like she had 3 heads!
I totally didn’t worry about it. I cut back on the things that were a direct concern, but most of the super dangerous foods are things this picky eater doesn’t like anyways. I kept a good dialogue with my doctor on what I should and shouldn’t have, and for the most part I was safe. The things I did have to give up I may have hung over Corey’s head for the entire 10 months, reminding him that it’s “SO HARD TO BE PREGNANT AND YOU’LL NEVER GET IT!” so don’t eat anything I can’t in front of me, mkay?!