i am 31 weeks pregnant and ate chicken yesterday which resulted in upset stomach - will this harm baby?

Question

Thanks for all the reassuring answers so far.

I am very disappointed that some obvious vegetarians have chosen to use this question to debate whether we should be eating chicken or not - the fact is I have - and I now have a genuine concern for my unborn child - who had no choice whether it ate chicken.

How do you know I didn't eat a free range organic chicken - mr helpful?? and if you would like a debate on whether I should eat meat or not or whether I should attempt to feed my baby all the nutrients it needs without enforcing my own fads on it then we should do it in the appropriate area on yahoo answers - not in the section for concerns about pregnancy.

The offensive answer I was referring to has now been removed. Thank you.

Answer 1

No, the umbilical cord is an amazing thing. It filters out all the bad stuff and only gives baby the good stuff. Unless you are doing something excessively like drugs and then baby has no choice but to get the bad stuff too. God bless!

Answer 2

Well I'm vegetarian but not going to judge if you should eat chicken or not!

I've just had my first baby and from what I remember from ante natal classes etc, a stomach upset won't cause harm, baby should be fine. However, the best thing to do would be to check with your midwife or doctor but I don't think there would be a problem. I certainly wasn't told that food poisoning could harm an unborn baby and I'm sure they would have told us if that had been the case! the only thing we were warned about was Listeriosis from eating soft cheeses, pate, unwashed fruit etc - this can cause miscarrage earlier on but at 31 weeks you're too late for a miscarriage.

If you became very dehydrated through the stomach upset there would be a risk of early labour, but I imagine you would have been in hospital if this was the case.

Speak to your doctor or midwife though just to be safe.

Answer 3

No. Food poisoning that doesnt cause fever generally isnt anything but a nuisance to anyone, including those who are pregnant.

What you want to watch for are flu like symptoms and a fever.

Vomitting and the runs are common with food poisoning, and you need to make sure you stay hydrated. If the cramps from the runs give you contractions, you should then call your doctor.

Generally something like this doesnt go beyond an upset stomach and the runs, and works itself out in 24-48 hours.

:)

Answer 4

Unless the chicken has salmonella I would think your baby is fine. 31 weeks is pretty far along and your baby will hold up well. I got sick alot in my last weeks of pregnancy with my daughter. I was sick during labor too...oh well. Some particular foods would set me off.

Was the chicken you ate fried or cooked with spices? If so the oil or spices may have upset your tummy.

Hope you feel better and good luck with the remaining months.

Answer 5

probably, a little, you need to consult a doctor if the symptoms persist
maybe it was the way you cooked it like fried or something

But Jesus, if two pregnant American women get sick from Chicken maybe it's something wrong with the American Chicken
Try buy organic fed Chicken next time and see if you feel the same

I am sorry too for the chickens killed but I tried to be vegetarian 10 years and it only hurt me, I messed up my entire digestive system, I don't recommend it to anyone anymore, though before I was such an enthusiastic

Answer 6

dont worry, it wont hurt the baby, if you were sick it could be your babies way of telling you it didnt want the chicken for dinner.
the baby will be fine. as long as you are okay now then you have nothing to worry about. you are past all the stages of danger dont worry.
just consentrate on having a beautiful healthy baby
all the best
x

Answer 7

Nope this will not but be care full Caz bad health of a mother definitely effect the health of baby.

Answer 8

not directly. My mother in law got food poisoning from soup and gave birth to my wife 3 months early though, and that can affect the baby.

Answer 9

you must make sure chicken is cooked right through it shouldn't harn your baby unless it was very rarely cooked then i would check with the doc!, Congratulations you must be all excited a child is a gift from god. Good Luck!!

Answer 10

No, your baby is insulated from what you eat, even if if it irritates your stomach. You may be pretty uncomfortable with an upset stomach, but your baby, which receives it's nutrition from your bloodstream, is fine.