I ate it!!!!!!! now what!??!?

Question

i am 25 weeks pregnant with a baby boy!! When i was about 8-9 weeks, I went on vacation to San Diego with my mom. Seafood is my favorite, and while we were there, we ate at a yummy resturant right on the ocean :) Anyway, without thinking, I ordered and ate my favorite fish, which is Halibut. I know that it was a long time, but my birthday is tomorrow, and my husband wants to take me out for dinner, and asked if he could take me for seafood.. I told him, that we should just stick with steak, but i am a little concerned about my one time Halibut consumption all those months ago. I just read that Halibut is one of the fish that should be avoided during pregnancy. You think the baby will be ok?? thanks!!

Answer 1

The baby will be fine. There is currently a bit of debate about eating fish during pregnancy, but rest assured, one, or even two meals of fish will have no impact on your pregnancy.

The reason for the debate is the high mercury levels in many fish that hit your plate. The federal government guidelines suggest avoiding fish during pregnancy. Most doctors and the AMA however feel that the mercury levels do not justify avoiding the many many nutrients and omega 3 fatty acids found in seafood. Frankly, what it boils down to is if your taking you prenatal vitamins, not smoking or drinking and eating an overall healthy varied diet, you and your baby will be just fine. Congratulations!

Answer 2

MOST of the so-called "dangers" of pregnancy are theoretical, not practical. As in, it's not likely to ACTUALLY cause a problem, there's just a chance that it COULD. Of course, using drugs, smoking, drinking, etc. should be avoided at all costs, because those are REAL dangers in pregnancy, and often lead to problems. Eating Halibut or tuna, sushi, having a cup of coffee in the morning, drinking a diet drink sweetened with aspartame, sitting in a hot tub, etc., are all theoretical risks, and the chances that your one-time consumption of halibut would cause a problem is almost non-existant.

Think of it this way. A lot of women don't even know they're pregnant until they are 6-8 weeks along, so they haven't even stopped all the not-allowed-to-in-pregnancy things. Most of the time, those babies are born healthy, without complications.

There are so many no-no's during pregnancy, it's impossible to avoid them all, so stick to the ones that are actually well-known and likely to actually cause a problem.

Talk to your doctor about it, but I think that if you wanted to have halibut on your birthday, you would be just fine doing so. Most of the "can't eats" are more a problem with moderation. Fish with higher mercury levels three times a day: possibly bad. Fish with higher mercury levels twice in a nine-month period: probably just fine.

If you decide to steer clear of the "surf" and just "turf" it, that's fine, too. But don't worry too much about the one time you did eat halibut a few months ago. Seriously, it's highly unlikely it will have done ANY damage.

Answer 3

You're absolutely fine. You can eat pretty much anything - in moderation. The reason to avoid halibut (and some other seafood like albacore tuna) is because of the mercury content, but eating it once isn't going to hurt the baby. And don't get worked up over something you did so long ago anyway, you can't change it now.

Answer 4

You're okay. If you had halibut three times a week, then there would be cause for concern. Many doctors allow some tuna now and then. The larger the fish, the more mercury it has, and that is what is dangerous. You probably had a small fillet if you ate in a restaurant. So try not to worry.

Answer 5

You can safely eat up to 12 oz a week of any type of fish or seafood you want. Fish is still good for you like it was before you got pregnant, but because of the potential for higher levels of mercury in the fish, it is recommended that pregnant women only eat 12 oz a week. Baby will be fine! Stop worrying about it! You could always talk to your Dr!

Answer 6

No fish needs to be completely avoided except heavy oily fish like sword fish and shark, and wild cost domestic fish from our own lakes and rivers. This does NOT include farmed fish.

You can have a serving of any fish atleast once a week, and in some cases 2-3 times a week, depending on the fish.

Not ALL fish contain mercury, its just that certain kinds of fish store and metabolize mercury in their flesh at different rates. So the ones that do have mercury in their environment and who do have it in their bodies will need to be eaten according to whats safest.

Here's the one NOT to eat.
Grouper
Marlin
Orange roughy
Tilefish
Swordfish
Shark
Mackerel (king)

Sea food is safe to eat when pregnant, you just avoid certain fish, Hilibit actually is safe to eat once a month. So you did nothing wrong.

Here's a list of the safest fish you can have two servings a week.
Anchovies
Butterfish
Calamari (squid)
Caviar (farmed)
Crab (king)
Pollock
Catfish
Whitefish
Perch (ocean)
Scallops
Flounder
Haddock
Hake
Herring
Lobster (spiny/rock)
Shad
Sole
Crawfish/crayfish
Salmon
Shrimp
Clams
Tilapia
Oysters
Sardines
Sturgeon (farmed)

Answer 7

You will be fine. But don't eat anymore halibut now. Stick with the safe fish.

Answer 8

Just try to avoid the seafood mentioned on the list. They are known for containing mercury, which can even harm you if you consume too much. Go & have fun at the seafood place, just make sure you AVOID the seafood on the list.

Answer 9

I think your baby should be fine, I think you need to eat a hell of a lot of the stuff before it does any real damage, they just tell you to avoid it just for precautions. Try not to worry yourself, just think, where I come from they tell you not to eat peanuts when you are pregnant because it can be dangerous for baby but in america this seems like a silly thing to say, nobody is told to stay away from them during pregnancy.

Answer 10

You will be fine. Mercury does build up and stay in your system so, I would avoid most fish until after the birth.