What the hell, everytime I turn around there's something else I'm not supposed to be doing?

Question

I just read a question by another woman who asked about things to avoid that could "kill" her unborn baby. I understand the typical "avoid fish often" "dont smoke, drink, do drugs" "no raw meats" etc etc. But seriously some of the responses floored me! If these things are true I'm in trouble :)

No lunchmeat? Seriously? I've been eating that...no one told me otherwise.
No Mayo? Really? I've been eating that too
No bowling? Come on! I don't throw anything heavier than an 8 lb ball!
No soft cheeses? What other kind of cheeses are there?

Answer 1

It's true that those other things present some amount of risk, but it's very very small. Like the lunchmeat thing - that's because sometimes lunchmeats can carry listeria, a bacterial illness that less than 500 people get every year in the US - and that's including non-pregnant people.

I've never heard anything about not eating mayo. That's a new one.

Answer 2

The reason they say to be careful with lunch meat is because it could contain lysteria, but it's okay to eat them if they're heated - I eat them anyway!

The whole "No mayo" thing...they just mean watch how much mayo you eat with raw eggs in it (such as home made mayos) because that too could have lysteria or even salmonella.

I'm not sure about the bowling thing, I have 3 pregnant ladies on my bowling league!

Soft cheeses - they mean unpasturized cheeses such as bleu cheese, etc. Cheddar, motzerella, colby, monterey, pepper jack, american...cream cheese, cottage cheese -a ll these cheeses are fine and so is bleu cheese and parmasean if they're pasturized.

There are loop holes in everything and sometimes women just over react a little when it comes to stuff like this. Oh, and certain fishes are actually recommended for protein, copper, etc. The biggest ones they want you to avoid is Shark, Marlin, Swordfish, and most shellfish. Shrimp, chunk light tuna, crab, salmon and other fishes are okay. I guess it's all a matter of preference. You can easily look this stuff up by Google. Anyway, enjoy your sandwhich with mayo and cheese at a bowling alley! Good luck!

Answer 3

Lunch meat- If it's not cooked it can have bacteria that doesn't harm you but could harm your baby
Mayo- Has raw eggs which are supposed to be avoided while pregnant
Bowling- No heavy lifting
Soft cheeses- Meaning Blue cheeses & not pasteurized

However of this thing the only thing i avoid would be.. Bowling.. & only because i never go bowling =] I am a huge cheese fan so i eat that all the time, mayo too & lunchmeat!! I try to heat it in the microwave first but i don't always.. You'll be fine.. God Bless

Answer 4

Lol, I totally understand how you feel! I found out I was pregnant with my first baby back in April, and I wanted to make sure I did everything right. There's sooo much that people say to avoid! I've eaten lunchmeat and cheese nearly the whole pregnancy, though I had to quit eating the cheese cause my lactose intolerance flared up. If I had the chance, I would have gone bowling; it's so much fun! And I just don't like Mayo, but maybe it's the eggs that make it bad?? They'd have to be raw, cause cooked eggs are great for pregnancy.

I'm just focusing on the good things to do. It's a lot easier. :)

Answer 5

I understand you completely!!!!! I am about 6 or 7 weeks along with my first and I too have been doing a lot of reading/research. I read about the lunchmeats, the cheeses, the mayo (raw eggs) as well as the chemicals in your shampoos, make-up and lotions. I said the same thing...."what the hell?" So, I have attached a few links to the sites where I saw some of this info, in case your interested in reading the articles. In my opinion, some of this stuff sounds a little extreme to me but what do I know. So, I have written all this crap down and when I see my ob next week, I will definitely being asking for her medical opinon.

Answer 6

***I'm not saying anything is good, or anything is bad. I am just posting facts of studies I've personally read up on***

If you follow all of the "donts" then you will be locked up in a padded room for 40 weeks.

Thats what my doctor told me. If you look closely at most "donts" and the studies that warrant them you'll find that just about everything in life will cause low birth weight, miscarriages and premature birth.

Did you know you can't have caffeine? Yet most major organizations say that 2 cups of coffee or up to 7 sodas a day is TOTALLY SAFE?

Smoking? Many studies show that a sudden stop in smoking can do more harm than good to your baby. Cutting back is totally acceptable, and there is no evidence that smoking 5 cigarettes a day does any harm to an unborn baby.

Lunchmeat, Mayo, bowling, soft cheeses, oh but don't forget don't drink tap water and don't use a water bed!!! Oh yea, don't lift anything, don't climb a ladder, don't drive after 8 months, don't lay on your back after 6 months.... don't dye your hair, don't paint your nails...

Answer 7

I've heard about the soft cheese thing, the fish ban was lifted a few months ago when they determined that the Omega 3 fatty acids in the fish are actually very good for you, now they recommend a few servings a week.

I've never heard of the others, though not bowling seems like common sense, especially if you are far along.

I had a baby before they figured out all of this stuff... I was fine, I probably ate soft cheeses and lunch meats and all sorts of stuff like that. I'm guessing there is a very weak link between these things and problems in pregnancy. To be on the safe side, I'd avoid these things, but if you've already exposed yourself to them, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Here's a list of no-nos:
http://pregnancy.health-info.org/avoid-during-pregnancy/other-during-pregnancy.html

Answer 8

I have been told the same types of things. I am having my second baby (currently 23 weeks) and am not as 'careful' about these things. You can eat soft cheeses as long as they are made with pasteurized milk and are not blue vein cheeses (example is blue cheese and feta cheese). As for lunchmeat, I was told that it is ok to eat the kind that is prepackaged. Try and avoid the deli kind because it could contain bacteria. I have never heard of avoiding mayo. Bowling shouldn't be a problem, but I would avoid extreme sports like snowboarding and hand gliding. Otherwise, enjoy your pregnancy!

Answer 9

With just about everything, it is a game of chance. Your chance will increase for this and that if you ingest/do certain things while pregnant. Its up to you how you play the "game".

Lunchmeat: The problem with lunchmeat is that you expose yourself to a risk of contracting Listeria unless the meat is heated to steaming. I have chosen to avoid this because I know a woman who lost her baby at 26 weeks due to Listeria. She never even knew she was sick or anything!! That scared the heck out of me, so I only eat lunch meat if its been heated to steaming or I can trust that it is very fresh, or there is a deli here that cooks their own meat and serves it daily fresh, so I'll eat that.

Mayo: That is actually safe as long as it is not homemade. The problem there is that homemade has raw egg in it, and raw egg should be avoided while pregnant for the chance of contracting Salmonella.

No bowling: I haven't heard of that either. But, its been years since I bowled so i never even thought about it.

Soft cheeses: This included Brie, blue cheese, feta to name a few. I bet you could get a complete listing on babycenter.com. You can safely eat cheddar, monterey jack, american, mozzarella...all without any concern at all.

These could all cause problems, and they do. many women choose not to avoid and are fine. The choice is yours!!

Answer 10

I know! I avoided lunch meat during my 1st pregnancy but have not done so this time. I seem to CRAVE it for some reason. Mayo... I've never heard that one. As far as bowling goes... I was at a child's birthday party last weekend & one of the other parents there asked me if my doctor allowed me to bowl (before I tried) and I never even thought twice about it; it never even crossed my mind to ask him. I just thought to myself, why couldn't I? Then, I went to do it and pulled something BAD down there (w/ an 8lb ball) so I won't be doing that again! If you can do it w/o pulling something, I don't see any harm at all!! I'm 29 weeks pregnant and will avoid it but I'm sure I wouldn't have had any problems bowling a few weeks ago or prior to that. I can lift my 35lb toddler w/ no problem but the motion of bowling didn't work for me!