Guidelines?

[calgal]

So my lunchmeat question got me thinking about all the guidelines about food we're given. What guidelines have you been given and what will you stick to or not?

I guess the main ones I've heard are no lunch meats and hot dogs (due to nitrates and listeria), no soft unpasteurized cheeses, no sushi, limited fish. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. I don't eat a lot of these things anyway so it doesn't really affect me too much.

[almachs0786]

Those are pretty much all I'm aware of... Though I don't really follow the rules very well. If I want something, I eat it. I don't do sushi anyway, because gross. Everything else though I just make sure I'm eating it in moderation.

[LadyNymeria]

The only thing I've been in the situation to even consider avoiding is lunch meat and higher mercury fish (no solid white albacore tuna sandwiches).

I'll pass on the soft unpasteurized cheeses if they're ever an option which sucks because I love blue cheese crumbles on my burgers. Otherwise my favorite cheeses are manchego and Irish cheddar which are both fine.

I don't eat sushi anyways so doesn't matter.

I am drinking coffee. Just keeping it to one regular strength 8 oz cup a day.

I did have a hot dog at Fenway a couple days after my BFP. I was at a game with my parents and passing on a Fenway Frank would be more questionable than not drinking. I just made sure to get a fresh one that was sufficiently hot all the way through.

[peachesncream]

No unpasteurized cheese (which is almost impossible to find in the US). That's about it.

[jewel441]

Raw/runny eggs, rare meat, alcohol too. This is prob kinda a UO here but I am trying to stick to them the best I can. No judgement on anyone either way, and I know I'm not perfect but I am trying my best to avoid them all. Eggs has been the hardest by far. Also I have been really paranoid about taking a bath because of the over heating thing, that's probably been the second hardest for me. I did take one on Friday bc of the migraine but that was it and I kept taking my temp to make sure it wasn't going too high. I know I'm a little nuts...

[peachesncream]

Honestly asking out of curiosity - are these guidelines your doctors have given you or are you just going on conventional wisdom until your first appointment? I realize many of us (myself included) have yet to have our first appointments. The unpasteurized cheese guideline was the only one I was given with my last pregnancy.

Not flaming and I totally respect everyone's caution level. Do what you have to do for your own comfort!

[carissa325]

I wasn't given any list of things to avoid with my last pregnancy other than caffeine. I'm assuming it's going to be the same this time.

I have personally chosen to have no caffeine, no soft cheese and to be aware of whether the fish I am eating is high in mercury. I ate lunch meat the whole time last pregnancy and will do the same again.

[arbe]

peachesncream my Dr.s office gives out a packet with things to avoid. But you're right about the cheeses, most feta and blue cheese found in US store are fine. EAT ALL THE CHEESE. Also not all sushi is raw, I'm not big on fish but if you are you can figure it out.

They restriction I was concerned about, I brought up. Working out... the general rule is not to raise heart rate over 140. Exceptions are made if your body is accustomed to strenuous work. Also asked about making up for calories burned. She said I'm not eating for 2 adults, I'm eating for me and a tiny baby so unless I eat under 1000 calories don't worry about making them up. With m/s eating is hard.

[LadyNymeria]

peachesncream - My response is mainly based on conventional wisdom / common avoidances you generally hear about. I don't get a real first appointment until 8/13 and even that is just a health history appointmemt with a nurse so this was not a dr given nurse.

The Ovia app has a pretty comprehensive list of foods and while it appears to be more conservative than really necessary, I don't really feel the need to push their recommendations. If I start craving something then I'll reassess, but for now I'm being pretty conservative.

[calgal]

peachesncream these are what I was told by my doctor. They said it's not a hard "you can never ever have them" but more of a being aware and limiting them thing.

jewel441 I mainly stick to them as well. But I do have a sandwich every now and then and a polish dog from Costco. As long as I can see it stamping then I'm ok with it.

I forgot about the caffeine one. I tried to give up caffeine with my last pregnancy but he headaches were so bad I couldn't do it. Dr said 200mg a day is fine. So I limit to one cup of coffee and then I have room for a soda later in if I'm really dragging.

[calgal]

arbe the exercise was the first thing I asked about when I got my bfp. I hadn't thought to ask about eating back calories. So far I think I'm probably eating plenty though. It's definitely been harder to get up for the early morning workouts though. I may have to switch to evenings soon.

[paloslee]

The one thing that I'm gonna miss is my sushi. I love sushi. I don't usually eat the other stuff as much. I'm not a coffee drinker so that's not an issue either.

[paloslee]

Jul 26, 2015 15:43:14 GMT -5 arbe said:

peachesncream my Dr.s office gives out a packet with things to avoid. But you're right about the cheeses, most feta and blue cheese found in US store are fine. EAT ALL THE CHEESE. Also not all sushi is raw, I'm not big on fish but if you are you can figure it out.

They restriction I was concerned about, I brought up. Working out... the general rule is not to raise heart rate over 140. Exceptions are made if your body is accustomed to strenuous work. Also asked about making up for calories burned. She said I'm not eating for 2 adults, I'm eating for me and a tiny baby so unless I eat under 1000 calories don't worry about making them up. With m/s eating is hard.

The exercise was something I was concerned about too. I asked doc and he said because I had light spotting I need to stay away from the gym for a bit. That made me a lil sad but I am following Drs orders.

[peachesncream]

Jul 26, 2015 15:43:14 GMT -5 arbe said:

peachesncream my Dr.s office gives out a packet with things to avoid. But you're right about the cheeses, most feta and blue cheese found in US store are fine. EAT ALL THE CHEESE. Also not all sushi is raw, I'm not big on fish but if you are you can figure it out.

They restriction I was concerned about, I brought up. Working out... the general rule is not to raise heart rate over 140. Exceptions are made if your body is accustomed to strenuous work. Also asked about making up for calories burned. She said I'm not eating for 2 adults, I'm eating for me and a tiny baby so unless I eat under 1000 calories don't worry about making them up. With m/s eating is hard.

That's so interesting. My doc said the 140 BPM rule was outdated and to continue doing what I did pre-pregnancy. I did cardio kettlebells up until the 8th month last time with my HR getting up to 180 or 190.

I think a lot of people are scared of physical activity and stop their workout regimes which I hypothesize leads to a lot of health issues in later pregnancy.

My husband works at a grocery store and the only unpasteurized cheese they sell is gruyere. No french onion soup for me :-(

[daydreamsam]

Since I went through IVF, I was already on a lot of restrictions because they want you to treat your body as if you are already pregnant and I was told all the same things you ladies already mentioned and in addition was told to only take tylenol, no ibuprofen or aspirin and was told not to elevate my HR or body temp. Baths are ok as long as the water isn't over 100 degrees so I bought a little thermometer and check the water before I get in.

[katespade]

The one major change besides alcohol I've made is to Tylenol instead of my usual Aleve or Advil migraine.

I don't have an appointment until 8/20, so I haven't been given any guidance. I'm trying to do better with the caffeine, but I know I slipped up a bit one day with 2 sodas. Oops.

[jtizzay]

So I'll share what I think based on my pp.

My doc was super laid back and old fashioned. He told me no alcohol in the first tri and 2 drinks a week in the second and 3 in the third. I did not indulge because it didn't taste good although I did have a tall glass of champagne at my shower and I did have small glasses of wine the last few weeks to help me sleep.

I did eat sushi but all cooked because I don't love sushi. Had I loved it I would have gotten it at a nice place w fresh fish. (I live in NYC so that's an option). I'm sure world wide people with fish heavy diets are still eating fresh fish while pregnant. If you're not now why start? If you're dying. Have it!

I didn't eat deli meat but I did eat hot dogs (if they're hot why would that matter if everyone is heating deli meat?)

I couldn't find an unpasteurized cheese except the farmers market. I stayed away.

I drank one coffee a day and a soda if I needed it.

I worked out and did spin and barre class until I was 35 weeks (and unrelatedly caught the flu) I did yoga and an in home work out until the day before I delivered.

For full disclosure I always have worked out. Never wore a heart rate monitor. I never let myself get too winded. My doc was 100 per event on board. But I was in good health.

I think it's all situational. Make smart choices and you'll be good. And listen to your doc.
Everything in moderation.

[jtizzay]

And wow that's long

[FunniBunni]

Like jtizzay, everything in moderation. I don't smoke anything, don't drink coffee, wine, or beer, and I think sushi is icky. Therefore, not much to give up. I take it easy on the tuna, and that's really about it. I don't worry about red meat, deli meats, eggs, or hot dogs. I just try to eat healthy. Thank goodness my kids and DH polished off the leftover birthday cake

[rachelilly23]

I ate sushi twice last week, only cooked. And it was amazing. No reason to not eat the cooked stuff if you enjoy it.

[awkwardturtle]

Mine is based off of my own research since I haven't had my appointment yet.

I have had sushi, but only cooked or the smoked salmon that's then flash fried.

I had deli meat today, unintentionally. I thought it would be a turkey breast sandwich and it was actually sliced deli meat. Hopefully it's ok, it was at a good restaurant.

I don't plan on drinking alcohol.

I have cheese, I will avoid blue cheese and Brie.

I'm working out normally, I stop when I get too tired or if my stomach starts cramping.

ETA: no swordfish, shark, or marlin. I am moderate with other types of fish. I will eat lots of trout or salmon. Also, I've been having 1-2 caffeinated drinks a day. Either one coffee or 1-2 teas.

[Deleted]

I will do basically the same as last time. No alcohol, sushi, unpasteurized cheese. I did one cup of coffee a day and continued that through BF. Last time I avoided lunch meat, but did eat it a couple times. I don't eat hot dogs anyway. We do eat a lot of seafood, so my dr had said 2x per week and nothing high mercury. That was an aversion almost my whole pregnancy so that wasn't hard.

[sunshineshades]

The only things I avoid on the list are alcohol. But I also don't eat sushi, drink caffeine, or smoke in the first place, so I don't have those to worry about. With my DD my midwife said everything in moderation is fine. She also gave me a look like I was crazy when I told her I was worried about a bath being too hot. According to her, you will know when it is too hot, because you start feeling ill. I have an ob this time, so I am not sure what his thoughts are on everything.

[mom2boxers]

Not much for me to give up. I only liked cooked sushi and the occasional turkey sandwich is fine but it is a bit high in sodium. Limit the light tuna to 2 times a week. Only approved meds. No acne medicines with salycic acid or benzoyl peroxide (think that's the other one) or alcohol. I do remember seeing something about not using products with retinol in them. On the egg front the only thing I forgo is caesar dressing in restaurants because it has raw egg in it.

ETA: I stick to the 200 mg caffeine guideline.

[cinnamonsmiles]

As other people've mentioned, I don't really like deli meat or raw sushi so that's not an issue. I very rarely drink but will always take the first sip of DH's beer when he has one (just something we do, pregnant or not). We're just instructed on the high-mercury. Products I avoid are antibacterial soaps when possible (triclosan), things that contain sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens, and any medication if I can help it.

Funny story - A goof friend of mine told me that she saw on the interwebz that you weren't supposed to eat frozen yogurt because it could be contaminated with listeria. This was after I ate it 1-2x per week for the whole first half of pregnancy. This friend refused to eat any until talking with her MW, who looked at her like she was crazy and told her she's never heard that in her life. I'm FroyoAF so thank goodness for that one!

[almachs0786]

Jul 26, 2015 19:43:38 GMT -5 sunshineshades said:

The only things I avoid on the list are alcohol. But I also don't eat sushi, drink caffeine, or smoke in the first place, so I don't have those to worry about. With my DD my midwife said everything in moderation is fine. She also gave me a look like I was crazy when I told her I was worried about a bath being too hot. According to her, you will know when it is too hot, because you start feeling ill. I have an ob this time, so I am not sure what his thoughts are on everything.

I can't live without hot baths a few times a week. I need that time to relax. I think as long as you're not in a hot tub or sauna, it's going to be ok.

[noodles84]

I try to stick to the normal guidelines. No lunch meat. But I forgot I was pregnant the other day and ate a sandwich. I do eat hot dogs I just cook them well. Really a lot of concern is listeria. I remember last pregnancy there was a listeria recall for hummus, bagged salad, and some kind of fruit. I also learned last time that you shouldn't eat soft serve ice cream either. I do my best to not eat lunch meat and try not to worry about every little thing. Wash fruits and veggies extra good.

[KK_8721]

I eat all the things.

[sdchick]

I generally follow the no raw meats/eggs rule. Unpasteurized cheese isn't really an issue. I do eat lunchmeat, but have my sandwiches toasted as a personal preference, not because I'm worried about listeria. I might have a small half glass of wine in the last trimester on occasion.

[daystardreams]

I avoid all the things. I'm taking no medicines but the only medicine I ever really routinely needed was midol which isn't a problem now! (Vitamin excluded) I'm taking much cooler baths because I like hot, hot turn your skin pink baths so not doing that anymore. I pretty much also heat lunchmeat anyway. I don't like soft cheeses or fish.

The only thing that I miss at all is soda and energy drinks which I gave up because of caffeine. I still drink sprite on occasion.

I work as a preschool teacher and I've also stopped picking the kids up except to change their diapers. If they want held, I sit down to hold them. I made this decision because I noticed I was feeling crampy every day after work. I feel much better after work since I stopped holding the little guys all day!

My motto is better safe than sorry.