Things to avoid during pregnancy

figrolls

Not sure if this has been done before, but just curious to see what other peoples thoughts are.

There's so much varying advice out there on whats ok and whats not ok during pregnancy and everybody you meet has a different opinion on what you can and can't eat, what you should or should not be taking etc.

I personally am just trying trying to take a relaxed sensible approach and avoid the following:

• Alcohol (don't smoke so not an issue)
• unnecessary medication/ OTC medication other than paracetemol (I have continued to take my anti anxiety medication however)
• Soft cheeses
• raw/ undercooked meats and fish
• Pate and livers

What is everybody else avoiding?

lilsparkle69

Caffeine is one. Not sure if its ok in small amounts but it's probably best to avoid and take decaffeinated teas, coffees etc.

figrolls

Oh yes I always forget about that since I've completed gone off the taste of tea and coffee!!

I really miss my morning coffee, just the thought of it makes me feel ill!

PhoenixParker

When I was pregnant I followed the nhs guidelines. They're evidence based and relaxed.

Raw fish is ok if it's been flash frozen which it should have been I'd it's sold commercially. Any cheese is good if it's been pasteurised which most (but not all) commercially available cheeses have been.

Caffeine is the big one you're missing. There are different recommended levels. Think the nhs is 200mg per day.

Alcohol, runny eggs & rare steak were the major things I gave up. Cutting back on caffeine was the worst though.

Toots

Shellfish is another one to avoid.

Here's the NHS link about caffiene, it's handy because it shows how much caffeine is in various different drinks: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/limit-caffeine-during-pregnancy.aspx?categoryid=54&subcategoryid=130

pwurple

Mainly I avoided reading American based "things to avoid" lists, as they don't apply here! lol.


Stuff I avoided:

Booze ... but I had a glass of port at Christmas time.
Caffeine and smoking I don't do anyway
Wouldn't normally be taking anything other than the odd paracetmol either.
Shellfish I dropped, bit risky


Soft cheeses are fine if pasteurised.
Rare meat is fine as long as seared the outside (not rare minced meat). I ate loads of that for the iron.


Things to increase.
Fish is very good for you during pregnancy, so I increased my intake of that.
Black pudding, loads of Iron in there, I had mad cravings for it too.
Folic acid and vit D supplements.

Toots

pwurple wrote: »

Rare meat is fine as long as seared the outside (not rare minced meat). I ate loads of that for the iron.

What??? I've been having my steaks done medium when I could have had rare like usual??? I think I might cry :pac: I know what's gonna be for dinner tonight!!

bee06

I'm following the NHS advice as well. Limiting my tea to 3 cups a day. Never drank coffee anyway. I went off fried eggs in first trimester but back on them now. I have them slightly runny as long as I cook them myself and it's the same brand I've been eating for years.

The rest I didn't eat/drink before pregnancy so no changes there for me.

jadie

I've gone off tea and coffee due to sickness but in the last few days has eased off so might have 1 coffee or tea a day, I think the NHS recommendations are practical. I haven't been able to stomach red meat or fish (which I normally love) or veg but have been eating a lot of cheese for calcium.

On a side note what beauty products/regimes have you ladies given up (if any) ?

I want to continue to colour my hair as it's going grey and I have gotten electrolysis as usual for my upper lip hair. I'll use the Jolen bleach as well occasionally. One of my night creams has retinol but I heard it's only a myth that you have to avoid that in pregnancy unless its prescription strength.

catrionanic

I had the odd glass of wine while pregnant. Maybe one glass a fortnight or so. Between all the stresses and strains of a rough pregnancy, it almost felt medicinal!

I didn't smoke and I don't drink tea or coffee anyway.

I avoided shellfish, which was annoying at times as I'm a big shellfish fan. And also soft cheese and rare steak and whipped ice cream. My midwife also told me to avoid deli-style meats and salads which were sitting out, so I did that too.

Toots

I have to avoid my top ups for laser hair removal (one every 3-4 months) The clinic point blank refuses to do it on pregnant women because it can cause hyper pigmentation on the skin. Other than that, my beauty "regime" hadn't changed. I only wear makeup for special occasions so apart from cleansing and moisturising there's nothing else I really do.

eviltwin

The only thing I did was quit smoking. The rest I ignored. You have to live and I think some of this 'advice' is scaremongering.

Toots

After this baby is born, I'm going to eat the biggest prawn cocktail ever!

shesty

Ibuprofen,particularly in the first trimester (discovered after I was prescribed ibuprofen for ear pain while on holidays....came back, found I was pregnant and told to stay away from it by my own doctor 😠)

I have drunk tea through both pregnancies, no bother.I stopped drinking coffee because it kickstarts the nausea.Really, really missed the coffee second time round....

figrolls

Toots wrote: »

After this baby is born, I'm going to eat the biggest prawn cocktail ever!

I'm still eating prawns as long as they are from a reputable place and cooked well through. When I went to my GP to confirm my pregnancy the only thing she told me to avoid was alcohol and pate (too high a concentration of vitamin A in liver) and to limit caffeine. When I mentioned seafood to her she said unless you were eating shellfish every day then having it out for a meal every so often is fine. She also said to limit tuna, but I don't like the taste of it anyway so wasn't an issue.

I've gone from 6-8 cups of coffee a day when in work to none, and that's only because it makes me sick, I'm really hoping I get my taste for it back!

So far haven't really missed anything, but christmas this year will be a test, being 39 weeks pregnant and not having the usual nibbles of brie, pate and wine won't make for fun!

figrolls

jadie wrote: »

On a side note what beauty products/regimes have you ladies given up (if any) ?

I want to continue to colour my hair as it's going grey and I have gotten electrolysis as usual for my upper lip hair. I'll use the Jolen bleach as well occasionally. One of my night creams has retinol but I heard it's only a myth that you have to avoid that in pregnancy unless its prescription strength.

I had wondered about that aswell, when you google any of these things they generally direct you to US websites and they are terrible for scaremongering, its amazing pregnant women can function in day to day life if they stuck by all the "rules" some of them list.

I've used my jolen bleach occasionally but other than that and a make up I don't really have much of a regime. My skin has broken out terrible since becoming pregnant and I've found minimal product use actually helps.

A girl in work was saying that the likes of gel manicures or shellac would be a no no aswell, but not sure about that really to be honest, seems a bit ott....

jlm29

I avoided rare meat and alcohol. A bit upset now that I didn't need to avoid the steak at all!!! I don't drink tea and coffee anyhow, but I do drink Diet Coke - not a huge amount, so I kept that!
I never avoided ice cream from machines, I think I was on my second pregnancy before I heard that there's a question mark over that one!
A work colleague told me at one stage that she got an awful lot of stretch marks from getting a bikini wax in pregnancy, so I was a bit nervous about that, but I still had a bit of a tidy up the week before my due date, with no issues!

jadie

Toots wrote: »

After this baby is born, I'm going to eat the biggest prawn cocktail ever!

Can you not eat prawns though? I have though cooked ones in a curry or cold not fresh shelled as such

Toots

figrolls wrote: »

So far haven't really missed anything, but christmas this year will be a test, being 39 weeks pregnant and not having the usual nibbles of brie, pate and wine won't make for fun!

You'll still be good to go with brie once it's pasteurised - M&S do one that's pasteurised, and the "President" one is too. You can get non-alcoholic wine (well I think there's a teeny tiny bit in it, like you'd have to drink the whole bottle for it to be the same as one glass of regular wine) and it can be quite nice. Fre is the brand I usually get at Christmas. Now I'll add a disclaimer to this - I'm a non drinker, so if you're a wine buff you could well think it tastes like sh*te :pac: I just get it so I can make delicious mulled wine but without the alcohol.

Loveinapril wrote: »

I wonder is that due to the safety aspect of the hospital needing a clear nail to check capilliary refills at times.

I REALLY miss pate! I have already decided that I will have pate and a glass of wine at christmas (baby should be a month old at that point and I hope to breastfeed so will still be avoiding booze).

I was wondering that about the shellac/gels too. I had manicures while I was expecting my first baby and nothing ever happened, but stopped getting them at about 7 months, because I had pelvic pain so sitting at the nail bar was too uncomfortable. I remember being told in the antenatal class that you needed to take nail polish off your fingers and toes before you go to hospital for labour.

Toots

jadie wrote: »

Can you not eat prawns though? I have though cooked ones in a curry or cold not fresh shelled as such

My GP said no shellfish Devastated, cos we went on holidays when I was 10 weeks pregnant and one of the restaurants there does an amazing lobster. Also had to forgo paella this year too.

Milly33

I am just sticking to the more obvious ones like the caffeine.. Got loverly decaff the Azera Nestle one, really nice and tis all water decaff which is great... Things like raw items is a given but tis more just incase..

Cooked fish as far as I know was ok, I have had prawns, crab claws,lobster.. Even the cheese had the melted brie and some cooked soft cheese but in the 4th month and a little if offered, not a huge portion..

Things then like cigs, gave up the day I found out, same with wine.. I had a small little glass for any special dinner or party night but that's it...

Just a note for anyone also that uses voltaren gel, this one should be on the old list of everyday no nos, but can lead to problems with the heart if overused

bee06

I read an article about a month ago going through all the conflicting advice on what not to eat and drink during pregnancy by country. It was interesting to see that it's in no way standard. For example, in one women are advised not to eat salads in restaurants etc and at home they use some kind of chemical to wash lettuce etc. In Japan sushi is fine to eat. I suppose a lot of it's down to food hygiene standards etc. For example, I would be ignoring US advice unless I'm in the US since they have so many additives in food not allowed here.

jadie

Toots wrote: »

My GP said no shellfish Devastated, cos we went on holidays when I was 10 weeks pregnant and one of the restaurants there does an amazing lobster. Also had to forgo paella this year too.

No cooked is fine, phew 😅
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx#fish

figrolls

bee06 wrote: »

I read an article about a month ago going through all the conflicting advice on what not to eat and drink during pregnancy by country. It was interesting to see that it's in no way standard. For example, in one women are advised not to eat salads in restaurants etc and at home they use some kind of chemical to wash lettuce etc. In Japan sushi is fine to eat. I suppose a lot of it's down to food hygiene standards etc. For example, I would be ignoring US advice unless I'm in the US since they have so many additives in food not allowed here.

Yes it's very interesting how it varies by country. In some countries smoking and alcohol aren't warned against etc.

Even in Ireland it varies so widely depending on who you're talking to. I've found a lot of people giving me their opinions on peanuts and if they're safe or not. I didn't see it on the NHS website so have decided its fine.

And that's another thing, people are very forthcoming with their (unrequested) opinions on anything and everything pregnancy related, but that's a whole other rant....

Milly33

Have got a few looks with the peanut topic too.. After going mad on sweet things I tried to eat more healthy so peanut butter and apple is a fave treat. The doctor was a bit well now, but no one in the family has an allergy or anything. If they did it would make me think more but since not I took it as fine to eat

bee06

I think they did advise not to peanuts before but changed the guidance since. I think some of the preganany things are the same as all nutritional advice. It seems like one day something is bad for you and the next it's good for you.

spottybananas

You can eat shellfish once it's cooked properly Toots.

Things I limit in pregnancy:

Alcohol
Fish with high mercury levels
Paté
Sugar (but I tend to limit this in everyday life anyway)

Things I avoid completely:

Bump rubbers.

I don't smoke or drink coffee, everything else is fine in moderation imo/research.

rainbow kirby

I follow the NHS guidelines in general. The guidance changes all the time though - it's only 2 years since I was pregnant with my son and was told then not to eat runny eggs, that has since changed to "it's ok to eat them if they meet the British Red Lion standards".

endacl

Bungee jumping. Especially in the last few weeks. Unless you're waaaaay overdue. Then go feet first.

cookiecakes

I've literally stopped having anything that it is not recommended. I'm a total cautious carol so just decided to go for it. Some things are harder than others (I'd love a big bowl of mussels with garlic and chillies!) but I can wait it out. I don't drink or smoke so I didn't have to worry about those but otherwise I'm following things to the T! I won't even paint my nails lest the nail polish not be 5-free (and I love painting my nails!!) It'll be worth it in the end and come February I am going to eat all the shellfish..There'll be no prawns for anyone else in the country!!

shesty

I agree.Pate, wine, shellfish, speciality cheeses are all daily foods in the likes of France.I can"t imagine too many French women forgoing all of those things.But then they eat them in moderation so maybe that's really it...

Millem

Just to echo what other poster said about eggs...,you can have them runny if they have red individual stamp on them......it basically means they are salmonella free and fully traceable.

On the gel nails......so I have posted before about getting mine done last week (which I did)! Anyway unexpectedly had the baby 2 days after I had them done! The clip thing worked on my finger nail no problem. In fact got compliments on my nails from everyone during my stay!! I thought I would of been given out too! I get gel on my own nail....CDC French.
I have gotten my nails refilled throughout both of my pregnancies

spottybananas

Millem I don't think it's the clip thing that's the problem with nail varnish/Shellac etc, it's that they want to see your nail beds because the colour of them can indicate lack of oxygen?

Millem

spottybananas wrote: »

Millem I don't think it's the clip thing that's the problem with nail varnish/Shellac etc, it's that they want to see your nail beds because the colour of them can indicate lack of oxygen?

I don't know...I went in with nothing on my toes. Was actually trying to hand my hands in case they said anything!!! Anyway no one batted an eyelid I had even rang on the Tuesday to ask if I should get them done and the midwife was like yeah grand sure if needs be we can remove one....I said no I don't think you can't remove one tbh!!!
On my first son I left my toenails empty and left my gel nails grow so you could see tops of my nails.
Anyway for me if I have another one I won't give it a second thought

tea_and_cake

Millem wrote: »

Just to echo what other poster said about eggs...,you can have them runny if they have red individual stamp on them......it basically means they are salmonella free and fully traceable.

Where in Ireland do I get eggs with a red label. I really miss half cooked eggs.

I had to go to a nutrition talk cause my BMI is over 30 (30.5 cause of meds, cried when told that) and the nutritionist said even pasteurised soft cheese was out.

bee06

I think the red label is an English thing. For me if the eggs are from a good trustworthy source then I'll have them runny (just less runny than before). I've been buying the same brand of eggs for years and never got salmonella before so I consider it a calculated risk. Pregnancy doesn't increase your risk of salmonella. I won't eat eggs from my father in laws chickens for example even though I'm sure they're fine.

Millem

tea_and_cake wrote: »

Where in Ireland do I get eggs with a red label. I really miss half cooked eggs.

I had to go to a nutrition talk cause my BMI is over 30 (30.5 cause of meds, cried when told that) and the nutritionist said even pasteurised soft cheese was out.

Pretty much All eggs sold in shops should have individual red stamp on each egg! It's part of a quality assurance scheme. Like "from farm to fork". The code on each egg gets traced directly back to the animal on each farm. The animals have been tested as salmonella free.
So tesco, dunnes etc.
If you buy eggs from a farmer I wouldn't say they have stamp on them.

The Niece

I've been eating some of the banned foods in moderation (baked Brie, prawns, alcohol) but haven't had a runny egg yet more so because I couldn't stomach it!

Someone mentioned Vitamin A and retinal are no-nos so just thought I'd throw in that any beauty products with salicylic acid should also be avoided but that anything with glycolic acid is ok

tea_and_cake

The Niece wrote: »

Someone mentioned Vitamin A and retinal are no-nos so just thought I'd throw in that any beauty products with salicylic acid should also be avoided but that anything with glycolic acid is ok

I've been told the opposite. Salicylic is OK but not glycolic. Two beauticians won't use glycolic on me and said I can't use it.

bee06

Millem wrote: »

Pretty much All eggs sold in shops should have individual red stamp on each egg! It's part of a quality assurance scheme. Like "from farm to fork". The code on each egg gets traced directly back to the animal on each farm. The animals have been tested as salmonella free.
So tesco, dunnes etc.
If you buy eggs from a farmer I wouldn't say they have stamp on them.

Never knew that! Thanks Millem

jadie

tea_and_cake wrote: »

I've been told the opposite. Salicylic is OK but not glycolic. Two beauticians won't use glycolic on me and said I can't use it.

No it's glycolic which is totally fine.Salicylic is classed in "c" category and shown to cause birth defects in animals when given HIGH amounts. Again in regular cosmetics the amounts would be low and once a week use would be fine I'd imagine

tea_and_cake

jadie wrote: »

No it's glycolic which is totally fine.Salicylic is classed in "c" category and shown to cause birth defects in animals when given HIGH amounts. Again in regular cosmetics the amounts would be low and once a week use would be fine I'd imagine

I normally get masks as part of a facial and can't get the exfoliating one because it has glycolic acid in it. Weird the different advice.

bytheglass

I would add opioids to the avoid list, i.e. Pethidine which is routinely given here:
Here's a link to the manufacturers leaflet which states 'may cause breathing problems in newborns'
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emcmobile/PIL.22985.latest.pdf
It crosses the placenta resulting in a 'sleepy baby' making the initiation of breastfeeding difficult.

Also an epidural as you are most like to require synthetic oxytocin.
The oxytocin manufacturers leaflet here;
https://www.hpra.ie/img/uploaded/swedocuments/ie-mockup-leaflet-2152745-12042016153959-635960724007673750.pdf
states a possible side effect to the baby as 'shortage of oxygen, suffocation and death'.

I am just gobsmacked that we are we given so much literature and advised to be so vigilant about what we eat / drink for 9 months only to be offered pain relief options which will have a far greater impact on our babies health.

Ms. Chanandler Bong

bytheglass wrote: »

I would add opioids to the avoid list, i.e. Pethidine which is routinely given here:
Here's a link to the manufacturers leaflet which states 'may cause breathing problems in newborns'
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emcmobile/PIL.22985.latest.pdf
It crosses the placenta resulting in a 'sleepy baby' making the initiation of breastfeeding difficult.

Also an epidural as you are most like to require synthetic oxytocin.
The oxytocin manufacturers leaflet here;
https://www.hpra.ie/img/uploaded/swedocuments/ie-mockup-leaflet-2152745-12042016153959-635960724007673750.pdf
states a possible side effect to the baby as 'shortage of oxygen, suffocation and death'.

I am just gobsmacked that we are we given so much literature and advised to be so vigilant about what we eat / drink for 9 months only to be offered pain relief options which will have a far greater impact on our babies health.

That's why it's given to you by medical professionals who monitor you and the baby constantly while you're taking it. It's not the same as you walking into a pharmacy, buying it over the counter and dosing yourself.
Oxytocin is also naturally occurring in the body and you can make your body produce it by stimulating your nipples, thereby potentially inducing labour!

bytheglass

Yes there is a massive difference between natural oxytocin and the synthetic kind which is why I made the distinction but good to highlight for those who may not be aware.

By the way, I am not recommending people avoid these drugs / interventions, just answering the OP and providing the manufacturers leaflets here as people may find them helpful.
It's not like you'd have time to read them during the main event! And I doubt overworked medical professionals would be able to list off every possible risk of every medication.

Ultimately the responsibility is ours to research what is going into our bodies and our babies bodies.

s4uv3

Things to avoid during pregnancy:

Bump touchers.
Gender guessers.
The "are you sure it's not twins in there?" crowd.
The "you're very big, aren't you?" crowd.
Labour horror stories.

All people who say the following:
"Sleep now while you have the chance"
"You won't know what's ahead of you"
"In my day...."
"You should...."
"You shouldn't..."
"You need to...."
"Can you eat that?"

Basically avoid anybody who makes you second guess yourself or doesn't tell you that you look great and you're doing a good job

Dial Hard

Toots wrote:

My GP said no shellfish Devastated, cos we went on holidays when I was 10 weeks pregnant and one of the restaurants there does an amazing lobster. Also had to forgo paella this year too.

It's valve shellfish that's the problem but somewhere along the line that got conflated with *all* shellfish. Same with soft cheese - the issue is unpasteurised or unwashed rind cheeses but again, this somehow became all soft cheeses. I know women who wouldn't eat Philadelphia while they were pregnant.

There was a really interesting article on all this from the master of one of the maternity hospitals a while back, I'll see if I can dig it up.

jlm29

I have a friend who wouldn't take gaviscon whilst pregnant. I used practically wash my dinner down with a bottle of the stuff.

Toots

jlm29 wrote: »

I have a friend who wouldn't take gaviscon whilst pregnant. I used practically wash my dinner down with a bottle of the stuff.

I was the same first time around - I'd have taken my daily allowance of it by 11am! Gaviscon is grand and so are rennies. There are a couple that you can't take during pregnancy but any time I went to the chemist I'd just say "what's the strongest heartburn medicine I can get that's safe during pregnancy?" (Often while quaffing a 2 litre of milk :pac:)

Moonbeam

very opinionated people is probably the most important thing.

Pasteurised soft cheeses are fine.
Irish eggs are perfectly safe but Uk eggs are not.

noble00

On my second child I had emergency section and the nurse had to remove nail polish from my toes for hygiene reasons , this may be the reason they don't want nail varnish, my hand nails were fine