Baby on Board! (Part 2) – Food to avoid during pregnancy

Many woman worries a lot about how the fetus is developing in their womb throughout pregnancy and I’m not spared from the group. It’s very normal to have this type of feeling since we can’t actually see what’s happening inside. And so to minimize that worry and anxiety, I refer to some of the websites which are quite good in informing us on how the fetus is developing week by week and what mothers should do to take care of themselves during that period. One of my favorite site is baby-gaga : http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/calendar/ . They also provide parenting guidelines for infant. 

Being a first time expecting mom, expect to get loads of ‘advises’ from everyone you know. They will come with a list of things that you SHOULD NOT EAT, SHOULD NOT DO and the list goes on… In my case, I was expected to follow both the Chinese and Indian ‘rules’. Which of course… I did not. LOL. That’s because I was actually advised by my Gynea that I might end up eating nothing if I need to follow both… :s

Below is the SHOULD NOT EAT list that I was told to follow and what it says medically:

1. The Chinese beliefs that one should not eat raw (seafood sashimi or not fully cooked meat such as beef) during pregnancy.
Medical explanation: it’s not that raw seafood and half cooked meat is dangerous to pregnant lady. But it may easily get contaminated by growing bacteria which will then make a pregnant lady feel ill because pregnant woman’s immune system is lower during pregnancy so that our body will not attack out growing fetus. Please also take note that illnesses due to food poisoning could lead to minor problems such as flu and diarrhea or as serious that can cause miscarriage or other foetal damage. Click here for more info.

2. Chinese also says to prevent taking orange fruit during pregnant as it will result in too much phlegm in the baby when she is born.
Medical explanation: no harm in taking oranges during pregnancy as long as it’s in moderation as orange juice has got a lot of Vitamin C and Folic acid that a pregnant lady need to get energy from where as Folic acid is important for foetal growth.

3. Chinese beliefs that talking mutton or lamb during pregnancy will cause the baby to have seizures in future.
Medical explanation: I could not find any sites supporting the above. But, to eat lamb or mutton, we must make sure it’s fully cooked and not rare or medium well. Refer item number 1 (on top) for explanation.

4. Prevent cold drink and food such as ice cream is a common advice during pregnancy. Chinese beliefs that if a pregnant lady have too much cold water and cold food, she will affect the baby’s respiratory system where the baby might have a weak respiratory system when he/she is born.
Medical Explanation: I was told by my gynea, it is ok to drink cold water, because our body is so hot that by the time the ‘cold’ water reach my tummy, it has already became room temperature. :P But of course I only started taking cold water after my 12th week.. making sure that the fetus is stable 1st.

There are so many more things that I have been told not to eat but I could not think at the back of my head right now. But I think the list above is good enough to make the pregnancy duration miserable.

Other things that are medically proven that pregnant lady should avoid are:

1.      Deli products - as it is normally taken out from the fridge and eaten cold. This is when all the bacteria have already been residing on the Deli meat.

2.      Some types of cheese normally soft cheese – for the above same reason because they may be unpasteurized and contaminated with listeria -- bacteria that can trigger food poisoning. Unpasteurized milk will have the same effect too.

3.      Raw eggs (including homemade mayos) – they  also contain high level of listeria

4.      Caffeine drinks such as coffee and colas. Too much can increase the risk of miscarriage.

5.      Alcohol is also a big NO NO because alcohol can go to the baby almost immediately as it crosses the placenta. Baby will have risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

For more info, click here.

I'll continue with my Not To Do list on the next post. :-)