foods to avoid in pregnancy

scary scary i was reading up on foods to avoid in pregnancy thought id share a few.

PEANUTS: did u know that the amount of peanuts a pregnant mum eats during pregnancy increases the babies risk of getting peanut allergies? i didnt! your are advised to avoid peanuts at altogether if your partner or any previous children you have had have suffered from eczema, asthma, hayfever or any reactions to any foods such as hives rashes bumps that sort of thing. the studies show that before a child can have an alergic response to something the have to come into contact with small traces previously, the first contact with the food sensitises them to the food so that when they do eat peanuts it later it causes a severe allergic reaction, some experts think that the sometimes sensitisation can happen when bub is still in mums tummy or when breastfeeding!

HONEY: honey can contain a botulism spore this spore in an undeveloped digestive system can cause a deadly desease called infant botulism.although this one isnt about pregnancy because a mums digestive system is acidic this is ok for pregnant mums and wont cross over to bub,i thought id add it because it was a surprise to me!

FISH: women can safetly eat 2 meals a week of fish, most fish are safe as long as they are fresh. pregant mums should not eat albacore tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, shark or tilefish as they contain high traces of mercury these can contribute to a number of problems such as low birthweight, decresed iq and learning problems. also avoid all uncooked seafood such as oysters or sushi as raw fish can contain harmful microbes and traces of raw sewerage(bleh).

LISTERIOSIS

some foods contain a bacteria called literiosis it can cause a form of food posioning very dangerous to pregnant women. literiosis can cause misscarrige, premature delivery and still birth and both mum and baby can die from it these foods can cause this illness:

PROCESSED MEATS: such as hot dogs, devon, ham, turkey, salami exc.

SOFT CHEESE: such as brie, feta, camembert, blue veined exc. there are many more to aviod. stay away from them unless they are labeled as made with pateurised milk. other cheeses are fine.

MEAT SPREADS: like pate can be eaten but but only canned and shelf versions refrigerated ones are not safe.

smoked seafood: smoked seafood should not be eaten as a refrigerated food either its ok cooked such as in a casserole and canned varietys are ok.

MILK: never drink unpasteurised milk or eat foods that are made from it.

TOXOPLASMOSIS

toxoplasmosis can be caused from handling cat litter in pregnancy but can also be contracted form eating undercooked meats during pregnancy often the mother wont notice she has it but will pass it onto the baby some effected babies have vision and hearing loss at birth mental retardation seizures and many other problems. the best way to decrease the risk of getting it is to never handle kitty litter while pregnant, wash hands thuroughly after gfardening and cooking meats properly the includes eggs both the white and the yolk need to be firm.also any foods or drinks made from uncooked eggs such as hollandaise sauce need to be avoided.

well this is just a few of the main things to avoid there are more im sure and i may add to this later on but for now im off. hope this helps!