Handling the DON’Ts
Learning that you’re pregnant can be such a crazy time. You’re excited, you’re scared and suddenly your body becomes someone else’s. Immediately people assume that it is their right, nay their duty, to ask you personal questions and give personal advice. There are literally lists of things you are not allowed to do and things you are not allowed to eat.
It’s easy to get swallowed into the anxiety of keeping your baby safe. But I like to remember that women have been pregnant for a long fucking time and these guidelines are meant to help, not to give you a miscarriage due to stress.
I am not a doctor. In fact, I am the first to admit I have struggled in every science class I’ve ever taken. I literally had to take one chemistry test EIGHT times, just to pass a class in High School.
Wait, what was I talking about?
Right, so my failure in the science field should reflect that the following list is how I personally deal with the many of the DON’Ts of pregnancy and should be not seen as anything masquerading as clinical.
Dealing with the DON’Ts
1) DON’T EAT SUSHI
The reason behind this rule is that raw fish and pregnant women do not mix. Furthermore, there are certain fish which contain mercury which can harm the baby.
However, this does not mean you can’t eat sushi. There are many rolls which have cooked fish, or a simple request to leave off the slab of raw fish adorning the top can solve your sushi issues.
Oddly enough, as nauseous as I am, sushi is one of the few foods I crave. Ok, I may have a fetus/poop/sushi baby.
2) DON’T EAT COLD CUTS
Really? Sandwiches are dangerous now? What’s next? Puppies? Rainbows?
Last pregnancy I ignored this rule for the first couple of months, until I Googled the reasons behind it. Talk about traumatizing.
Cold cuts can contain bacteria called Listeria, which is one of the few bacteria that can cross the placental barrier and directly affect the baby– harm by ham sandwich? Not a good way to go.
Anywho, this problem can easily be fixed by heating up the meat. Make yourself a Panini type of sandwich, using any meat you want! Simply heat the meat up until its steaming and VOILA. A Soy based lunch meat is also a possible alternative, many of which are quite delicious. (I know, I can hear you pregnant women out there rolling your eyes and chanting, “ME WANT MEAT. ME WANT MEAT.”).
3) DON’T DRINK CAFFEINE
I couldn’t follow this one. Every doctor has their own recommendation of how much caffeine is a safe amount. But there does seem to be a general rule of fewer than 250 mg per day.
This is actual a nice amount of caffeine! To give you an idea, check out these cold, hard caffeine facts:
- 8 oz cup of coffee : 146mg
- McDonald’s 22 oz iced coffee: 200 mg
- Starbucks Grande mocha: 165 mg
- 12 oz can of Coke: 34 mg
- 12 oz can of Dr. Pepper: 41 mg
- 12 oz can of Mountain Dew: 54 mg
Point being, in moderation, you can keep under the general rule of 250 mg per day. I have friends who never drank a sip of caffeine the entire time they were pregnant. I am not capable of that, so knowing the caffeine content of my favorite beverages allows me the freedom to consume, but not to harm.
There are a number of websites that will give you the caffeine content of almost any drink imaginable. Thank you, Google.
4) DON’T DRINK UNPASTEURIZED JUICE
Unfortunately, unless you want to boil your juices, I have not found a way around this one. Luckily, many juices are pasteurized and all of the labels clearly state if they are.
I’ve accidentally drank some unpasteurized juice and I ate my fair share of cold cuts before I knew of the potential harm. I’ve drunk cups of coffee and cans of soda. There are so many things to remember NOT TO DO, and sometime you may get hungry and eat a goddamn turkey sub. Relax. Do your best.
