? for those in 2nd / 3rd trimester or those with children

[Deleted]

First time poster on this board, here!  :-)

So, I’m cautiously here – I’m ~ 5 wks pregnant (and it’s taken us 3.5 years to get here!) and I have a question. I know pretty little about pregnancy (and babies for that matter) so I thought that I’d do a little research on the Internets regarding preparing for the baby – maybe some specific foods to eat or not, etc.. I mean, I’ve got the whole – don’t eat raw sushi and drink tequila thing down.


Note: trust that I am a reasonably sound, non-dramatic, intelligent person.


OMG.


I read a variety of articles this AM (at 4 AM, when I couldn’t sleep) involving things that I should/need to/etc. adjust as part of being pregnant. The sum total of the information seems to indicate that I should eat a solely organic diet, knit my own clothes, don’t drink herbal tea, don’t apply nail polish, throw out my entire make-up cabinet, stop using wrinkle-reducer, stop using my deodorant and hair products, and get a tap water analysis at my house. I’m being a little funny. Sort of.


What??
I get that chemicals can be absorbed into the skin -- I just don't know how extreme is too extreme (as everything on the Internets is always correct ;-) ).

So – my question is this – what are you doing? What did you do? I get the whole “ask your doctor” thing – and I will and have been reading materials his office provides which seems to take a much more measured approach.


Can I have a root beer occasionally? Do I have to pitch my Clinique??

[smock]

I would ignore pretty much all of that advice, ha ha! You might try the book "Panic Free Pregnancy," which does an excellent job of sorting out the overreaction from reality.

I've had caffeine (under 200 mg a day), lots of soft cheeses (made from pasteurized milk), and YES I still use deodorant and make-up!

[MrsDarcy]

Deep breath.

First, Dr Google is only going to freak you out, about all things related to pregnancy and your baby. Try to use in moderation.

You're going to get a variety of answers here on what you can and cannot eat, drink, apply to your body, breathe in, etc. Take them all with a grain of salt. Find a trusted doctor or friend and see what they suggest you abstain from. Read good books. Find good resources. Do what feels right to you. Ultimately this is your body so it's your decision.

First, huge congrats on your pregnancy after such a long road! Welcome to the board. There really are a lot of level headed women here that give good advice, so I feel you're in a good place.

Good luck with the first of many decisions.

[mrssandro]

I have heard great things about this book: www.amazon.com/The-Panic-Free-Pregnancy-Separates-Medications/dp/0399529896/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394646336&sr=8-1&keywords=panic+free+pregnancy

The only things I personally do is limit my caffeine intake to one cup a day if I can stomach it. I also don't eat a ton of raw sushi but I do like Sushi rolls like Tempura Shrimp..etc.

I did not change my make-up the first time or any of my hygiene products. I don't plan to this time as well.

Moderation is key.

Edit: Forgot about Deli meat and soft cheeses. I try avoid deli meat if I eat it I heat it up. As long as the cheese is pasteurized it should be fine. Honestly cheese hasn't been on my love list like it usually is. 

[rbp]

I quit drinking alcohol (for the most part; I've had a few sips here and there), mostly quit eating deli meat (I have eaten it a few times when I'm hungry and that's what's available), I'm more careful about washing my produce, and I cut back on artificial sweeteners (from two Diet Cokes a day down to maybe two a week). I also quit using Retin-A before TTC and quit my topical acne medicine when I got my BFP.

I still eat sushi, medium-rare steak, and things with raw eggs. My reading has indicated that I'm no more likely to get myself or my baby sick from salmonella than when I'm not pregnant, and I've never (to my knowledge) gotten a salmonella infection. What really freaks me out is listeria, because it can hurt your baby without ever making you sick. Hence the (mostly) ban on deli meat. I also check to make sure the soft cheeses I eat are pasteurized, but really, they almost always are. 

I am a chemistry professor, so I am exposed to all sorts of chemicals in the lab. I just use care to limit my exposure, wear gloves, and step out of the lab to get fresh air. 

I don't have a baby yet to tell you that everything is fine, but this is what I am comfortable with. Nature takes lots of precautions to protect your baby in the womb!

ETA: I would have cut back on caffeine if I had been drinking a lot of it outside the Diet Coke habit to begin with. But I developed an aversion to the taste of coffee a year ago, so really my only caffeine intake is in tea and the occasional DC, so probably <100 mg/day.

[catsarecute]

First of all, congrats!!! Especially after the long journey to get pregnant.

One of the things that I have kept in my mind throughout this process is that my mom and her mom and her mom didn't have the internet to reference throughout their pregnancies and they were just fine. Try not to get sucked into the panic of the internets.

I found that my doctor gave me a small list of things not to eat and that was it. There are things that are bigger no-no's during pregnancy and if you stick to that, you will be fine. Everyone "does" pregnancy different but I'm not willing to live my life in a bubble for 9 months so I took caution with my food and my actions and things have been normal for me.

As for your specific questions: I drink root beer and haven't changed my make-up products one single bit.

[statlerwaldorf]

The big thing I did was check my facial products (cleansers, moisturizers, etc.) for retinoids and salicyclic acid. I don't think there's even been a study showing that topical use is necessarily dangerous since most of the studies were using it orally like Accutane, but it wouldn't hurt to avoid.

There are certain teas to avoid, but I'm not a big tea drinker, so I couldn't tell you which ones.

Make sure to run any OTC medications by your doctor.

[Deleted]

I quit alcohol, avoid raw/undercooked meat and unpasteurized cheese, and make sure I wash all of my raw vegetables. Aside from that, I cut back my caffeine intake, but that was because my Dr. told me that my daily hot teas interfere with iron absorption. Otherwise, eat healthy avoid excessive chemicals if possible but don't go crazy! You cannot avoid everything, so don't stress yourself out. As for beauty products, you might want to be careful with some of them because your skin can be more sensitive and might not react in the same manner to the moisturizer or cleaner that you used before.

[anaps28]

Basically I just listened to my doctor. With my DS my doctor told me no cold cuts, no tuna, no bacon (wtf?) no hot dogs and soft unpasteurized cheeses. I did eat cold cuts heated up, I ate tuna on occasion and dear God no one was going to tell me not to eat BACON!! One of my favorite pregnancy foods then was an Avocado BLT! I did have a glass of wine here or there, got weekly manicures , wore makeup , regular deodorant and my LO turned out just fine.
Google is like the best/worst thing EVER so proceed there with caution. GBCN is also extremely helpful so ask all of us!

[katiek]

I try to follow everything in moderation. So, for example, when I went to buy new lotion specifically for my stomach, I looked for one with minimal chemicals. I didn't get rid of or stop using anything I already had, though. I never drink caffeine, and even though I was exhausted all first tri, I didn't start. I still go for sushi, but only eat a little raw fish, and focus on the cooked/vegetarian stuff. My doctor pretty much said don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, lol, but all doctors are different. I will add that I was much more paranoid in first tri than I am now, both because the baby is more delicate and I got sick of being so strict.

Also, welcome and congrats!

[melsamoony]

I agree with smock. I still paint my nails just make sure the area is well ventilated. I still go get pedis when I want to. I have always used 4 free nail polish and remover so I have continued with that.

I still wash my face with my Mary Kay soap and use my moisturizers and creams.

I definitely wear deoderant and I think everyone thanks me for that. I swear I sweat more now than ever before.

I follow the eating guidelines for the most part, have caffeine occassionally, only eat cheeses with pasturized milk (but I do eat soft cheeses when they are made with pasturized milk), and try not to fret too much over every little decision.

My coworkers always say I did all the things you aren't alloud to do now when I was pregnant because we didn't know any better and my kids turned out fine. I try to remind myself that when I go crazy.

[mrssandro]

LOL at no bacon!

[picksthemusic]

First, congratulations! You're pregnant!

Second, calm down. LOL Don't let the internet scare you about things you've already done or anything. There's nothing you can do to change it (say you had alcohol the night before you found out you were pregnant). I know it's scary, but it will be okay. You have a long time to prepare for baby, and you're not going to give it 3 heads by eating a non-organic carrot. I promise.

Here's a good website that will help with the OMGness of it all (it has a great sense of humor):
www.pregnantchicken.com/

And to answer your questions - yes, you can have root beer. You can use your regular beauty things, just nothing with salycilic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid (I think that's it). You can even dye your hair! Just avoid ones with ammonia (Garnier Olia doesn't have ammonia). Moderation is key here. Go get yourself a book or two and read.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy is an excellent book IMO.

[hokiegirl82]

I also suggest reading "Panic Free Pregnancy." Someone on here recommended it to me when I was early on, and it was a great read.

I have to say I've been doing a lot of the no-nos - eating cold deli meat, some days having 2 cups of coffee, eating sushi, having runny eggs, etc. (and I've had a few small glasses of alcohol since mid-second tri). I haven't done any of these things in great amounts, but in mostly moderation. The one thing I have been following is the medication advice - no advil/ibuprofen, only tylenol for pain/headaches.

Google will tell you a million different things, and you'll get many different answers on here. Talk to your doctor about it, and make healthy/logical decisions - I know it's overwhelming but CONGRATS!

[SJ]

What I cut out:

-caffeine (I would have some if I craved it, but it hasn't been an issue and I wanted to quit Diet Coke anyway)
-cold cuts (but I don't like them much anyway)
-hot tubs
-hard liquor
-no pain medicine (haven't need it)

What I kept doing:

-coloring my hair
-painting my nails
-drinking the occasional glass of wine or champagne


I ate sushi once. I have not transitioned to eating organic and I have not really worked out much at all.

[IndiaInk]

I highly recommend "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster. She is an economist who studied the data on a ton of research studies in order to make more informed decisions for herself in everything from prenatal genetic testing to sushi and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It really helped take the guesswork and panic out of a lot of these issues for me.

I eat a mostly organic diet anyway (raise my own meat and veggies on my own farm) but have been pretty low key about most things relating to pregnancy. I eat raw sushi from reputable places, have the occasional half glass of wine, and drink 2 cups of coffee daily. The only things I've been really cautious about are falling (I stopped skiing and horseback riding and feeding cows from the back of a moving truck), medications except for acetaminophen, and eating turkey lunchmeat and salad bars (risk of foodborne illness from ingredients sitting out at improper temps). I try to use common sense and caution but not let pregnancy turn me into a paranoid person. I'm pregnant, not dying

[thatgirl2478]

LOL - 4 am is a BAD TIME to read about pregnancy stuff because it's all scary then!

I'm the least sensationalist person out there. I'm skeptical by nature and tend to believe that everything in moderation is probably ok (obviously nothing stupid like drugs).

I didn't give up caffeine - I just cut back. You can have up to 200mg/day which is basically 4 diet cokes. I was only drinking 2 before getting pregnant, so I cut back to 1 most days.

I didn't give up cold cuts but I do make sure I buy the healthier options when I go to the store (no nitrates etc). I LOVE Jimmy Johns, Potbellys, Panera so there was no way I was stopping my favorite sandwiches. The concern over cold cuts is 2 fold - listeria (which you can get from anything) and nitrates.

I did give up drinking, but it wasn't a big deal in my life before, though you can have a small glass of wine with dinner on occasion (not every day but if you're celebrating an anniversary or whatever a small amount isn't going to hurt).

I did give up taking Ibuprofen - but still take Tylenol (with a diet coke) to treat headaches. I figure that this whole tylenol = ADHD scare is just that - both things are INCREDIBLY COMMON so how can you possibly say that Tylenol caused it?

I didn't do hot tubs much, but even my friend who has one at her home did them - but took frequent breaks.

I didn't worry about eating soft cheeses because unless you're buying fancy artisan cheeses directly from the artisan, you're PROBABLY getting pasteurized cheese.

I don't do sushi, but if you go to a reputable place and stay away from the fish that historically have high levels of mercury in them, you're probably fine. Just don't go eating gas station tuna sushi...

[Deleted]

You guys are freaking awesome!! Thank you -- you're right -- a true mix of responses!

catsarecute - you're right -- women have been doing this for thousands of years (and, clutching pearls, without the Internets)!!

smock mrssandro - thanks for the book recommendation! I'm going to check that out.

picksthemusic -- I'm going to check out the website -- thank you!!!

hokiegirl82 - I tried to do scrambled eggs a few days - but I had to go back to my poached eggs!! I try to cook them until just before they turn firm. I figure that's good enough :-)

@naps28 -- and WTF at no bacon!!! I'm with you, sister!

Everyone -- thank you for your wisdom and calmness and thoughts. I know that it's just jitters after such a long road and the fact that I never investigated any of this before...since I didn't want to think too far ahead. Even now, I don't intend to buy 28 books and have a 3-binder birth plan -- :-)

[dana2006]

I'm not uberstrict about all the things to do or not to do, mainly b/c I want to keep my sanity. The obvious ones, like avoiding raw sushi and alcohol and limiting caffeine, were easy to follow, but I haven't done much else differently. I've gotten the "No coffee", "No GMO food", and "Eat organic" caution from family and friends and I just nod and still keep doing what I've always done. I stopped dying my hair purely out of laziness, but plan to paint my nails when the weather gets warm. I figured less stress is better than all the organic-homemadeeverything-nochemicals-nothisnothat combined.

[IndiaInk]

First trimester is a mindfuck as everyone will tell you. You're so excited, are perhaps not telling very many people yet, you're going through all these physical changes that aren't visible on the outside. It seems to drag on forever because you can't feel your baby moving yet. I totally understand how it can be anxiety-inducing. Just know that we've all been there, and it gets better! Try to enjoy it as much as you can and don't worry too much.

[bowies]

I cut out all caffeine in the first tri (which I got mainly from Diet Coke) and started getting major migraines. Finally I told my OB and he was like, WTF are you doing to yourself? Have some Diet Coke to help with the migraines, just don't have ALL the Diet Coke. So, I'm still drinking it in moderation and so far my fetus has not grown a second head.

One of my food aversions is fish, so sushi hasn't been a temptation at all. I'd probably eat a tempura roll if I could stomach it.

I stopped using my prescription zit cream (luckily my face has calmed down since first tri) but still use my eye cream.

I have highlights and wear nail polish (though since they're growing so rapidly I don't bother with it much).

I'm also in the middle of painting my house. As long as I'm not standing over the paint can huffing the fumes in an unventilated space, I think I'll be OK.

Oh, and hell yeah I eat cooked lunch meat, bacon, somewhat runny eggs, and pasteurized foods. Yanno, moderation. I will say: watch out for some fruit juices, they are often unpasteurized if they're the super organic Whole Foodsy ones.

[bowies]

I think most have a tendency to try to Do Everything Right when they first get their BFP. My BFF is 6w along and told me she's on a major fruit/veggie kick (organic of course) right now. I'm all LOL, let me know when you get to the all-bagels-all-the-time stage!

[rbp]

Oh yeah, I stopped riding a bike because I'm terrible at it and fall all the time.  :? This is probably not an issue for most adults. That was the only "contact" activity I did (and the contact was always an accident LOL).

[FastHands]

hey girl hey!
I'm pretty lax about most things. I take some listeria precautions (no cold lunch meats, I skip the salad bar at my work cafeteria and anywhere else that I question how well it was washed and how long it's been sitting), but I don't go nuts. I've had hot dogs and bacon. I have a soda if I feel like it, but I've cut back.

I have cut retinols out of my skin care, which is super painful for me, since an Rx Retin-A cream is about the only thing that somewhat controls my acne, but retin-A is well studied as a fetal-development-screwer-upper, so it doesn't seem worth the risk even at those small quantities.

Other than that, I just try to make better choices about what I eat, but it's day-to-day. As you know from my post on TTTC, I have a wendy's frosty key fob, so clearly I'm not banning all processed foods. lol.

Oh and similar to rbp, I will likely sit on the sidelines when my work crew goes ice-skating this month, because I spend most of my ice skating time on my face. lol.

On the whole, it's business as usual. With less booze.

[smock]

Mar 12, 2014 13:30:32 GMT -5 bowies said:

I think most have a tendency to try to Do Everything Right when they first get their BFP. My BFF is 6w along and told me she's on a major fruit/veggie kick (organic of course) right now. I'm all LOL, let me know when you get to the all-bagels-all-the-time stage!

I'm sort of wondering when that stage will end! I've probably eaten more bagels during this pregnancy than in the last 10 years combined!

[papie]

Here is what I stopped doing: drinking alcohol (other than the occasional small glass), eating raw meats/eggs, eating unpasteurized cheeses, taking advil and most OTC meds (I ask the pharmacist before buying anything). I also stopped sports that seem risky like jogging (I'm clumsy), downhill skiing, skating.  I also don't clean the litter box, but that is partly an excuse to get my H to do it.

I still : dye my hair, polish my nails, drink caffeine, eat candy and soda and whatever I am craving, take tylenol and even tylenol cold, take my ADs, eat McDonalds, lift my kids, eat deli meat, take hot (but not too hot) baths, etc etc etc

[VillainV]

What I cut:

- Alcohol
- Some caffeine (I still drink maybe 1 cup of tea in the morning, and MAYBE one soda in the afternoon)
- I never really at fish, but if I did I would have cut that out
- Unpasteurized cheeses (not a huge part of my diet due to lactose issues)
- Ibuprofen, cold medicine, and all those other medications they say to avoid during pregnancy


What I still do:
- Use all the same toiletries I used before
- Eat cold cuts
- Eat small bits of raw cookie dough or lick the bowl of brownie batter
- Color my hair (but my salon uses vegetable-based dyes)
- Take medications as prescribed by my OB (Zantac and now Pepcid, Ambien, stuff like that)

[Deleted]

Mar 12, 2014 14:02:56 GMT -5 VillainV said:

What I cut:

- Alcohol
- Some caffeine (I still drink maybe 1 cup of tea in the morning, and MAYBE one soda in the afternoon)
- I never really at fish, but if I did I would have cut that out
- Unpasteurized cheeses (not a huge part of my diet due to lactose issues)
- Ibuprofen, cold medicine, and all those other medications they say to avoid during pregnancy


What I still do:
- Use all the same toiletries I used before
- Eat cold cuts
- Eat small bits of raw cookie dough or lick the bowl of brownie batter
- Color my hair (but my salon uses vegetable-based dyes)
- Take medications as prescribed by my OB (Zantac and now Pepcid, Ambien, stuff like that)

Man, VillainV, now I totally want cookie dough and brownie batter! Wanna come over and mix me up some cookie dough? I want chocolate chip with pecans in it and then I'll microwave it for just a bit and eat it warm with a scoop of ice cream...mmmmmmmmm......I love warmed up cookie dough!!!!

[gerberdaisy]

So, congrats!

My doctor said to not drink, don't do drugs, limit caffiene to one cup a day and everything else in moderation. So thats what I've been doing.

In the beginning I was super vigilant about avoiding everything, then I got used to the idea of being pregnant and haven't been as crazy. I try to not drink caffiene, but have regular coffee if thats all thats available sometimes. I have had some lunch meat lately, but usually don't eat that. Soft cheese, I just check to see if its pasturized. High mercury fish I have cut out, because its not good for anyone to have too much mercury.

You can go crazy with all the limitations, so sometimes its a balance of whats riskier and what just gets me through the day.  Some of it has just become part of whats normal to me so I don't even realize I've cut it out.

Oh yeah, and all the OTC drugs.  Advil is probably what I miss the most.  Tylenol doesn't do crap.

[VillainV]

Mar 12, 2014 14:13:29 GMT -5 @myblue said:

Mar 12, 2014 14:02:56 GMT -5 VillainV said:

What I cut:

- Alcohol
- Some caffeine (I still drink maybe 1 cup of tea in the morning, and MAYBE one soda in the afternoon)
- I never really at fish, but if I did I would have cut that out
- Unpasteurized cheeses (not a huge part of my diet due to lactose issues)
- Ibuprofen, cold medicine, and all those other medications they say to avoid during pregnancy


What I still do:
- Use all the same toiletries I used before
- Eat cold cuts
- Eat small bits of raw cookie dough or lick the bowl of brownie batter
- Color my hair (but my salon uses vegetable-based dyes)
- Take medications as prescribed by my OB (Zantac and now Pepcid, Ambien, stuff like that)

Man, VillainV, now I totally want cookie dough and brownie batter! Wanna come over and mix me up some cookie dough? I want chocolate chip with pecans in it and then I'll microwave it for just a bit and eat it warm with a scoop of ice cream...mmmmmmmmm......I love warmed up cookie dough!!!!

Confession:  We buy pre-made cookie dough, and eat some before we bake the rest.   And my brownie batter comes from a box.  But I would totally come make you some :-)