ok, so would eating sushi once while pregnant really be that big of a deal? archived

i'll also admit that i eat soft cheeses (feta, goat, brie, etc.) while pregnant, as well as deli meats and medium-rare steaks. and i've had three VERY watered down margaritas during the last many months.

when my preemie son was being examined, the neonatologist asked me if ihad used alcohol during the pregnancy. I admitted that, for New Year's, I made a chocolate mousse with Kahlua.

His response..."Was it good?"

oh, blargh. was this neonatologist trying to make you feel guilty? i hate when doctors do that... as if that one bit of chocolate mousse with a few drops of kahlua caused his premature birth. ack. or maybe, by asking if it was good, he was just indicating that it wasn't a big deal to have had that little bit.

I thought all sushi was flash frozen to kill any bacteria. Hmmm...I came from a different era and we thought the baby was protected from everything we did.

Oy. I don't know.

While I don't say it's ok to drink while pregnant, I do wonder about all the centuries when pregnant women in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal drank wink as a matter of course while their northern European counterparts were drinking beer (drinking water then might have been more dangerous than the wine or beer, actually, given the state of sanitation in the 1700 and 1800s). Yet, this didn't result in millions of damaged babies........sometimes I think our society goes a bit overboard on lots of things, you know?

i've had multiple doctors tell me an infrequent drink is fine. and the studies appear to support this (here's one, as an example)...

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/1/129

but i get why the "don't drink at all" message is put out there... one of those better safe than sorry things. and i'm thinking the same is true of sushi consumption while pregnant. excessive sushi consumption or sushi from taco trucks or back-alley operations should be avoided. but i'm thinking a reputable restaurant just once this late in my pregnancy shouldn't be sending child protective services to my door...

Your posting says you have suspicions. It is in your head. Ask the restaurant if you want to put blame elsewhere. Or your doctor.

As an MOLer I'm going to say, of course you can have sushi and a little saki. Go ahead and enjoy!

You asked for an opinion. Well. There's mine. :bigsmile:

okay- so think back to when our parents were pregnant back in the day....no one told them not to drink or smoke....and we turned out fine....so why are you worried about sushi??? A few years ago I read that bacon was cancerous.....are you kidding me???????????? That baby is cooked already....enjoy him.

yeah, after posting this, i did a little research and have decided that a wee bit of sushi tonight is no big deal. what's really funny is that when i was telling daddyrock (who tends to be a little more prone to concern than me) that i'd been doing some research on the internet, kidrock says to me, "uh, mom, you know, you shouldn't believe everything on the internet.":rolling:

The one pregnancy book I had that was written by an actual ob/gyn rather than a 'nutrition nazi' said that half a drink was fine from time to time. She also said that HER Japanese NYC ob was fine with sushi, so she was too, in moderation (i think maybe sticking to fish over more exotic stuff?)

I think the book was titled Advice From a Pregnany Obstetrician, or something similar, and it was far better than the fear mongering What to Expect books!

Posted By: bgsokay- so think back to when our parents were pregnant back in the day....no one told them not to drink or smoke....and we turned out fine

Not to mention the Valium and Librium that they were popping while pregnant!

Sushi is perfectly fine if it's from a reputable place. Of course, I've abstained for 38.5 weeks but am totally dying for it at this point... with a very large glass of wine.

With regard to the other things you mentioned, most feta in the US is pasteurized and there's nothing wrong with a medium rare steak.

Sushi will bring on labor :winkkiss:

A little bit of sushi isn't going to hurt anything, but do you have the taste for it? During my pregnancy I couldn't stand the look of sushi!!

My wife ate eal sushi to curb her pregnancy cravings.

Everything in moderation.

Most doctors say an occasional drink is fine.

On the sushi issue. It's not about bacteria or cleanliness. The problem is that, over time, the world's Oceans have become more and more laden with mercury. So the fish coming out of the Ocean, especially long-lived fish like Tuna and Roughy and Swordfish are full of the stuff. And mercury has serious neurological effects. That's why parents of autistic children always wonder about vaccinations, though a link to autism has never been shown. Honestly, I'm not sure if pregnant women should eat Tuna, especially Blue Fin. Best to ask your doctor.

Nobody should be eating bluefin tuna, it is overfished.

If you have concerns about raw fish, mommyrock, how about sushi with ingredients that aren't raw? California roll with cooked crab, shrimp or surimi, spider roll, grilled unagi, tamago, smoked salmon, vegetables -- are any of those appealing?

Personally, I don't think it's a big deal, and neither do many Japanese women, apparently -- usual disclaimers apply, and my doc suggested wine from weeks 38 through 43. :shocked:

j r is right about the tuna.

BUT back to the topic, I'm pretty sure I ate lots of raw fish while preggers. I think it was before people made a big stink about it. Maybe my kid's are a little f'ed up :wink:but at least I got to eat sushi.

PS, there's tons of sushi without raw fish. I just had it with lox, with avocado, the crab stick is cooked, eel is cooked, and sometimes you can get cool stuff like fried oysters. This would of course all be fine for a pregnant woman wanting to avoid raw fish.

Eat the sushi if you want, but for the love of God, don't have a Pepsi.:wink:

well, i ate sushi tonight (i've eaten cooked fish sushi already in this pregnancy, but i was really craving spicy salmon, which is raw). and so far, we're all still alive. and happy! :wink: it was super-duper yummy. hooray!

mr - the neonatologist was teasing me...when they ask about alcohol and drug use, they're really not too concerned about dessert

yeah yeah yeah, enjoy your raw fish, biotch.
i can't even eat a plate of pasta now.
BUT DON'T FEEL GUILTY OR ANYTHING.

so i guess the tempura ice cream (strawberry ice cream, surrounded in pound cake, and then tempura battered and fried) would also not be allowed for you, eh? :devil: because it sure was yummy...

given the extreme pukiness and weight loss that pregnancy visits upon me, i'm not feelin' guilty about nuthin! :wink:

mommyrock- when Frank and I stop by on our way to Vegas on our great American roadtrip....I would prefer that we go out for Texas bbq and not have sushi.....okay??? And....I will babysit your young'uns so that you and Daddyrock can have a date for free......

Posted By: mommyrockso i guess the tempura ice cream (strawberry ice cream, surrounded in pound cake, and then tempura battered and fried) would also not be allowed for you, eh?because it sure was yummy...

given the extreme pukiness and weight loss that pregnancy visits upon me, i'm not feelin' guilty about nuthin!

ah f#uck. my blood sugar just went up reading that!
and i was sick too! and i lost weight. wah wah wah.


excuse me. i have to go and eat my BOILED EGG now.

bgs, if you stop here, we'll take you for bbq fer sure. but you'll need to stay for more than one meal, as we will definitely have to take you to larry's french market to hear live music, dance a bit if you feel like it, and eat some yummy cajun fare.

leighan, my heart goes out to you... i wouldn't want the gestational diabetes. but we both have to remind ourselves that our misery will be over soon. and i'm just hoping that when i push this baby out, i don't promptly regain the 36 pounds i've lost (as i've done in my other pregnancies). i'm just enjoying my tempura ice cream now, because in a few weeks, the eating all goes downhill... blargh.

...so, mommyrock---you ate sushi.
Are you ---errr--feeling any twinges??:wink:
(tonight's the night, you know)

Posted By: shanabanaPS, there's tons of sushi without raw fish. I just had it with lox, with avocado, the crab stick is cooked, eel is cooked, and sometimes you can get cool stuff like fried oysters. This would of course all be fine for a pregnant woman wanting to avoid raw fish.

Word!!! Sushi is the rice wrapped in seaweed. I favor vegetable fillings myself...

Posted By: spontaneousEat the sushi if you want, but for the love of God, don't have a Pepsi.

:rolling:

well, what i had was yum-tastic... i had a roll with crab meat, raw salmon, cream cheese and avocado that was super tasty. and then there was the spicy salmon roll that also had smoked salmon and avocado too. and then there was this weird one, but interesting of tempura calamari, avocado, banana, and the sweet tempura sauce. i'm not a banana eater, but that was still good. plus, one piece of regular tuna sushi.

and interestingly enough, i've not gone into labor over it. or sprouted a third arm. ooooohhh, i'm a bad mommy! :devil: