eating raw animal products while pregnant

[FireWithin]

I'm in my first trimester and the other day I made a smoothie and paused over the raw egg yolks. What do you ladies think about raw egg, fish and meat during pregnancy (we are dairy free)?

[MountainMamaGC]

My mother ate raw eggs while pregnant and raw milk too. She grew up in Yugoslavia and didnt even have refrigeration. I ate rare steak while pregnant. In Japan pregnant women still eat sushi. There is a risk, but I think its pretty low. I think factory farmed stuff is higher risk. Ex. Maple Leaf had a listeriosis outbreak the killed and injured a lot of people last year in Canada.

[dogmom327]

I consume raw eggs while pregnant only if I'm very sure of my source. That being said, we are very lucky to have several wonderful sources of eggs so I can eat as many raw one's as I'd like (pregnant or not).

[kl5]

I am 14 weeks pregnant and have been eating our own backyard eggs raw, plenty of rare grass-fed beef (and very occasional raw beef at an Ethiopoan restaurant), occasional (2-3 times per month) raw salmon sushi, and daily raw goat's milk and kefir. I feel great and have had no problems. I would say if you have sources you are comfortable with and have eaten these things with no problem before you got pregnant, well, go with your gut. For me, I feel perfectly comfortable (and plan on eating many raw oysters soon). But stressing over it is not worth the extra nutrition you may get, so if you feel nervous about it, err on the safe side.

and Congratulations!

[JamieCatheryn]

I did stop drinking raw milk when I had to take antacids while pregnant, otherwise I'd be fine with it. I'd only ever want to eat raw egg if I got them from the farmer, pregnant or not.

[FireWithin]

thanks - no I'm not stressing over it. just wanted feedback from this point of view.

My sil has a 4 month old baby. While pregnant her OB gave her so many restrictions, and so many of them were on nutrient dense foods! just the common no raw stuff and a few other things. But she regularly ate Nabisco and Kraft stuff - pure garbage. I was really struck by what she was choosing to eat and not eat. So, I just wanted a different view reminder.

I am really seeing encouraging these nutrient dense foods and further restricting myself on chemicals, packaged foods. We have many food allergies to work with so we don't eat many packaged foods to begin with.

Point well taken about knowing your source of food.

eta: thanks for the congrats - it is still so new and exciting

[mbravebird]

I think the source is more important than the raw-ness, when it comes to bacteria. When pregnant, I ate things rare or raw when I knew my source well and trusted them. Nothing can guarantee absence of bacteria, though, of course. I consider supermarket meat and eggs to be at a higher risk for bad bacteria, though -- even when cooked.

Do what feels best, though -- stressing is the last thing you need right now.

[Koalamom]

Ditto on knowing the source. I may only eat raw if they are really local pasture raised. From the grocery store, no way.

But this being said, when I was pregnant, I may eve skip the raw eggs altogether. Depends what you feel god about, or I think I would just skip the stuff in the first trimester if I wasn't sure.

[Koalamom]

PS- Congrats!!