Dodgy advice from doc?

[wishes]

Hi,
I went to a new GP to confirm PG and get my referral to an OB (Dr Shiri Dutt at John Flynn) and when I said to the GP doc - I need to know what I can and cant eat, there's a lot of conflicting advice out there he said - oh i wouldn't worry, I've not seen a case of listeria in 25 years, just avoid soft cheese.
I was pretty shocked, ok I'm from the UK and not used to the laid back ozzie attitude yet! but he didn't say anything about raw eggs or anything else. Is this normal? He also didn't examine me AT ALL. I guess he was in a rush or something?:(
Any thoughts? Am I just being neurotic? I don't mind if I am, I know I can be!!:rolleyes:
Ruth

[FishFace]

ahh laid back doc..LOL.

I think you will get better info form your Ob..he was probably not that worried due to the fact that you are ging to see a ob???

[Kewe]

he's probably right with what he said about him not seeing any cases of listeria in years, still doesn't mean that people don't get it though

i've found alot of docs here on the GC don't really care, or they give that impression with pregnancy, and most don't really know much about the ins and outs with pregnancy for some reason,

anyways if you want to knwo what you should and shouldn't eat in pregnancy just google, lots will come up

oh and I was never examined at my first appt either, so must be normal

[KatiesMum]

Firstly - congratulations!!!! :smiliedance:

No you are not being nurotic....that is not the kind of attitude that a newly pregnant first time mum expects!!!!! Your baby is extremely important and its (and your) health is not something to be waved off because he is too busy or lazy to examine you.

There are quite a number of things that various obs recommend that you refrain from eating during pregnancy (including runny eggs). There have been many threads here on bubhub ....

Lots of women do eat some or many of these things, as the risk of listeria or illness from listeria in Australia is not high ...... but that is YOUR choice and should be made with the full information available.

I would suggest - do some research yourself before deciding what you will eat and what poses a risk.

Good luck during your pregnancy ..... and find a new doctor. :)

[wishes]

You're probably right, I don't get to see the OB for another 4 weeks though - he DID say if there was a problem before then to come back. I just need to relax - lol
Thanks for the reply xx

I did google, thats the problem, too much info ! ! - I guess I just wanted a nice leaflet with it all listed down that I could say to my DH - look, I cant eat runny eggs I'm not being silly!
There was an OB certificate on this docs wall too - maybe he was bitter?!
heehee
Thanks xx

Thanks KatiesMum
I only went to this doc cus the local one wasn't taking on new patients. So when I need another app I will go somewhere else!
xx

[FishFace]

Like this????

What you can and can't eat when pregnant does seem confusing to start with but if you follow a few simple rules it should become clear.

• Cheese - it is only mould-ripened cheese that should be avoided i.e. cheese that has a blue vein in it or the type of skin or crust that is found on cheese such as brie or camembert.

• Eggs - you only need to avoid raw or undercooked eggs.

• All salad dressings that you buy or such as mayonnaise will have been made using pasteurised egg and are therefore quite safe. Cook eggs until the yolk and white are not runny any more. Be careful about eating 'home-made' products such as chocolate mousse which may contain raw egg.

• Paté - all paté, whether made from meat, fish or vegetables should be avoided unless it is labelled pasteurised or UHT.

• Fish - pregnant women should avoid shark, swordfish and marlin, and limit tuna to no more than two tuna steaks a week (weighing about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna a week (with a drained weight of about 140g per can). This is because of the levels of mercury in these fish. At high levels, mercury can harm a baby's developing nervous system.

Have no more than two portions of oily fish a week such as mackerel, sardines and trout.


There are certain foods that are considered to be of high risk of Listeria contamination. The foods to avoid in pregnancy include:

Soft white cheeses eg. Ricotta, brie, camembert, blue vein and fetta


Pate


Unpasturised dairy products


Cold meats


Dried/fermented sausages


Raw seafoods eg. Oysters, sashimi


Smoked seafood (canned is okay)


Pre packed and prepared salads


Soft serve ice-cream

[Kewe]

Soft white cheeses eg. Ricotta, brie, camembert, blue vein and fetta

these cheeses are alright as long as they are pastorised, and are fresh (as in havn't been sitting in ya fridge open for more than a few days

[mysonroger]

my obsty in the UK said the same things...hadn't seen a case of listeria ever and said to enjoy my ham sandwiches, etc. and wasn't too concerned about what i was eating. then when i returned to Australia, a midwide gave me a bollocking for eating ham sandwiches. another Dr in the uk didn't want me eating nuts.....and then when i presented that info to another Dr in Ireland, he said 'that's absolute bullsh*t". then a nurse here told me not to eat mayo, even though it was pastuerised, but she couldn't tell me why i couldn't eat it. so this demonstrates that it just depends who you get. and then what you decide to do with that info.



i think if you go to the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards website, you should be able to find definitive information regarding foods and pregnancy.

[wishes]

aww fankooo sassafras
xx

[Kewe]

then a nurse here told me not to eat mayo, even though it was pastuerised, but she couldn't tell me why i couldn't eat it. so this demonstrates that it just depends who you get. and then what you decide to do with that info.

its cause most mayo has raw egg in it

and definatly the NZ and OZ have the same food standards and their website has heaps of usefull info on it

[wishes]

see now trulyblessed I'm getting conflicting advice - this is what I meant argghh! lol!

[mysonroger]

its cause most mayo has raw egg in it



but if its pastuerised, is it supposed to be ok? :confused: like the cheeses. i buy jars of mayonnaise because it might have egg in it, but its not fresh raw eggs like you find in homemade mayo, its made to have a long shelf life..

i never knew the info about tuna fish. Hmmmmm....

so hard to keep up with all the info out there. i'm on my third pregnancy and i'm still hearing things i didn't know before.

[FishFace]

Thats where is comes down to you..lol.

The risky food is all named and now its up to you what you do an ddont touch.
Some pregnant women ignore it all and eat whatever..others see it as easy to avoid..

Congratulations and I hope the rest of your pregnancy is as stress free as possible!:hugs:

[wishes]

And tomorrow it will change...!
Do you think I could live on pickled onions, chips and cold rock?

[Tam-I-Am]

Here you go - a nice, packaged info sheet :D

CLICK (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ideas/diseases/listeria_facts)

[toni796]

I would ask for information sheets etc when you go and see your OB, they should have a few but in the meantime I hope you get the info that you need from all the lovely ladies here on BH.

[Kewe]

but if its pastuerised, is it supposed to be ok? :confused: like the cheeses. i buy jars of mayonnaise because it might have egg in it, but its not fresh raw eggs like you find in homemade mayo, its made to have a long shelf life..


even the shelf mayo has raw egg in it, it just has preservitives in it so it keeps longer, you can get mayo tho that has no egg in it,

mayo is one thing that I absolutly love, but totally avoided it while preg, I did make home made mayo without egg to get me though the 9mths lol,

also another thing to keep away from is freshly made mouse dessert, traditionally its made with raw egg too, the powdered stuff you make with milk it alright though

[MissSookyLaLa]

congrats on the pregnancy!

yep there is a lot of conflicting advice out there!

I have been going by what the aus food standards say, which is pretty much what sassafras' post listed out...

and even then, you need to decide what to do with it...

your gp might say he hasnt seen a case of listeriosis, but my midwife said she had seen a case (and she aint old) and that it was terrible- it can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths so it is a big deal.

goodluck!

[Baybee]

I had a doc like that when I went to confirm my 1st preg. Ithought he'd do blood tests etc but he just said "if your HPT was positive than you're pregnant" it was a bit of a let down. he also said do and eat whatever you like just don't go scuba diving! His reasoning was that women in africa having been eating raw meat and having babies for centuries, still I think I draw the line at drinking ox blood!:no:
Your ob should be a bit more helpful. I'd avoid soft cheese, deli meats, cold cooked seafood and undercooked meat/chicken.
Best of luck with your pregnancy :thumbsup:
Claire

[lilpearl]

At a first appointment, to simply confirm a pregnancy, there is no need to be 'examined'....during your pregnancy, you'll probably have your blood pressure taken at each pre-natal appointment, and the fetal heart rate checked, as well as the fundal height measured (these last two things start in the second trimester, anyway). No need for any other examination, unless there is something wrong in particular that you need checked out. :) All the best.

[wishes]

Thanks everyone
Feeling a bit more clued up now!
Just feel like I need to read and absorb ALL the information I can right now.
xx

[mysonroger]

oh my gawd....its so hard to keep up with everything. even though i thought i have been doing the right thing through my pregnancies, i clearly haven't.....but i'll try not to stress over it.

[prideNJoy]

Oh yes, there is so much info out there on what not to eat during pregnancy.
My mum thought i was crazy because i didn't eat any of the wrong foods at all with DD. Had a bit of Sushi with DS.

My mum on the other hand has 5 kids and ate everything they say not to eat, without any problems.
SO i guess it comes down to you and how far you personally want to go with what you should and shouldn't eat.

Enjoy the wonderful journey that is pregnancy! :D