Sunday, August 28, 2011

Things NOT to do when pregnant

My weekend has been a case study of things not to do when pregnant.

Lessons learned:

1. Do NOT assume that restaurants fully cook chicken.
2. Do NOT go to a street fair with blaring possibly-unborn-baby-ear-hurting-decibel speakers, lots of street food you can't eat, a lack of bathrooms, and no public transportation servicing the area.

Basically, don't EVER go to the Notting Hill Carnival when pregnant (or when un-pregnant really - it's not that sweet) and don't EVER eat chicken wings without making sure they're cooked all the way through.

Partically speaking, that means
1. Always underestimate your walking ability before heading to an unknown area of a city - and -
2. Take a fashlight when eating in a dimly lit restaurant.

And just a word on food safety here. After realizing that I had consumed a still slightly pink chicken wing I - after freaking the f*** out and taking a cab straight home to try to force myself to throw up (unsuccessful, just in case you were wondering) - I did a lot of research on salmonella and listeria. These are both harmful bacteria that can cause even healthy people to become very ill. Pregnant people, like moi, with their weakened immune systems and precious cargo, are particularly susceptible, hence the ban on any under-cooked egg product (not just runny eggs, but custard too!), soft cheeses, deli meats, and basically any food product that is not pasteurized or absolutely piping-burn-your-mouth hot.

Listeria and salmonella are both bad, but from research done early in my pregnancy I had been led to believe that listeria was worse because listeriosis (the infection caused by listeria) directly affects the baby - whereas salmonella did not. HOWEVER, my panicked research on Friday uncovered that salmonella CAN cross the placenta and infect the baby - and there are all kind of awful things that can happen, including the worst. Listeria still is worse, but salmonella is worse than I thought it to be.

Just something to keep in mind.

I'm going to go lay in bed and feel my baby kick. I can see his little bum through my belly. I love him already.

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