First time Mama - is it safe for me to...?

[pradabooties]

Hi everyone,

This is my first pregnancy and I have been very cautious and avoided everything anyone has said is even remotely risky (except a few slip ups involving pepperoni and mayo before I knew they were off limits!) but there are a few things I am confused about.

I've read that I can eat feta cheese as long as its made with pasteurized milk - I read this on Web MD I believe. Most cheeses in Australia are made with pasteurized milk so I went ahead and (after checking the label carefully) ate some feta cheese this past week. I feel quite certain that its safe and all good but wanted to see if anyone else has done this?

Also, I haven't dyed my hair since before I fell pregnant (so about 4 months ago) and initially thought I might just try to leave it for the whole pregnancy but it's bothering me more and more lately. I've been dying my hair black for over 5 years and my natural color - which my roots are now about an inch and a half of - is quite a light cool toned brown. It's starting to look pretty awful and I wish it didn't get to me but it really does. I've heard that as long as its done in a ventilated space and I get an ammonia free dye that it's safe? Has anyone else dyed their hair in the second trimester?

x

 

[Mississippi03]

I eat feta, pepperoni, and mayo lol

I havent dyed my hair.. But you can as long as you are in second tri. If you can find ammonia free the absolutely but even if not its fine just dont leave it on extra

 

[pradabooties]

I eat feta, pepperoni, and mayo lol

I havent dyed my hair.. But you can as long as you are in second tri. If you can find ammonia free the absolutely but even if not its fine just dont leave it on extra

Ah that's a relief haha! It's hard to know what's okay when it seems everyone has a different opinion - I must say I did have a sneaky few bites of my SO's Caesar salad last night.
Thank you, I am in the second trimester so that's good to know. I think I probably will do it soon with ammonia free, just wanted to be sure it wasn't a horribly outrageous thing to do!

 

[Mississippi03]

Its just the fear of bacteria because if it had something like listeria we are more likely o get it then the next person.. But its in lots of things like here there was some in sabra hummus not too long ago.. But how can you prepare for that? Lol i dont go hog wild but if i want a deli meat sandwich, i sure eat it! Lol ceaser salad is fine.. The risk is in home made dressings that are made with raw egg.. Then again, ive had this a few times too!

 

[pradabooties]

Its just the fear of bacteria because if it had something like listeria we are more likely o get it then the next person.. But its in lots of things like here there was some in sabra hummus not too long ago.. But how can you prepare for that? Lol i dont go hog wild but if i want a deli meat sandwich, i sure eat it! Lol ceaser salad is fine.. The risk is in home made dressings that are made with raw egg.. Then again, ive had this a few times too!

Yeah I figure the risk is fairly low, I have heard particularly in Australia/the US/ UK incidences of listeria are quite low. I've personally never had food poisoning of any kind so it certainly seems like an unlikely event but I'm still being pretty careful just in case. Lol yes, the other day I had a crazy craving for a turkey cranberry sandwich - so I had it! I only used the deli meat that day though and gave the leftovers to my dog, so everyone was happy

 

[LockandKey]

I colored my hair in my first 2 pregnancies in the 2nd trimester and both my kids are perfectly fine. If anything, the smell will bother you some, but that's about it.

 

[pradabooties]

I colored my hair in my first 2 pregnancies in the 2nd trimester and both my kids are perfectly fine. If anything, the smell will bother you some, but that's about it.

Thank you! Its good to hear from other mums who have actually done it. I feel a bit silly for caring so much about my hair but on top of all the mood swings and exhaustion of being pregnant being bothered by my hair is just the cherry on top!

 

[paintrider89]

I frequently eat the foods on the 'unsafe' list. Mayo, homemade ceaser dressing, soft cheese, sushi, raw cow/goat milk, deli meat, ect. Me and bump are perfectly healthy. Don't do anything that makes you worry/anxious, but most of the time these things are jest fine.

 

[pradabooties]

I frequently eat the foods on the 'unsafe' list. Mayo, homemade ceaser dressing, soft cheese, sushi, raw cow/goat milk, deli meat, ect. Me and bump are perfectly healthy. Don't do anything that makes you worry/anxious, but most of the time these things are jest fine.

Ah thats great to hear! I actually have kept eating sushi too - and quite a lot of it - but just not the raw fish options. Sushi has been one of my biggest cravings so most weeks SO and I visit a sushi train lol. When I first had some feta I definitely felt a pang of guilt thinking of how awful I would feel if something bad happened directly as a result of me eating cheese but it definitely seems pretty unlikely

 

[Lucy3]

Totally normal to have those concerns, especially with your first baby my OB said all cheeses are fine as these days they're all pasterized- even soft cheeses! She said avoid having deep sea fish (can't exactly remember which ones they are) but most fish is fine and good for you. I get highlights in my hair and have continued to do so throughout both pregnancies! Oh and I'm told mayo is fine if it's store bought.

 

[LockandKey]

Lucy, it's tile fish, sword fish, and shark. Fish I've personally never consumed and probably never will!

 

[stormcloud96]

My dr actually said to me a few years ago there was an increased incidence of lysteria in Australia so they've added a bit to the list, even she was surprised by some things, and said she thinks they went overboard. I'm vegetarian, so most things are easy, my husband is more paranoid than me, and it's driving me nuts. I've eaten mayo though, that wasn't on the list (just home-made dressings) I think in general most things are overboard. It had no juice squeezed from fresh fruit? That seems crazy to me.

 

[flipporama1]

Dyeing your hair is completely safe in ANY trimester. As long as you are in a well ventilated room and not huffing the fumes. The fumes are what doctors worry about. Highlights, bleach and dye are all OK. If they get on your scalp or not, it doesn't matter. I'm pregnant with baby #4 and have dyed, bleached and highlighted my hair multiple times throughout all of my pregnancies and my doctors have always said just to not be in a closed room without air flow.....

 

[Chelle26]

Perfectly safe to colour hair im a stylist and I can go home
Covered in the stuff I have one perfectly healthy boy and another
Baby on the way

 

[pradabooties]

Thank you everyone! So great to have reassurance. I actually ended up dying my hair yesterday and I'm so glad I did, I feel so much better about myself. I used an ammonia free dye and was in a very ventilated space so all good! x

 

[Hit Girl]

So glad you feel better now. I've been getting my hair highlighted (full head foils) since I got pregnant. I'm too paranoid to scalp bleach like I usually do. I know I could do it but I don't feel 100% right about it because I'm a total worrier.

I've also been avoiding sushi because of the bacteria risk with the rice. Once again, I know that's probably very unnecessary.
The awesome thing is that my hospital has a great sushi place right outside which my DH will be frequenting to grab takeaway for me while we're there after bub's born.

 

[SWlady]

The only things I truly avoid are undercooked meat, cold deli meats, raw seafood, and alcohol. I eat all kinds of cheese (pasteurized), sushi (cooked or California rolls), sausage (just careful of nitrates), and limit my caffeine intake, but don't completely exclude it.

 

[bunyhuny]

From what I've been told, the only thing I'm not supposed to eat are deli meat/hot dogs that haven't been reheated to steaming, cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, and more that 150mg caffeine a day.

Raw fish is now considered safe (if purchased at an actual sushi restaurant), alcohol in limited amounts in safe (every recent European study has shown that a single glass of beer/wine per day is totally safe- American scientists aren't allowed to study this), and even eating a medium-rare steak that is fully seared on the outside is okay. Most everything on the old list has been removed. My doctor didn't even give me a list of things not to eat since it was just three things.

I haven't colored my hair yet, but I did ask if it was okay and my OB said that it's perfectly safe. It's people who work in poorly ventilated salons day after day that she worries about.