Grasping at straws here - parma ham

[Jennifaerie]

I absolutely adore parma ham (literally have 3 or 4 packets a week usually). I haven't had it since I got pregnant but I'm craving it (along with goats cheese which I know is a big nono ). However, I wondered if it's similar to cooked meats and the vacuum packed supermarket one is probably ok?

I wish I was italian - it's positively encouraged as a preggo food stuff over there!

Anyone eating parma ham? I miss it so much lol! Fags, booze etc no problem but don't take my ham! Obviously I won't give in if it's dangerous for baba, just thought it was worth an ask.

 

[AimeeM]

It it really encouraged in Italy? Just shows how different thing are from country to country.

On our list uncooked is a certain no-no but how about a goats cheese and parma ham pizza? Nice...!

 

[katiekittykat]

Says in my book from the midwife that it's cured so we can't have it....you could cook it though

 

[jess181989]

I've still been eating all sorts of salami and ham- no problems so far! I think we take the disalowed food list too far sometimes. Back in the day (when my mum had me) there wasn't any information on this sort of thing and she still ate everything with no problems. Then she gave birth to me and I'm normal (ish hehe) xx

 

[AimeeM]

My dad said he used to make my mum eat a lot of liver when pregnant with us as he knew it was good for her. I know it doesn't always do damage but I think the small risk foods to avoid do carry it is better to try stay away, just in case. I have to own up to still having my yolk quite runny though it's no fun not being able to dunk toast in!

 

[Cherrybinky]

I've still been eating all sorts of salami and ham- no problems so far! I think we take the disalowed food list too far sometimes. Back in the day (when my mum had me) there wasn't any information on this sort of thing and she still ate everything with no problems. Then she gave birth to me and I'm normal (ish hehe) xx

A woman from my own heart as they say Jess. This whole ooh I cant eat that thing drives me insane. My Mum keeps saying the same thing, she didnt even see a midwife till she had me, just the plain old Dr who didnt tell her not to eat anything back then. They didnt have posh scans or nuchal etc. Were lucky in todays day and age and panicking about what we can eat gets taken far too far. My midwife gave me a basic list of pate, raw/rare meats, un stamped runny egg, uncooked shell fish and certain cheese. Apart from that she said go crazy! Theres no limits on how much or how little etc. Were just getting food panic crazy, its common sense! Go eat the parma ham if you want it hun, just use your own judgement and go with your instincts.
x

 

[Jennifaerie]

It it really encouraged in Italy? Just shows how different thing are from country to country.

On our list uncooked is a certain no-no but how about a goats cheese and parma ham pizza? Nice...!

Quote from the Guardian

"In England, we're told not to eat any uncooked meats, including Parma ham. In Italy, or so I've read, doctors encourage pregnant women to eat Parma ham because, they say, it's easy to digest."

At the minute I'm sticking to cooked ham (vacuum packed). I could maybe have it in a toastie? Someone else has suggested freezing it for 3 days then defrosting to kill any bugs. I feel a bit mad even considering lol

It's also been suggested that it's ok as long as it's been stored properly. In Italy the main risks are meant to be from unwashed veg.

Saying that I decided to Try some prawns after being told they were ok. Then didn't enjoy it because I was worried about if they were cooked ok etc

 

[xsadiex]

My midwife said salami is ok, I bet parma ham is fine really...I want some, yum.

 

[Soph_F]

Hey there. I actually asked my Dr about this when I saw him last week, as parma ham, salami, chorizo etc are some of my fave snack/nibble foods and I've been really craving them but too worried to eat the stuff in the fridge! Anyway, Dr did advise not to eat it due to the process those meats go through, more risk of bacteria etc - although he said cooked chorizo etc was fine. So perhaps find ways of cooking your parma ham?!

However, I do think it's a case of use your own judgement. It's about balancing the risk and the reward! If you love something and eat it in moderation, I don't think we should completely deny ourselves when a lot of the advice is not based on science and it's more about being careful and trying to do our best by little bean. I started panicking yesterday when I was out and ordered a lunch which had hollandaise sauce, without thinking, so then didn't enjoy the food as I ate around the sauce. Talking to my DH afterwards it just seemed so ridiculous that I'd gone into panic mode when it was a one-off and I had very little of the sauce!!

Like others have said, in times gone by women didn't have the antenatal care we get now (and many still don't) with all the advice and info we're given, so do what you think is right for you and don't beat yourself up about it xx

 

[flippityflop]

I thought the major risk of eating these foods was not that it would harm the health of your baby directly, but that it would harm you, which in turn could harm the baby....or is that incorrect?

For example, if you were to go to a sandwich shop/fresh deli meat counter and buy parma ham you have no idea how long its been sitting there, or if its been stored correctly and therefore you could get bacteria from it and it might make you ill which could harm the LO.

However, if you went into Tesco and bought a packet of vacuum packed parma ham then you're unlikely to get ill from it, as there is less chance of anything bad getting to it. If that makes sense.

I am still eating runny eggs, but have switched to organic eggs. I am also eating prawns, but only ones that I buy already cooked, rather than raw ones which I don't really know what I'm doing with it.

 

[Tracybabydust]

Worked in food microbiology for years. Vacuum packed foods run a risk of carrying listeria monocytogenes which is a bacterium capable of causing meningitis in the baby or miscarriage. Listeria thrieves in low temperatures like in a fridge and is the bacteria that is the cause for the concern in soft cheeses! Having said that if you worry about everything you eat you would be a reck! Like others have said it becomes a personal judgment call and common sence etc... If I were you a little parma ham wouldnt hurt!

 

[Jennifaerie]

Worked in food microbiology for years. Vacuum packed foods run a risk of carrying listeria monocytogenes which is a bacterium capable of causing meningitis in the baby or miscarriage. Listeria thrieves in low temperatures like in a fridge and is the bacteria that is the cause for the concern in soft cheeses! Having said that if you worry about everything you eat you would be a reck! Like others have said it becomes a personal judgment call and common sence etc... If I were you a little parma ham wouldnt hurt!

I'm not planning on eating any - just not worth it I'v decided, but if that's the case then how does anyone eat anything. Surely there's never a good time to have listeria I'm really surprised - would have thought prepacked cured meats would be much safer than deli ones that have been left around.

 

[10thSept]

I agree that you have to take a sensible approach and use your judgment.
However, I find the argument of 'my mum did so and so and I turned out ok' very very difficult. My mum smoked and drank the whole way because she didn't know better. We do- does that mean I smoke and drink and say I'm ok so my baby will be? No, because I was lucky and my mum was lucky. The statistics as we now know them were against her.
Our mums were all lucky, they slept us on our tummies and ate everything and smoked and drank, but what about all those women who lost their babies or whose babies were hurt by their actions? The point is that now we know more and have better survival rates because of it. How terrible is it to make some sacrifices for 9 months, even if some are over the top, if the benefit is that we take on board the lessons from all the babies who didn't make it or who suffered.
That's just my view. When my mum says I slept you on your tummy, it's fine, your daughter will be fine, I think it's not worth the risk that some women didn't know they were taking.
Anyway, everything in moderation- we should all look at the lists and see what we think is sensible given why each food is 'banned' and make an informed choice based on fact, rather than one off stories.

 

[Jennifaerie]

Very true, my Mum keeps saying how XYZ didn't hurt me, but I do have asthma and I was born 7 weeks early lol

 

[Tracybabydust]

I didnt mean to scare or offend anyone on here with my earlier post of listeria, its just you get to know bacteria and understand food standards and the laws and legislations, what bacteria prefere etc. Please dont panic at what I said many many bacteria are great for our bodies just not that particular one. A low infective dose of bacteria is usually destroyed by our bodies immune system but with certain bacteria it has the potential more than others to cross blood barriers into the foetus. I think all things in life are down to our own personal judgements. I dont like parma ham, lets hope I dont crave it during my pregnancy?? Good luck to you all!

 

[Jennifaerie]

I didnt mean to scare or offend anyone on here with my earlier post of listeria, its just you get to know bacteria and understand food standards and the laws and legislations, what bacteria prefere etc. Please dont panic at what I said many many bacteria are great for our bodies just not that particular one. A low infective dose of bacteria is usually destroyed by our bodies immune system but with certain bacteria it has the potential more than others to cross blood barriers into the foetus. I think all things in life are down to our own personal judgements. I dont like parma ham, lets hope I dont crave it during my pregnancy?? Good luck to you all!

Oh no I wasn't offended just surprised sorry if it came across that way. Ive just decided its not worth it x

 

[beccad]

Have you ever been ill from eating these 'banned' foods before?

ETA: I do understand that these things can be dangerous, but if you've got thus far in life without contracting listeria, it's very unlikely you will now? Would be very unfortunate... I suppose it depends how common it is for these foods to be contaminated.

 

[10thSept]

Your immune system is surpressed when you are pregnant and so even if you haven't gotten sick from eating certain foods before, that's not any form of guarantee that you won't get sick when preg as your immune system is totally different.
Also, with soft cheese, even in france, Where they live on Brie and the like, pregnant women avoid those cheeses- and they have had them as part of their staple diet until that point. So it's not about what makes you sick or not when your not pregnant to be honest.
I agree some guidance is OTT but most is there for a sound reason, not just so doctors get a laugh from telling us not to eat stuff!!

 

[AimeeM]

I agree that you have to take a sensible approach and use your judgment.
However, I find the argument of 'my mum did so and so and I turned out ok' very very difficult. My mum smoked and drank the whole way because she didn't know better. We do- does that mean I smoke and drink and say I'm ok so my baby will be? No, because I was lucky and my mum was lucky. The statistics as we now know them were against her.
Our mums were all lucky, they slept us on our tummies and ate everything and smoked and drank, but what about all those women who lost their babies or whose babies were hurt by their actions? The point is that now we know more and have better survival rates because of it. How terrible is it to make some sacrifices for 9 months, even if some are over the top, if the benefit is that we take on board the lessons from all the babies who didn't make it or who suffered.
That's just my view. When my mum says I slept you on your tummy, it's fine, your daughter will be fine, I think it's not worth the risk that some women didn't know they were taking.
Anyway, everything in moderation- we should all look at the lists and see what we think is sensible given why each food is 'banned' and make an informed choice based on fact, rather than one off stories.

Argument. Who was arguing? I never said it was ok did I? I said my mum did it but I wouldn't risk it. And who said anything about smoking. No need.

I followed the guidelines to a T with my first son, did nothing I wasn't supposed to and he has Asthma, Eczema and Aspergers syndrome. So just goes to show what will happen will anyway guidelines or not.

 

[beccad]

I agree that you have to take a sensible approach and use your judgment.
However, I find the argument of 'my mum did so and so and I turned out ok' very very difficult. My mum smoked and drank the whole way because she didn't know better. We do- does that mean I smoke and drink and say I'm ok so my baby will be? No, because I was lucky and my mum was lucky. The statistics as we now know them were against her.
Our mums were all lucky, they slept us on our tummies and ate everything and smoked and drank, but what about all those women who lost their babies or whose babies were hurt by their actions? The point is that now we know more and have better survival rates because of it. How terrible is it to make some sacrifices for 9 months, even if some are over the top, if the benefit is that we take on board the lessons from all the babies who didn't make it or who suffered.
That's just my view. When my mum says I slept you on your tummy, it's fine, your daughter will be fine, I think it's not worth the risk that some women didn't know they were taking.
Anyway, everything in moderation- we should all look at the lists and see what we think is sensible given why each food is 'banned' and make an informed choice based on fact, rather than one off stories.

Argument. Who was arguing? I never said it was ok did I? I said my mum did it but I wouldn't risk it. And who said anything about smoking. No need.

I followed the guidelines to a T with my first son, did nothing I wasn't supposed to and he has Asthma, Eczema and Aspergers syndrome. So just goes to show what will happen will anyway guidelines or not.

I don't think anyone was saying anyone was arguing It's a turn of phrase - 'putting the argument forward for XYZ'... Like 'the case for or against XYZ'.