Halfway There

Hello all,

You may or may not have noticed the addition of some of the "Squishable Bunch" to the side bar. At the end of this post, there will be profiles of those Squishables. Where are the other Squishables? I have twelve, yes twelve Squishables now. I have decided to divide them into groups so as to not be overwhelming. So this week there will be four, the next post there will be four, and then the final four will be revealed. I also need some time to name my last two Squishables. They are sadly nameless.

"Halfway There" is the title of this weeks blog which means exactly what it says, I am halfway through my pregnancy. Twenty weeks. They say the baby is the size of a banana right now (I have also seen artichoke). Last week it was a mango. (My fiance is allergic to mango so he said he was allergic to the baby last week.)

Speaking of food, it is really frustrating for someone like me who loves and I mean loves, food to be restricted in silly ways. For example, they say that there is certain fish you should stay away from due to mercury levels. While I understand the rational to this, I happen to love fish. As I have said before, what about the pregnant women in Japan?

Probably the most ridiculous thing I've heard, directly from a doctor no less, was not to eat raw honey because of the risk of infection. What? My friend Justin did some research for me and neither of us think it's a big deal if I eat raw honey. There is so much wrong with saying raw honey is dangerous! First of all, they have found perfectly good honey sealed up for thousands of years in the pyramids. Honey is a natural "disinfectant" if you will, it does not allow the presence of mold and bacteria to grow. Honey contains a lot of micro-nutrients which is beneficial to humans. The human stomach, which sits at a pH of 2 on average, kills most harmful bacteria upon entry of food. (For those of you into accuracy and specifics, overloading your stomach on a food that is spoiled, harboring bacteria, and/or is foreign to your body will create harmful effects. This is why if you accidentally have one bite of spoiled yogurt [this happened to me] before you realize it, you will have no side effects, but if you eat the whole container, which I did not, you can get sick.)

I hear some of you saying, "Well, isn't it true you shouldn't feed honey to infants under one year of age?" First of all being pregnant side steps that direct connection to putting honey in your child's mouth. It is processed through the mother first. Also, one reason for that is because honey can enter your bloodstream within 20 minutes. This can create problems for infants because they are so small. The other fear is that honey can harbor the evil BOTULISM! This, to me, is a completely ludicrous thought. First of all, there are fewer than 100 cases of infant botulism every year. And most of those babies recover fully. This says nothing about a pregnant woman eating it though. There is so little information on the subject in fact that I couldn't even draw up a good statistic to share with you. If your curious on a bit more information, check this site out on infant botulism.

More pregnancy "food rules:" no "cold cuts." So sandwich meat, unless it's hot, is banned. Another ridiculous rule, no raw sprouts. You know those tasty mung bean sprouts they put on salads and sandwiches? Apparently they also put you at risk for an infection. Actually, raw food in general is banned. No raw milk, no moldy cheeses, no eggs with runny middles. Go back a thousand years though. What did those women do? Oh sure, doctors tell you "well there was a higher rate of infant mortality and death due to labor." Has anyone thought that maybe our standards of living have gotten a teensy bit higher? Not only that but the human race is still in existence so I'm pretty sure women lived through childbirth eating whatever they wanted. Here's an interesting pregnancy food fact I recently learned: cravings of certain foods that pregnant women have have gotten about 70% higher in the last 50 years or so. (I cannot remember the exact statistic, but it was something close to that.) This is probably because our diet is abysmal. The nutrient value in processed foods is almost non-existent. No wonder women chew ice and crave copious amounts of pickles. It's also no wonder that we develop allergies to "real foods" like peanuts when conventional peanut butter has more sugar and hydrogenated oil in it than actual peanuts. (Note: They say to prevent food allergies in your child to eat as much of the foods known to be allergens. I have eaten quite a bit of mango, for example.)

No herbal teas. No large amounts of caffeine. Chocolate is "iffy." I eat organic and all natural, which is recommended during pregnancy but that aside I have made logical deductions on food during pregnancy and this is what I have personally decided:

No List -

1) Alcohol - Kind of an obvious thing, you don't want your baby to have liver issues at birth.

2) Raw fish - This one was hard for me because I love fish but I understand the reason behind this. With our water supplies more tainted than ever, you want to be cautious as to what your consuming.

3) Cold ham/pig products - I'm not a fan of pig anyway but pig is more likely to carry parasitic eggs and harbor bacteria than other meats.

4) Undercooked eggs - I have a fairly good idea as to where my eggs come from but many people don't. If your egg has a tiny bit of liquid in the middle but is still hot there is no reason why it would be inedible, however, overly runny or raw eggs is not really a great idea.

5) Moldy cheeses - Sorry, I have to agree with this one. You're literally inviting bacteria into your body.

6) Coffee - There has been a lot of pregnancy controversy over this one. People have gotten so addicted to caffeine over the years and there has been little evidence of an effect on the baby that doctors have said that two or three cups of coffee a day is okay. I do not buy this. Caffeine is a stimulant and that drug does filter into your system and into the baby's just like it would if it was another drug. If Aspirin isn't okay, why is caffeine?

Likely Fine within Reasonable Amounts -

1) Fish - They already say that fish in small amounts is okay and there is a comprehensive list of "banned fish" online because of high mercury levels, but I'm reiterating here that fish is good for you!

2) Sushi - Calm down, I mean sushi containing cooked fish or vegetables, not raw fish. I love sushi!

 3) Honey - Should you eat large amounts of it? No. Should you eat large amounts of tomatoes? Probably not. If you are worried about honey affecting you or your baby, don't get the raw variety or choose not to eat it. It won't hurt you either way.

4) Sprouts - I'm sorry but I have eaten raw sprouts recently. They are exceptionally good for you and if they are properly harvested and washed I see no issues with it. Saying eating raw sprouts is wrong is almost like saying eating raw lettuce is wrong. What's the difference?

5) Chocolate - Yes I know it contains a small amount of caffeine. However, there are quite a few benefits to chocolate provided you get the real stuff and you prefer dark to milk chocolate. The amount of caffeine in chocolate is miniscule compared to coffee, tea, and soda.

6) Spicy Food - I didn't mention it in my rant above but some women are worried for some reason to eat spicy food. The biggest risk is developing heartburn. If it bothers you don't eat it, otherwise, eat up! I have been loving my spicy food!

Unsure/With Exceptions List -

1) Raw milk and cheeses - Before pasteurization came along, people were drinking raw goat's and cow's milk without issue. As a matter of fact, the pasteurization process has actually caused lactose intolerant like symptoms in people which has been reversed with the consumption of raw milk. I have personally had raw milk (before pregnancy) and really enjoyed it. I have never liked milk before in my life so discovering I enjoyed the taste of it was really surprising. The problem I'm having is I am not sure whether or not it's a good idea during pregnancy. While the logical part of my brain says yes, the other part of my brain says why bother risking it right now when I already use organic milk? I'm just not sure.

2) Cold cuts or sandwich meat - I have eaten cold cuts recently. However, it has been an all-natural variety and they have been chicken and turkey. No cow or pig. My personal belief is that if you eat small amounts of meat from time to time and if they happen to be pre-cooked and then chilled, I think that's okay provided you know that the place your shopping at is clean and well-maintained. (This was also told to me by my doctor.) Again though, it's something I'm still not 100% sure on.

3) Herbal Teas - Okay, teas I think are fine and have been told are okay: peppermint, spearmint and chamomile. Teas made of strictly dried fruit and/or ginger are okay. Here's where it gets sketchy, herbal remedy teas. Echinacea, St. John's Wort, and others I'm not so sure on. Certain herbs can cause problems or complications with pregnancy. I personally don't risk this one. I have some spearmint tea from time to time and I would drink ginger tea too but that is about it for me. I don't risk taking herbs if I don't know what they'll do to me. They can be stronger than conventional medicines!

Note: I'm not a doctor, this is a list of foods that I have compiled with research from the internet, information from my doctor, and personal knowledge. If you do not feel comfortable eating something, or are unsure, you should talk to your doctor or play it safe and don't eat it! Do what feels right!

That's about it for my food rant. I'm probably going to eat some toast with cream cheese... yum!

I will be having my official ultrasound Monday morning. I'm sure I'll post a picture at some point!

As I said, below are my first four Squishable profiles. Click to see a larger image. I hope you enjoy them!

Take care everyone!