Your take on deli meat?
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| Wed, 08-04-2004 - 4:06pm |
Yesterday I broke down and had two ten-inch deli ham sandwiches (with cream cheese and a sandwich pickle) it was the best damn dinner I'd had in FOREVER! It tasted so good, I want one NOW, but I'm restraining myself. Today I had a cheese hotdog. :( I feel really guilty.
I know there's a lot of controversy and some pregnant women don't even KNOW that you're not supposed to eat deli meat and hotdogs (can cause listerosis). But here's my question:
It took me a long time to understand that just because you eat a raw egg, doesn't mean that you will get salmanella poisoning, just that it COULD happen if you got an infected egg and it could be simply prevented by cooking the egg. So is that the way it is with deli meats? Like do ALL deli meats have bacteria and it's a crapshoot as to whether or not it hurts your baby, or is that it CAN have bacteria but doesn't normally?
I know I'm just trying to make myself feel better about cheating! What do yall think?
Camille
EDD March 13, 2005
August Angel ~i~ 1/27/04
PS : I had another ultrasound yesterday because the bleeding got a bit heavier and was accompanied by cramping and everything is great!! The baby is measuring three days ahead of where it should be, heartbeat is strong and the fluid near my cervix has lessened! My next appt is next Wednesday.



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I was craving hot dogs a lot in the beginning of my pregnancy and I gave into the cravings. I have also had deli meats, Cesar salad, some cake batter and tuna - I actually eat tuna at least once a week, but I try not to eat it more than that. I think I am craving the protein. I figure everything in moderation. It is not like you are eating a ton of deli meat and chances are, you won't be craving it for long. I just try to mix it up and think that is fine.
I am also a big sugar junkie and I have had the occasional coke.
Good luck and enjoy eating what you can.
Lisa
11/22
You don't need to eat a lot of these foods to become infected, so moderation might not be adequate prevention. What you CAN do is heat deli meat and hot dogs until they are steaming hot before eating them, and wash your hands with hot water and soap after handling them unheated.
There are other things to avoid, too. My ob told me to read the information on the Center for Disease Control's website-- that's where I got the above information.
If you mention avoiding deli meat, etc., to older mothers, they usually think you're crazy. Remember that this disease has only been known for a few years, so these warnings and advisories were not out there when those women were pregnant.
I do think it's worth taking seriously, even if the chances of catching the infection are very low, because it can seriously harm your baby.
Llyra
EDD 9-7
My take on the deli meat warning is that I'm ignoring it. Even my ultra-careful DH (who gets paranoid if I drink a coke) thinks the whole deli meat warning is a bit of overkill. When I asked the NP at my doc's office about it, she had never heard of it!
In my first trimester, one of the only things that appealed to me when I was feeling yucky was a Subway sub. So I can totally understand the ham sandwich craving. ;)
Of course I don't eat subs every day, but I think that once in while is just fine. I probably have deli meat or a hot dog about once a week or so.
Just my $.02
:) Sue
23 weeks
Just imagine :
HOT smoked-meat on rye with a pickle... Sorry, can't resist putting out a craving! All this talking about food is making me hungry... AGAIN! LOL
Gabie
EDD 26/03/05
~i~ 02/04
The thing is, I'm craving COLD deli meats, not heated.
Llyra, (I hope I spelled your name right!)
That is what I was afraid of! :( I feel so guilty, because I know all the rules and my baby is doing SO good, surprising my doctor, beating his odds and then I go and eat something bad for it. But I'm definitely not eating it anymore.
I know that there are tons of women out there who eat it and are fine, but I could see something happening to my baby, just because that's my luck! And I don't think I could live with myself if *I* was the cause of my baby's death!
Camille
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Camille
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So the question arises... WHY can't we eat them, even if they are cooked? Just don't get it, but do eat them!
Gabie
Hey!! I wanted to send you some big happy hugs on your great u/s and fantastic news about how well you are doing!! That's fantastic. I've been wondering how you have been.
You know - about the meats - I wanted a subway sub so bad the other day, but my friend wouldn't let me have it. She freaked out when I really considered getting one. URGH! It's not hot deli meat that I want either, just cold.
My dh has been making hot ham & cheese sandwiches, which are good - but just not the cold, honey ham with cheese, mayo and mustard that I really want. ;)
I don't think you should worry too much though about your sandwiches. I just wouldn't over do it and if you start to feel at all weird - call your doc right way, you know? Oh, and the thing about the deli meat being cooked - yeah, it's all cooked. The bacteria is actually transferred from the cutting blades on the machine they slice the meat with - not from the meat itself. So - it's bacteria growing on that slicer that gets spread around. At least, that's what my doctor told me.
So - anyhow - I'm glad you and the baby are doing great. I've been feeling quite "green" myself for the past week and 1/2 and the only thing that helps is to eat, even though it's the last thing I want to do. Crazy!
Keep us updated!!
**HUGS**
-Kathy
edd 03/12/05
~i~ 01/22/04
That's great that you were able to see the baby again! Congrats!
As for the lunch meats & hot dogs-here's my take...I have eaten 2 hot dogs during this pg. Both times at baseball games & both times they were very well cooked & hot off the grill. I asked the doc & he said as long as I'm not eating 2 a day I should be fine. For the lunch meats-I have avoided them. But just because they haven't sounded that great to me. Most people have said that if you get them from a deli that is sanitary & goes through meat pretty quickly then it should be ok. I don't know why I'm a chicken about this-but I've only eaten lunch meat once & then I microwaved it until it was steaming before putting it on my sandwich. This weekend we went on a picnic with family & had deli sandwiches & potato salad that had been in a cooler for about 5 hours. I was too nervous to eat either the meat or the salad-so I had potato chips & a mustard sandwich. Luckily no one other than DH noticed because they would have thought I was insane. Just do what you're comfortable with. And ask your doc if you're worried.
-Laura
#1 EDD 2/6
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