Foods To Avoid During Early Pregnancy Weeks

You just found out you are pregnant. You feel happy. You also feel worried. You want to do everything right. The food you eat is the first thing to fix. This is not hard to understand. You just need a list. You need to know what hurts the baby. You need to know what is safe. I will tell you exactly that. No extra words. No fancy talk.

The First Weeks Are When The Baby Builds Everything

Think of the first twelve weeks as building time. Your baby makes a brain. Makes a heart. Makes a spine. Makes arms and legs. All of this happens when you might not even show a belly yet. Your body also changes. Your immune system gets weak on purpose. That weak spot lets the baby stay inside you without your body fighting it. But that weak spot also lets food germs hurt you more. So you must be picky about food. More picky than ever before.

Cold sliced meat from the deli

You go to the store. You buy sliced turkey for sandwiches. That meat is cold. It sat in a case. Many hands touched it. The slicer machine might have old bits of meat stuck on it. That cold meat can carry a germ. That germ is bad for pregnant women. The germ can go from your stomach to your baby. That can make you lose the baby. Do this instead: Heat the sliced meat until you see steam. Eat it hot. Do not let it get cold again.

Read Also: Healthy Snacks For Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes

Raw fish

Raw fish means sushi. Sashimi. Raw oysters. Raw clams. Any fish that never saw heat. Raw fish has germs and tiny worms. Your weak body cannot kill them like before. Those tiny worms live in your gut. They take your food. Your baby gets less food.

Also some raw fish has a metal called mercury. Mercury hurts the baby brain. The baby brain grows the most in the first weeks. Do this instead: Cook your fish. Cook it until it flakes with a fork. No pink inside.

Soft cheese

Cheese comes in hard and soft. Hard cheese is safe. Soft cheese is not safe for pregnant women. Soft cheese names are brie, camembert, blue cheese, gouda if it is soft, feta, queso blanco. These cheeses have more water. Germs grow in water. Most soft cheese uses milk that did not get hot enough to kill germs. One bite can have enough germs to make you very sick. Do this instead: Eat cheddar. Eat swiss. Eat parmesan. Eat cream cheese. foods to avoid during early pregnancy weeks.

Runny eggs

A runny egg has yellow liquid that moves when you cut it. That is not safe during pregnancy.

Raw egg can carry a germ called salmonella. That germ gives you bad runs and bad throw up. You lose water. Your baby needs that water. You also get a fever. Fever in early pregnancy can change how the baby grows.

Do this instead: Cook eggs until the yellow part is firm. Scramble until no wet spots. Fry until the yellow breaks and turns solid.

Fruit and vegetables you did not wash

Fruit is good for you. Vegetables are good for you. But only if you wash them first. Dirt on food has a germ called toxoplasma. That germ comes from cat poop in the soil. It gets on lettuce. Gets on berries. Gets on potatoes. That germ can make your baby blind. Can hurt the baby brain. Do this instead: Wash every fruit under running water. Wash every vegetable. Use a brush on potatoes and melons. Dry with a clean cloth.

Raw baby plants called sprouts

Sprouts are little plants. Alfalfa sprouts. Bean sprouts. Clover sprouts. They grow in warm wet rooms. Germs love warm wet rooms. The seed itself can have germs inside. Washing the outside does nothing. The germ is already in there. Many people got sick from sprouts in the last ten years. Do this instead: Cook sprouts in a hot pan. Put them in soup. Put them in stir fry. Never eat them raw on a sandwich.

Liver meat

Liver is an organ from a cow or chicken. Some people eat it for iron. But liver has too much vitamin A. Not the good vitamin A from carrots. The bad kind for pregnancy. Too much of this vitamin A changes how the baby face grows. Changes the heart. Changes the skull. Even one serving a week is too much. Do this instead: Get iron from spinach. Get iron from beans. Get iron from lean red meat. Ask your doctor before taking any vitamin pill.

Big fish that eat other fish

Some fish are big. Big fish eat small fish. The small fish have a little mercury. The big fish eats many small fish. Now the big fish has a lot of mercury.

Do not eat these big fish:

• Shark
• Swordfish
• King mackerel
• Bigeye tuna
• Marlin

Small tuna in a can is fine. Eat two small cans a week. Do this instead: Eat salmon. Eat sardines. Eat shrimp. Eat catfish. These have low mercury.

Juice that did not get heated

Some juice is squeezed and put in a bottle. No heat. The label says raw or unpasteurized. That juice can carry germs. Apple cider from a farm is often not heated. Fresh orange juice from a machine might not be heated. These juices can have E. coli. That germ gives you bloody runs. That can make your body push the baby out too early. Do this instead: Buy juice that says pasteurized on the label. Or squeeze your own orange and drink it right away.

Coffee and tea and soda

Coffee has a drug called caffeine. Tea has caffeine. Soda has caffeine. Chocolate has a little. Caffeine goes to your baby. Your baby cannot break it down. It stays in the baby body for a long time. Too much caffeine in early weeks can make you lose the baby. Studies show more than one cup of coffee a day raises that risk. One cup of coffee is 12 ounces. That is your limit for the whole day. Do this instead: Drink decaf coffee. Drink water with lemon. Drink ginger tea. Ginger is safe for pregnancy.

Any alcohol at all

No alcohol. Not wine. Not beer. Not a mixed drink. Not a small sip.Alcohol goes straight to your baby. The baby has no way to get rid of it. Alcohol kills baby brain cells. Changes how the baby face looks. Causes learning problems for the whole life. The first weeks are when the brain and face form. This is the worst time to drink. Do this instead: Drink sparkling water with a little fruit juice. Drink ginger ale. Drink plain water.

Raw dough and raw batter

Raw cookie dough tastes good. Raw cake batter tastes good. Do not eat them when you are pregnant. Raw dough has two problems. One is raw eggs with salmonella. Two is raw flour. Flour is a raw plant. It never got heated. Flour can carry E. coli. Do this instead: Bake the dough first. Eat the cookie after it comes out of the oven.

Food left on the counter

You make dinner. You leave the extra food on the counter. Two hours pass. That food must go in the trash. Germs grow fast when food sits out. One germ becomes many germs in two hours. Your weak body cannot fight that many germs. Rice is the worst for this. Do not leave rice out. Put rice in the fridge right away. Do this instead: Put leftovers in the fridge within one hour. Reheat until steaming hot.

Pre made salad from the store

The store sells salad in a plastic box. It has lettuce and chicken or tuna. Do not buy this when you are pregnant. That salad sat for hours. The lettuce was cut. Cutting makes water come out. Germs grow in that water. The cold case might not be cold enough. The person making the salad might not wash their hands. Do this instead: Make salad at home. Wash everything yourself. Cook your own chicken. Eat it right away.

Smoked fish

Smoked fish from the deli is not cooked. The smoke adds taste but does not get hot. The fish stays cold and wet. Germs love cold wet fish. Lox and nova are smoked fish. Do not eat these. Do this instead: Eat canned smoked fish. The can heats the fish enough to kill germs.

Read: Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy By Trimester

Raw milk

• Raw milk is milk that did not get heated. Some farms sell it. They say it is natural. But it is not safe for pregnancy.
• Raw milk has many germs. Listeria. Salmonella. E. coli. All of these can make you lose the baby.
• Do this instead: Drink milk from the store. That milk is heated to kill germs. The label says pasteurized.

Energy drinks

• Energy drinks have a lot of caffeine. One can has three cups of coffee worth. That is too much for one day.
• Energy drinks also have other drugs. Taurine. Guarana. We do not know if these are safe for a baby. They make your heart beat fast. They make your blood pressure go up. Both are bad for the baby.
• Do this instead: Drink water. Take a nap. Eat an apple.

Keep this list on your fridge

Copy this list by hand. Put it where you see it every day.

Do not eat:

• Cold deli meat
• Raw fish
• Soft cheese
• Runny eggs
• Unwashed fruit or vegetables
• Raw sprouts
• Liver
• Big fish like shark
• Unpasteurized juice
• More than one coffee
• Any alcohol
• Raw dough
• Leftovers that sat out two hours
• Store premade salad
• Smoked fish from the deli
• Raw milk
• Energy drinks

What you can eat?

You might think there is nothing left. That is not true. You can eat many foods.

• You can eat cooked meat and chicken
• You can eat cooked fish
• You can eat hard cheese like cheddar
• You can eat pasteurized milk and yogurt
• You can eat eggs with firm yolk
• You can eat washed fruit
• You can eat canned tuna
• You can eat peanut butter
• You can eat beans and rice and bread
• You can eat butter

Call your doctor if you feel these signs?

You ate something from the bad list. Do not panic. Most times nothing happens. But watch your foods to avoid during early pregnancy weeks.

Call your doctor if you have:

• A fever over 101
• Bad belly pain
• Throw up many times
• Runs that do not stop
• Feeling like you will pass out
• Blood from your vagina

Conclusion

You have the list. Stick to cooked food, washed fruit, hard cheese, and water. Avoid cold deli meat, raw fish, runny eggs, soft cheese, alcohol, and too much coffee. One mistake will not hurt. Just do not make it a habit. Keep the list on your fridge. Look at it before you eat. If you feel sick with fever or pain call your doctor. You are doing a good thing by learning this. Now go eat something safe and rest. You and your baby will be fine.