h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You should know better than to take my advice as a joke, Kelli!

Here's the link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1106505.stm

It's very difficult to damage the baby, unless you're a chronic alcoholic or junky. You can't even starve them, as if you eat too little, the baby will take everything it needs from your bloodstream and leave you with far too little.

<>

Ugh, that’s only one step away from:
Man: “Well, honey, I’ll be looking forward to teaching the little tyke how to play football!”
Woman: “Oh, but what if it’s a girl?”
Man: “Well, she can help you do the dishes! Hahaha!”
Woman: “Hahaha!”


Based on my own limited knowledge of such things I don't think a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy is anything to worry about.

J is slowly warming up to the idea - last night he asked me if I was fancying any strange foods, and asked which room we'd have as the nursery. Definite progress...

Oooops, meant to say thanks for the link G - so is pasturised sheep's cheese ok? Gah! and Gah! again.

"In the USA, pregnant women are advised to avoid feta cheese because of the risk of listeria, but the feta cheese sold in the UK is considered safe to eat during pregnancy."

So relax and enjoy your Greek salad.

Phew! Thanks, that is a relief - I have *really* fancied greek salad all week - in fact have been having the elements of it that I *do* have in the house for a few days. Bought some feta when out shopping yesterday and have been forcing myself to wait for lunchtime to eat it...

Sol, are you seeing babies *everywhere*? I'm sure there were an average amount before, but now they are everywhere I turn!

I work just 30 yards from Ireland's biggest Maternity Hospital. I see a constant stream of pregnant women and mothers with tiny babies going in for their checkups.

Actually, no. But this is possiibly as I haven't really seen any. I have been more engaged in thinking up names for the unborn in all its unbornness. At the moment it's The Pea (as in 'I think The Pea would like a homemade ice cream making machine').

I have to say I am also terribly reassured by tales of baby robustness too.

>>..in 'I think The Pea would like a homemade ice cream making machine'<<

*dries tears from her eyes*

They're also simply called 'ice cream makers'

B

The poster was a long time ago, Mr D

Honestly, honestly one or two drinks occasionally won't do any harm. Relax

The cheese thing really wound me up while I was pregnant, my own favourite being Brie which is definitely on the forbidden list (actually at the time the forbidden list said Foreign Soft Cheeses which technically made Somerset Brie OK, but I didn't cheat). The problem is listeria, which can have truly awful results, but my understanding certainly by the time of my third pregnancy was that the EU had sorted out the listeria-in-cheese issue, and anyway I bet French women eat Brie for breakfast *every day* during their pregnancies. But the internet hadn't really been invented then so I couldn't research it. Medical experts were no help - one midwife tried to tell me that I shouldn't eat Brie while breastfeeding (she got short shrift).

It's one of those things where the probability is low, but the impact is high (if you're familiar with risk assessment matrices) - plus it was one of the things my mother chuntered on about, so I felt obliged to give way. I bet *she* ate it, when she was pregnant.

Obviously I've completely got over it now.

Mol

My mum keeps saying 'I drank and had tea and coffee while I was pregnant with you and you turned out ok' Will still avoid it though.

Am getting a bit fed up of being up with the lark!

Aaaarrrrrghh!

Work have just suggested I might be expected to spend quite a lot of time in Ireland over the next 6 months. I don't know what to do - I don't want to tell them yet, but I'm concerned that I may need some extra flexibility and am a little freaked out anyway. Gah! Is it ok to fly really often? Is there going to be anything else I should worry about. I don't think I want to be away from home at all but if I say I can't then I may find myself on the redundancy list.

Bugger. Why couldn't they have done this at the *beginning* of this year?

Or you could insist on taking the ferry...

Work will always, ALWAYS find a way to ruin your plans to 'out' yourself (for want of a better phrase) as and when you choose. Every single woman I know who got pregnant in the last few years has been bounced by circumstance into having to tell work much earlier than she wanted to.

I don't THINK flying a lot is worrisome, at least, before the 7 month mark. Especially such short flights. The real reason airlines won't take pregnant ladies over 7 months is that they really really don't want you to go into labout mid-flight and ruin the upholstery. But on the other hand you'd so badly want and NEED to be at home with J, nest-building.



And fingers crossed they suddenly decide they want you stay at home after all.

The first person I ended up telling was the woman who was offering me the other job. If I'd thought about it I'd have tried thinking up a plausible lie.

Nausea gone, raging indegestion has replaced it. Gosh this is miserable.

Hmmm, woke up at about 4am with terrible heartburn...

I had to give y boss a lift home last night - I think she suspects I am pregnant. She made lots of little comments one of which was to tell me that her son was born in March, and march is the best month to have a baby

I deftly sidestepped the offer of a nice coffee (they have a machine) by saying it was too late in the day for me and I wouldn't sleep if I had one, but I think she was angling for a confession.

I'm not telling them until the roles on this project are decided!

F48874?thread=3199614

Eeek. An now I discover that I shouldn't be going swimming! Apperntly the chlorine by-products in the pool have been linked to miscarriage and birth defects. Bugger - I've been swimming twice a week thinking it was quite a healthy way of exercising now but I find out I might be exposing my baby to neural tube defects Perhaps I should just stay safely in my house for the next seven and a half months...

My so dear Kelli,

Hoorah big

I know I have already done this, but as I have been away a week, and there you are worrying about so many things I thought I had better write quickly to you.

I am definitely on the side of your Mum. The only thing was I did not smoke (at the time) and we had no spare cash to have a drink.
Otherwise I did absolutely everything and ate what I wanted. I suppose there was no Brie in the late forties in Central Africa but that question never arose. I wonder if the French mothers-to-be eat Brie during pregnancy. I shall try and find out.

If you woke up with dreadful heartburn try and remember what you had for supper and see if you can identify what it was you ate. Gradually eliminate the various items until you have isolated what caused it.
The only yearning I ever had was for tiny little baby broad beans. Imagine what a stupid thing to yearn for!. If I was you I would not tell them, and if it is glaringly obvious and someone asks you reply
"Well, what do you think?" That should make everyone laugh and you will have kept your "secret". And what a wonderful secret. It is great.

enjoy being a Lady in waiting

Much affection

Christiane AR1

Oh my Kelli,

I have just read your latest "verboten" thing.

Dare O tell you that I used to feed K in the cha ging rooms of the local swimming pool whilst M. played at our feet. then K. would go into a pram, under a mosquito net, under a tree, M. would put on the special little vulcanised armbands which I had specially made for him and I would go off and tesach swimming. and then I fell pregnant with my third child - a daughter, and went on teaching, and had three children under the age of two years and eight months.
I am NOT recommending that.

But honey-chile,I swam throughout and mine are fine and chlorine did not affect either them or myself.
You are going to make your life a misery if you listen to everyone.
I do not know about riding a horse. I would think that could be contraindicated. Or doing acrobatic dancing, or maybe even skiiing.
But swimming..........People are bats!!. Common sense my

Christiane

Kelli, (herbal, if you prefer). And remember, you AND Sol, you can get Gaviscon by the litre bottle FREE on prescription now that you are pregnant. Do go to the doc about the heartburn. Even if it's the really really persistant nine month sort there is no need whatsoever to put up with it.

As for swimming, my Mum swam twice a week every week from week 4 until week 39 (when she got to big for her swimming costume) with a vast selection of other ladies in a pool so chloriney it made my eyes water just standing on the edge, and little sis and all the other babies were perfect. Remember, it's a 'were linked to', ie some scientist somewhere noted one casual link and nobody has done the proper science yet. Swimming is very popular with pregnant women and there has not, in no way, been an increase in or epidemic of problems. So, breathe deeply. Then, if you can't relax, phone the pool manager and ask him about the amounts of chlorine used, and say why you are concerned. Most pools use chlorine sensibly, I promise. And most bathers do not pee in the pool. If he can't be reassuring (if, mind. He should know all about chloramine issues), remember, you've only been swimming avec passenger for a little while. Even if the pool is a seething mass of contaminants, you'd need far more exposure to be at risk.

And finally, have some chocolate.