I Don't Care About the Health of My Unborn Baby

I can't tell you how many times I had someone ask me while I was pregnant with my daughter, "Don't you care about the health of your baby???" Apparently, the answer in their minds was absolutely not. Just what did I do that was so wrong? Was I drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or going skydiving? You might be surprised by the truth.

Here are some of my more major transgressions:

1. I drank 1-2 cans of diet soda a day. This is a multiple offense because it means that I had caffeine as well as artificial sweeteners. I do not drink coffee and when I was pregnant chocolate was my biggest food aversion so this was pretty much my only caffeine. Regardless, this should not be a big deal. Research has shown that up to 300mg of caffeine a day is perfectly safe, even during pregnancy. This was confirmed by my doctor. Each can of soda has approximately 35mg of caffeine. Therefore I was well under the limit. This did not stop a waitress at a restaurant from commenting to me after my order that "it must be nice to have such a casual disregard for my child's health" and pointing out that "she could never have been so reckless". Reckless?? Seriously? As for the Nutrasweet factor, it's been tested repeatedly for longer than I've been alive and they still have no conclusive proof that it has any harmful effects whether you are pregnant or not. I don't like regular soda so I took the risk. Did I put my desire for a cold beverage above my baby's health and well-being? I guess that is a matter of opinion.

2. I also ate cold sandwiches. I worked full time while I was pregnant and fast food gets expensive (not to mention unhealthy if eaten every day) and peanut butter and jelly gets old. Lunchmeat sandwiches were the easiest alternative. Imagine my surprise when I was told that this was tantamount to a death sentence for my unborn child. They (well meaning co-workers) told me listeria is found in lunchmeat (as well as unpasteurized cheeses and milk and raw vegetables) and the only safe thing to do is avoid it altogether or heat it up in the microwave until it is hot enough that any bacteria would be killed. Have you ever tried a microwaved deli turkey sandwich? Frankly, I didn't want to either. According to the CDC approximately 675 pregnant women a year are diagnosed with listeriosis and although it can often be treated with simple antibiotics in some cases miscarriage does result. I weighed my chances of getting sick from eating a steady diet of Wendy's and McDonald's against my odds with ham or turkey sandwiches and a side of carrot sticks and decided to continue bringing my lunch. When my co-worker asked if I "really thought that it was more important to eat a sandwich then to protect my child" I said that I supposed that by her logic, yes I did. Then I calmly finished my lunch.

3. I ate my eggs over-easy and my steak medium-rare. I even succumbed to a craving one night and made chocolate chip cookies just so that I could eat the dough. Yep, that very same dough that contained uncooked eggs. Of course I realize that there is a chance of getting sick from raw eggs or underdone meat, but the risk is no greater when you are pregnant then when you are not pregnant. My philosophy was that since I had been eating my food that way for 26 years and never had any problem the odds of my getting that one bad egg or piece of beef during that specific few months was slim to none. Besides, I'm from Nebraska. I'm pretty sure it is still against the law there to cook your steak above medium-rare. Beyond that just call it leather and be done with it. Was that more important to me than my baby's health? Hey, if I'm going to pay $15 for a steak dinner I want it to taste great! Again, it is a calculated risk.

4. I stopped taking my prenatal vitamins. I wrote an entire article on this topic and I encourage anyone to check it out if they are looking for an alternative to those horse pills the doctors prescribe.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/381229/morning_sickness_and_prenatal_vitamins.html"> Prenatal Vitamin Alternatives The bottom line however, is that prenatal vitamins made me sick to my stomach to the point that I could not eat. This is a common complaint, but women simply deal with it because they are told that it is for the good of their baby and if they truly care, then they will suffer through it. It is well-known that some people simply do not tolerate supplements well and do better to get their nutrition from natural sources. I ate a balanced diet and increased the quantity of foods that I ate containing folic acid, calcium and iron. I absolutely maintain that my pregnancy from the point I stopped taking the vitamins was much healthier than while I was taking them. Nobody will convince me that not being able to keep food down is the healthier alternative.

So, what was the result of my horrible, selfish behavior during my pregnancy? I delivered a healthy, perfect baby girl right on time who is now 14 months old and a complete joy. There were no complications with the pregnancy, labor or delivery and my daughter has had one cold since she was born and that was her most significant illness. (knocking on wood of course) Am I advocating complete disregard for caution during pregnancy? Absolutely not! However, I think that the people who try so hard to be the perfect mother, even before the child is born, are putting undue stress on themselves. I have heard co-workers and friends state that they would do just about anything for a soda or cup of coffee during their pregnancy. Then when I suggest that they simply have one to get it out of their system they look at me like I have three heads. If you want to cut these things from your diet completely during your pregnancy, that is fine for you. Just remember that just like natural childbirth, they do not hand out awards for giving up caffeine. So if you are one of the women who deprived herself of everything that has ever been mentioned as even a possible risk during pregnancy, please keep in mind that is a personal choice and not a doctor prescribed mandate. It doesn't mean that the woman eating the sandwich loves her baby any less than you do yours. It just means that she might not have had leftovers to bring for lunch.