1. I'm at 29 weeks, which puts me at the very beginning of the 3rd trimester. I've been eating fish all along (craving it actually) and have simply avoided the larger, more mercury laden fish.

The whole thing is ridiculous. Women have been having babies for millenia, without the FDA telling us what to eat. If we trust our instincts and have a healthy balance, we shouldn't need to worry.

I'm sick to death of all the "advice" and "warnings". Our mothers did just fine. So did our grandmothers. I am not an "abusive mother" because I have fish a few times a week, or occasionally eat soft cheese.

I'm tired of the fear-mongering, and the ridiculousness of the advice. No deli meats, no soft cheese, no more than 12 ounces of fish per week, no booze (okay, I can handle that one), eat plenty of protein; fiber; and iron; but don't add more than 300 calories to your regular diet per day.

Enough already. We need to trust ourselves and our bodies. We know what we are doing better than any government agency.

Posted at 12:27PM on Oct 4th 2007 by tzurriz

2. I'm glad to hear that. When I mention that I would never give up fish during pregnancy (or processed meat or soft cheese) my husband cringes. It is clear that he would expect me to follow all these dumb rules. Fish is good for you! I like it, I'm going to eat it.

As you said, people have given birth to fine children without all the rules for years. Kids have more problems now than every before. Maybe it is because women are told to dramatically change their eating when pregnant instead of listening to their bodies.

Posted at 1:39PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Kassie

3. My husband cringed too when I said these things before getting pregnant. Now he's just so happy that I'm not crying, he doesn't care what I eat. ;)

It's amazing what being out of control of your emotions can accomplish.

I was having a really hard day a few weeks ago and he even SUGGESTED that I treat myself to some sushi.

Posted at 1:45PM on Oct 4th 2007 by tzurriz

4. You're retarded if you think that because your grandmother ate fish during pregnancy 100 years ago you can too. Did they have THOUSANDS of industrial plants spewing toxins and heavy metals into the air and water back then? Acid rain? You think fish ALWAYS had unhealthy doses of mercury in them? A lot has changed since then, but then again it's *your* kid.

Posted at 2:21PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Eyad

5. My wife is pregnant, and we do eat a fair amount of fish, but there are very detailed charts of what fish are safest to eat, most free of methylmercury, etcetera. Wild Alaskan Salmon is a-okay once a week. Farmed salmon is not. Canned albacore tuna is good. "Real" tuna is not. Shrimp and scallops are all you can eat. Shark is STAY AWAY!

More to the point, there are hundreds of cheaply available Omega-3 supplements that are guaranteed free of methylmercury, and are scientifically proven to provide the same benefits to developing babies and to the mother's health, so that you don't need to feel like you're gambling poison vs. baby development.

Also, in regards to the "no deli meats" rules and such. Yes, of course, there is a VERY small chance that you'll get listeria while pregnant. Same chance as when you're not pregnant, which is tiny. But listeria is pretty much a guarantee of horrible complications with the pregnancy, as it's one of very few infections that gets into the baby's nutrient supply. So, if you eat the cold cuts, most likely everything will be fine. But why take that risk for deli ham? Are you SO into deli ham that you're willing to risk life for it?

And yes, our grandparents didn't have these rules and they turned out fine. They also had a higher infant mortality rate than we do now. Some of that is because of these nitpicky FDA rules. Certainly, you're pretty much assured that laying off the cold cuts won't make a difference. But I just don't understand why people would want to take that risk for something as silly as cold cuts. Dude. It's a cold cut. It's not that exciting.

Posted at 3:06PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Scott

6. "Did they have THOUSANDS of industrial plants spewing toxins and heavy metals into the air and water back then?"

Ummm, yes? It was called the industrial revolution. Lots of industry, little regulation.

And is deli ham worth it? I don't know. Have I ever heard of anyone getting listeria? Nope. Do I have a neighbor who did "everything right" and still ended up with a child with Down Syndrome and another with a heart defect? Yep.

Posted at 3:42PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Kassie

7. I totally agree that s**t happens, and sometimes it happens to really good people, and most of the time there's nothing you can do about it. I have a friend who's had a hell of a life thanks to unexplainable heart defects in her daughter. Pregnancy is super scary that way. And most of the time, it just doesn't matter what you do, in the end, everything turns out the way it will. S**t happens, indeed. I still feel like, if I can lower the likelihood of s**t happening from 8.3% to 8.2%, then it's worth doing. Chances are I won't be in the 0.1%, but I don't want to take those chances.

Posted at 5:48PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Scott

8. Re: Cold Cuts - Even if you are *that* addicted to deli ham, doing something as simple as hitting it in the microwave for 10 seconds is enough to kill the bacteria. No need to quit it all together, just add one 10 second step.

Better yet? Have a hot sammich. It's autumn! :)

As far as fish goes - I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I haven't been eating a ton of fish, but I haven't avoided it like the plague either. I've made sure that my prenatal vitamins have Omega 3 and DHA in them, and have fish when I'm out somewhere.

Even though there have been several articles lately stating that sushi is probably okay for pregnant ladies, I'm wary still. I live in Missouri...not exactly the sushi capitol of the US. I'm wary enough eating sushi here while NOT pregnant (altho, it doesn't exactly stop me...) I'll just hold off on the raw stuff and enjoy some other sushi style dishes in the meanwhile. It's only 9 months (well, 3 more for me) I think I can wait it out.

Posted at 7:04PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Andrea

9. NPR had a report on this very announcement.

The same group (Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies) that released this recommendation also took $60k in funds from the National Fisheries Institute.

Also, from the NPR story,
"The American Academy of Pediatrics told her that the group had no idea it was being associated with the guidelines, with which it disagrees. Strongly. Ditto the March of Dimes, CDC and at least one agency at the NIH. By 2 p.m., we noticed that the list of members on HMHB's Web site was shrinking — the pediatricians were no longer there."

Posted at 7:07PM on Oct 4th 2007 by H

10. I'm not sure that calling people 'retarded' helps when it comes to constructive debate ... as Kassie points out during the Industrial Revolution (and even into the 19th century) all sorts of interesting food practices were engaged in. I've read about the milk supply in 19th century Britain - and while the cows _might_ have been living some kind of rural toxin free idyll the milk salesmen were having a lovely time mixing all sorts of stuff (sand, lead) into the milk.

I think that balance and moderation in all things is essential (actually, whether pregnant or otherwise) and don't take any risks with which you're not comfortable. I bet a lot of pregnant women drive or are passengers in cars and that's far riskier to both mother's and baby's health than a slice of ham or the occasional piece of fish.

Posted at 7:27PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Alex

11. This bothers me to no end. Why can't people simply eat almonds and flax meal for their(and their progeny's) omega 3 needs? No mecury poisoning, no worrying about the environmental impacts of overfishing or aquaculture, and no ethical concerns about exploiting animals. To tell expectant mothers they MUST eat fish guilts them into thinking that a vegetarian diet for instance is lacking in essential nutrients when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Posted at 10:41PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Sean

12. Actually, not enough is known about the effects of phytoestrogens in flax on pregnant women and their developing fetuses, so it could be more dangerous. Or maybe it's not. Like Alex said, practice moderation. Don't eat fish every day, or five tons of flax. Eat a variety of healthy, nutritious foods, and know where it comes from. A little information and some common sense, people.

Posted at 8:53AM on Oct 5th 2007 by Saiyajin18

13. In part, I think mothers inherently know what is good to put in their bodies-- that is kind of a blanket statement, but our bodies definitely have ways of telling us what we need [in the simpliest form...I'm not saying your body begs for Ring Dings, haha].
For example, have you ever seen a pregnant women turn in utter disgust at foods she once loved? Most notibly meats, veggies and potatos, etc? This has to do with a primative bodily instinct in which impulses are sent telling the mother to steer clear of foods that go bad quickly (meat) and other foods with trace poisons (potatos, etc. which is part of the nightshade family) that could potencially harm her or the baby.
Nowadays with modern refridgeration and fresh food we barely have to concern ourselves with rotting meat, yet our body still sends out these signals.

Not sure where I'm going with this information, but I always thought it facinating that bodies have inherent ways to protect us whether we cognize that or not. Interesting, no?

Posted at 9:49AM on Oct 5th 2007 by Adriane

14. Sean, mothers aren't groaning in despair and forcing themselves to eat salmon just because the doctor says they should. They're eating salmon because they love it, feeling depressed that they CAN'T eat salmon because they love it, etc...and dude, I know vegetarianism can be a highly fulfilling diet, but suggesting someone just eat flax and almonds when what they really want is meat is laughable.

Posted at 10:17AM on Oct 5th 2007 by jsmylie

15. NPR reported that this organization is primarily funded by the fishing industry and their health claims are not supported. The NIH published an AMA recommendation just last year.

Posted at 1:15PM on Oct 5th 2007 by michael

16. Yep, turns out the "study" was just science-for-hire, and the media bought it hook line and sinker.

The FDA recommendations (issued in 2001) certainly never advised pregnant women to STOP eating fish -- everyone knows how important a food and nutrient source it is. Scientists just recommend that expectant moms limit themselves to 12 ounces per week and choose low-mercury species. That way you still get your salmon, your baby gets his omega 3s, and no body gets too much mercury.

Posted at 4:55PM on Oct 5th 2007 by Amanda

17. I'm pregnant and have cut out fish completely. The reason is because my new prenatal vitamin contains OMEGA 3 fatty acids, without any mercury.

Posted at 12:36PM on Oct 6th 2007 by Sandy