After peeing on a stick and figuring out that I am, indeed, knocked up, the next step was learning about all the things I could and couldn’t do. I knew there were rules about what pregnant women could and couldn’t eat, but I wasn’t too clear on what they were. So, I went reading online and found a ton of conflicting info. Then I went to see my GP for the blood test to confirm I was with child, and got even more conflicting info. So, I’ve decided to only listen to my gynae, and I’m oh so happy with his rules.

You see, if you look online and listen to the variety of opinions out there, just about everything that I like to eat would be off the menu. According to the interwebs, I wouldn’t be allowed things like camembert, eggs that aren’t fully cooked through, steak that isn’t fully cooked through and, most tragically, sushi. I was really torn up about the sushi thing, especially because it was one of the few foods that I still craved and could stomach when many others weren’t sitting well.

I was lucky – I didn’t get morning sickness. However, I did get evening sickness during my first trimester, and there are still some foods that I simply don’t have a taste for. Hardest for me is my sudden aversion to most meats and even eggs. I am normally a hardcore protein lover, and with most of my favorite protein sources turning my stomach, I was wondering what I could possibly eat.

According to my doctor, it’s more about moderation than anything else. If I were to get salmonella or any other awful stomach bug, there’s nothing that could be done to treat it. That’s why they want pregnant women to stay away from “high risk” foods like sushi and biltong. Instead, he explained to me that as long as I stuck with reputable places and only consume in moderation, I’d be fine. So how often was moderation? I had to ask and I loved my doctor even more after his answer – I’m allowed fish twice a week. Whether I opt for sushi or something else, that’s my quota. Sushi “only” twice a week? I think I can suffer through pregnancy just fine.

So, yes, I’m still eating sushi. And I’m still eating camembert – maybe not a whole baked wheel every day, but certainly enough to keep me happy and satisfy my cravings. I figure if I’m craving sushi, or camembert, or pork bangers, that’s probably what my body wants and needs. I do laugh at the funny looks I get when picking up my sushi complete with pregnancy bump, but I don’t care if people want to judge me. Every doctor will tell you different things – mine rules out weight lifting for exercise, so there is that negative for me. But it’s more about listening to my body and doing what’s right for me. I don’t get sushi from the local supermarket, but only from quality places, places where I’ve eaten before and never had issues.

I figure this is all good training for me anyway. People are going to judge me for how I choose to raise my kid, why not start the judging with what I choose to eat while pregnant?

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