Preg. at WDW--no soft cheeses???

[Belle5]

Sometimes I think we are on information overload. With my other pregnancies I've gone to WDW and eaten anything I wanted. Now, I find out that pregnant women aren't supposed to eat soft cheeses such as blue cheese (like that isn't what makes a salad truly great?), brie, gargonzola. feta, etc. I can't believe it. I'm a salad junkie and the salads at the good dining establishments at WDW are what I look forward to in food.(I even like the Greek salad at Toy Story Pizza planet with all that wonderful FETA cheese!) No blue cheese. No blue cheese.
Have any of you found that this has affected the dining portion of your trip? Did any of you request the salads with something besides soft cheese or just without? I do not want to be stuck ordering Caesar all the time. NO blue cheese.

I can deal with no RRC, even no TT, but this....

 

[owensamo]

Originally posted by Belle5
[ I do not want to be stuck ordering Caesar all the time. NO blue cheese.
[/B]

I'd lay off the Caesar salads, too - the dressing contains raw eggs, and you probably shouldn't be eating raw eggs when pregnant, either (along with high-mercury fish like tuna steaks, mahi-mahi, etc). I went to WDW when I was 3 months pregnant with my DD, and didn't really have any difficulties with food. Of course, I'm not really into soft cheeses.

Baked potatos are good for pregnant women - and you can find these at WDW at at least one stand in each park, I think. And a high-protein diet is great, too - it doesn't have to be high-fat to be high-protein, either.

I did ride Kilamanjaro Safari, but missed Test Track and Big Thunder Mountain. Those are two rides I *will* be on when we go in just under 4 weeks.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

Hon..

i wouldnt worry to much about the blue cheese. i am a labor and delivery nurse.. and while i have heard the cautions about foods containing high levels of often un-regulated bacteria. I think you can be pretty safe with the amounts in a salad or a salad dressing. Most dressings are pasturized anyway. When cautions like that are made they mean... dont go out and eat 2 lbs of brie or a lb of gorgonzola (ugh who could? but then pregnant tummies are odd lol)

eat in moderation

 

[DisneyPhD]

I knew about the brie, and avoided while pregnant. I didn't realize blue cheese was in that catagory. I remember getting a salad when pregnant with blue cheese (I thought it sounded good at the time) when it came I was unable to eat it, just the smell made me sick, couldn't even take 2 bites. I can't remember if I sent if back, picked around the cheese or had hubby eat it instead.


I wouldn't worry about it. If you are craving it, have a little bit and enjoy it. Chances are if it isn't good for you, your prego body will reject it anyway. Enjoy all the other foods out there and have a great trip.

(as for missing rides that are a no-no for pregos, I didn't miss them at all. I have no desire to move that fast or that when when pregnant, but love them otherwise.) I road everything else and had a great time.

 

[Belle5]

ohanamama,
Most of the blue cheese dressings at the good WDW restaurants aren't really so much "dressings" at all but vinegrettes (sp) with blue cheese (unpasteurized and blue veined) crumbles all through the salad. The things I'm reading are saying that the lysteria that won't affect that average person has 20% more likelihood of affecting a pregnant woman and passing through the placenta and injuring the baby. 5 babies died in their mother's womb in Michigan last year when some of their dairy was affected with the lysteria. I don't think they had eaten 2-3 lbs. of the products, either. There are also many other cases of this happening.
I think that for the most part you are right about it's probably safe to eat the salads , but if something ever went wrong I'd always think about how I was warned and didn't listen...

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by Belle5
The things I'm reading are saying that the lysteria that won't affect that average person has 20% more likelihood of affecting a pregnant woman and passing through the placenta and injuring the baby. 5 babies died in their mother's womb in Michigan last year when some of their dairy was affected with the lysteria. I don't think they had eaten 2-3 lbs. of the products, either. There are also many other cases of this happening.
I think that for the most part you are right about it's probably safe to eat the salads , but if something ever went wrong I'd always think about how I was warned and didn't listen...

Don't forget about cold cuts and hot dogs(must be steaming hot to kill the bacteria)..pregnant women are told not to eat them becuase of the listeria as well.
When I was pregnant with my daughter I stayed away from it..and yes I was at WDW at 4 months pg, and yes it was a pita a couple times.
My second child..I did eat a hot dog or two--but only at home where I made sure it was thoroughly cooked and hot.
However, my first pregnancy I had a miscarriage, and admit that because of that was a tad paranoid and didn't take any chances.

 

[merryweather's twin]

Wow I am on baby #5 and had no Idea.... I guess I need to get a new copy of WTEWE....LOL! Mine is from 1994..... It allways is so crazy how what we are supposed to do with each preg-baby changes. I did know about the fish..... Well I guess I should re-read up. Thanks.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

I hope that i didnt make you feel like your concerns were silly or unfounded. Bacteria is everywhere in everything and accidents DO happen... and pregnant women ARE more vulnerable to infection. There are so many warnings out there.. dont do this, dont eat this, dont sit here, dont wear that.When i was pg with dd2 i was scared silly by what i read about in nursing school. Enjoy your trip, be smart, and dont stress.. remember stress is more dangerous to baby than any soft cheese bacteria is!

remember to drink LOTS of water and stay out out of the sun ( your skin can be ultra sesative with all the hormones running around) Also make sure you elevate your feet whenever you can. That will help keep the swelling down for you!

 

[crazymomof4]

Originally posted by ohanaMAMA
"Bacteria is everywhere in everything and accidents DO happen... and pregnant women ARE more vulnerable to infection. "

It's true, preg women are more vulnerable to infection but whether or not the mom contracts the infection is not the main concern w/ listeria. Most healthy adults have only flu-like symptoms and fully recover. The real danger is the fetus becoming infected. 25% of infected babies die. That's a relatively high mortality rate and should not be taken lightly.

Originally posted by ohanaMAMA
" Enjoy your trip, be smart, and dont stress.. remember stress is more dangerous to baby than any soft cheese bacteria is! "

Sorry, I have to disagree. Most responsible women worry about many things during their pregancy. While it is best to keep stress to a minimum, I doubt you will find statistics showing that stress from this type of worry carries a 25% mortality rate for the baby!

Belle5, From your most recent post, it seems as if you've done your "homework" on this subject. If you care to read more look here:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/listeren.txt
I'm an RN and mom to four. This is my advice: Stay away from the high risk foods altogether. The amount you eat ("2lbs."or 2 Tablespoons) is not as significant as how heavily the food is contaminated w/ the bacteria. You may only eat a bite but if it contains a high concentration of listeria, you could be in trouble. It's just not worth the risk. Your pregancy will be over before you know it. I hated not being able to dip my hot wings in bleu cheese dressing. I substituted ranch but it just wasn't the same. I really missed deli sandwiches too. Now my "baby" is 2 and all of that pregnancy seems to have lasted about 5 mins. A healthy baby is SO worth substituting or doing w/o some foods for a little while.