Husband left town for today and tomorrow and that is always a recipe for disaster in my insane brain. To console myself, I went to brunch with a dear friend at my favorite brunch place. I successfully avoided the swordfish tacos out of concern for the mercury, but apparently my brain shut off there. I proceeded to consume Eggs Benedict complete with Hollandaise Sauce and creme brulee. Once home, the whole raw egg ban while pregnant came racing into my mind. Holy shit, I am now certain I will be puking my brains out from Salmonella poisoning. Convinced of it. Mind you, I have never gotten sick from this restaurant before, but you know how that goes. For sure I have threatened the life of this embryo with my indulgence. I am such an idiot.
Now I am trying to decide whether to try and go purge it all up. I am not very good at that, but I could give it a try. Or perhaps that damage is already done. I have been frantically searching the internet for what I should do now, but all I can find are the 101 reasons why I shouldn't be eating Hollandaise sauce. I found one comment on the APA site that said that most restaurants use pasteurized eggs for these types of dishes, but who knows if this one did. And, since they are now closed, I can't call and ask.
To the left, are the offending organisms at a magnification of 9020x. Salmonella infantisI should warn you before you decide to comment, that in my current mental state, I really can't handle any heinous horror stories of salmonella poisoning and dead babies. Without my husband, I cannot take this kind of stuff right now. So if you have something soothing to say, then please comment, but if not, for the first time (and hopefully the last) I am kindly asking you to keep it to yourself. Now, I must excuse myself while I think of purging strategies. I should have been locked away long ago, clearly.
20 comments:
salmonella is extremely rare. For this reason, I continue to eat loads of unpasteurized cheese. I am not really worried about food, because everything here in the US is so ultra-clean. I would not be surprised if the eggs you ate where pasteurized: restaurants usually buy eggs in bottles. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your advice on bras. Bonne chance with everything
OK, Nicole, take a deep breath. I guess I'm not the best one to be offering comfort, as I've never been pregnant, but I think it will be OK. Think of all the things our mothers blithely consumed while pregnant, because doctors hadn't yet told women not to. Think of this like that... you didn't know. And no induced vomitting! You're doing enough of that with the morning sickness.
Pasteurized egg use in restaurants is not uncommon. THink of all the people who aren't supposed to eat raw eggs: cancer patients, people with autoimmune diseases, etc.
It would be foolish for restaurants to use anything else, they would be opening themselves up to a lawsuit.
When these completely mind contolling obsessions take over my brain, I think of how women used to take care of themselves back in the day.
Drinking, smoking, eating raw and undercooked meats and eggs, cheeses etc. and we all turned out fine (hey, some more than others). :) my mother even rode a violent roller coaster when she was 6 months pregnant. That still leaves me scratching my head, honestly. Eggs pale in comaparison, my dear.
Give yourself a break - you aren't even used to being pregnant yet. That test you took, well, think of how early along you really are, and how many women are pregnant and don't even know it, eating all kinds of things with abandon. And they are fine.
I'm with Berrybird on this one. I know some women who have eaten raw hamburger with no harm done! (eew) I don't know how I'll give up soft cheeses or cookie dough.
YOU WILL BE FINE NICOLE... AND WILL YOUR BABY!!!!!!!!!!
((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))
I know women who have had severe food poisoning while pregnant and they and their babies turned out fine.
In fact, two of them are playing downstairs in my basement right this moment.
Not.even.joking.
Now, go watch the Oscars and oo and awe over the hideous outfits with me.
You will NOT throw up over the eggs benny, but you will throw up over some of these clothes. (This is the cheering you up, joking part.)
:)
okay breath and don't worry. Salmonella is not something you'll get easily and especially not in the winter. So don't worry you'll be fine.
Hollandaise sauce is heated and partially cooked over a water bath. So, you really didn't eat raw eggs, just slightly undercooked. But Hollandaise sauce is usually heated enough to kill any potential bacteria.
I hope you start feeling better soon, not from the food, but from the freak-out.
No restaurant that wants to stay in business is serving their patrons unpasteurized eggs.
I hope that you didn't make yourself sick over this. Everyone is right, you shouldn't get sick at all over this and you & baby will be just fine.
And your body was probably craving all that high calorie stuff because little pumpkin needs some energy.
You'll be okay. Hugs
No worries Nicole. Smoking and alcohol are the biggies, I think. My mother tries deliberately not to make hard boiled eggs, for anyone, under any condition. Of course she smoked when preggos with me... and look how I turned out...haha. Relax, you'll be fine. That sounded like a great brunch. I've heard that in different countries, pregnant women no-no's vary. ie, in Europe, leafy greens are a no-no, soft cheese are a definite yes. I certainly couldn't stay off of soft cheeses...
Just stay away from Peter Pan/Walmart Peanut butter, please?
You'll be fine Nicole!!! You've never been sick from there before and I'm sure one little saucy oops won't matter. Don't worry over it okay! Besides, you'r body will soon chuck it up if it doesn't like it ;-) xxx
What you are going through is so normal for a Soon-to-be-First- time- Mother!
You will be OK! When I had my first child...I was pregnant for FIVE months almost SIX and didn't know it!!! I was 18, young, and my Period was ALWAYS late by three months...
Anyhoo - the point is - NOT knowing that I was pregnant at that age - I drank, smoked cigarettes, and ate everything like a normal teenager - My daughter is FINE and Wonderful today at the age of 21 years old!
She's smart and beautiful - and your baby will be Smart and Beautiful, too!:)
Do I sound hypocritical if I say that I think it was OK that your breakfast was ok???
Because I do. :)
Also, about birth locations/prenatal care... I think it is important to follow your gut. And having an OB and a hospital birth does not mean you have to have a bazillion interventions. You can do things to prevent unnecessary interventions in a hospital... talking to your doctor, working with a doula, etc.
(Not to get ahead of myself... this is mostly a follow up to your comment on my last post.)
If you ever want to talk about the issue any more or have any questions please let me know. I've become a fountain of opinions.
Breathe. Again. Breathe. It will be OK.
darling girl, your stress levels are more important than what you eat... chill. i think most restaurants don't even use real eggs anymore, probably egg beaters or something like that.
Your risk of salmonella is actually greatest in the third trimester when your immune system's more suppressed; it's pretty much baseline in 1st trimester. And also, yes, Hollandaise is cooked! Actually until the egg in it solidifies! (Pat pat pat).
Hope you feel better and enjoy another tasty brunch soon!
nicole years ago I managed the kitchen in a large restaurant. We specialized in brunchs and breakfasts...here's a secret...the Hollandaise Sauce...was a powder mix! Alot of places use the mixes they are easier, cheaper, and less likely to screw up if someone new is making it. If you are still so worried then call or go into the place and ask to speak to the manager, explain your problem and ask if they use a mix or eggs. Knowing that may help you feel better. Even if they use eggs they are cooked. Don't worry so much, everything will be o.k.
I'm wayyyy late on this, but I'm glad you're okay. I think you have first-time-motheritis. ;)
hi there, maybe you can understand that pregnancy makes me very lazy and take forever to do anything, hence my lateness posting on my blog and reading yours but i am catching up...
i agree with the other comments. nothing to worry about. you are probably just anxious about this new state of being. last night i couldnt get to sleep and felt some uncomfortable pain sensations, probalby just everything expanding at the 12 plus week mark but i had images that the baby was dead in there, which i knew was just crazy insomnia anxiety. hang in there. be gentle wiht yourself. it's a roller coaster ride! especially off meds and no wine, at least for me it...
Post a Comment