quote:

Originally posted by MrsCalabrese:
Was on those too .... twice a day. Nightmare. I bruise easily and these left the most incredible bruises on my tummy. Another reason I didn't like going to the beach last summer!! Thanks though for the tip.

I feel for you. Didn't mean to open anything up.

No worries - I'm a tough old boot!

wow, congratulations!!! This is great news.

Just a vote of solidarity here:

Your moniker is Professoressa. I assume you are well educated. You will do well, I am sure.

AS a note, every culture has forbidden foods that pregnant women have eaten. Sushi, raw milk cheese,there are even raw foodists who eat raw meat during pregnancy.

Frankly, if you wanted to do the research, I am sure you could learn enough about each of the "forbidden foods" within the contexts that make them more or less dangerous. Then you could make your decision.

as an example. Sushi eaten with wasabi is a perfect balance. the antimicrobials, anti parasitics and taking no prisoners quality of the wasabi radish, destroys the offending parasites. in effect, Neutralized.

ceviche, lemon (w/out heat) cooked fish also, neutralized.

Who know what the effects of lots of garlic and chili peppers might be on rare meat? It's really a contextual thing.

I a always reminded of rules of a kosher kitchen.

In the bible it is forbidden to eat a calf cooked in it's mother's milk.

From that we have no cheese with meat, no matter which cow either came from,and over the generations, to be on the safe side, really orthodox interpretations makes it forbidden to eat turkey or chicken with cheese. You can have an egg with cheese however.

so, to be on the safe side, for the masses, for those not informed, these kinds of rules keep the peace and most people more safe, no risk of error.

For modern medical science often foods are analyzed out of context, the bacteria taken from a food and examined in the test tube or on a petrie dish. So eaten out of context the prohibitions make good sense.

The exceptions -- the french pregnant women munching on raw milk cheeses and the farming women drinking raw milk from grass fed cows, japanese women eating sushi with wasabi and native american women eating sundried jerky-- exist in context.

The most longstanding laboratory-- cusines throughout the generations in their original locales with their original traditions, recipes and ingredients.

So as with most things "alternative" or "traditional" it is a kind of slow medicine, trusting the wisdom that comes before and remaining 100% loyal to the system in which it exists. without this the balance can be thrown off and who wants to experiment with their own little one? No one.

If you find a balance which is based on proven methods over time with those offered by modern science you are probably going to make good sound choices.

Congratulations on being a mom and enjoy the time!

HERE is just one reference on the subject.

Congratulations! This is my first time posting. My Italian husband and I live in the US right now and we have two sons ages 18 months and 4 years.

As the other posters mentioned regarding toxoplasmosis, listeria, etc. I was warned against deli meats and soft cheeses. I actually still ate small amounts of both. I never heard your doctor's advice about not eating fried or grilled meats. A French friend here in Houston was pregnant at the same time and thought that staying off of soft cheeses was absurd. She ate camenbert several times a week.

On another note, I am so surprised to hear from you all how many doctor's push c-sections that aren't medically necessary. Is this a recent phenomenon in Italy? In the US, we always hear how European women have it so easy because they are offered so many options for childbirth. Elective c-sections are skyrocketing in the US and South America. In the US, it stems mostly from fear of malpractice litigation. What are the reasons in Italy? Just curious. I don't mean to hijack this thread from Professoressa's original question.

I had my first son by c-section because he was in a footling breech presentation, but thankfully I had a normal delivery with my second. A lot of women in the US are no longer given the choice to try for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean).

Jackie

quote:

What are the reasons in Italy?

Hi Jackie. We've discussed this on previous pregnancy threads...IMO the main reason is money. I believe that doctors get more for a c-section than a natural birth, plus they can schedule to suit. No awkwardly timed natural births. The c-sections can be planned around doctor's private surgeries and this way they're all done for the weekend beach house trip.
In the south c-section rate is very high.

Ah, gotcha. I have this rosy view of childbirth not being as "business-like" in Italy as it is in the US!

I understand the sensitivity with family doctors, though. When my boys get sick on our annual trips to Italy (as they always do thanks to my luck!), my MIL makes me take them to their family pediatrician who is 82 years old. He strips them naked and man-handles them and it scares the heck out of them. I put up with it because it makes my MIL happy. Our friends in Genova with children have pediatricians that they recommend, but I don't want to ruffle feathers on the home front, you know? I hope when the time comes for us to move back, the old guy will have finally retired!

Jackie

JackieC - if you're interested in the reasons for the extremely high c section rate here in Italy you should dig up the old childbirth threads on this site. Pretty hair raising though.

I don't think you can make any generalisations about "Europe." Re Italy from reading the childbirth threads and talking to friends who have had kids, women are given far fewer options childbirth wise than US women (who have insurance that is.) For example, homebirth is really rare and frowned upon here, until recently epidurals were not always an option and many Italian hospitals, especially in the south, lack basic amenities like private rooms, showers, birthing balls, tubs etc.

I think every Doctor has a set of rules that he believes in which most of his patients accept without question. Then along comes a 'foreign' patient who has been brought up in a different country with a different set of rules and doesn't know who to believe in.
It can be difficult deciding what is best, but do remember that people have been successfully having babies in every country for hundreds of years (!) with and without doctors advice.
When I was pregnant my Doctor told me that I had to get rid of my cat straight away because of the risk of toxoplasmosis (sp?). I ignored his advice and now have a very healthy four year old that feeds the cat for me!
I was never told not to eat grilled or roasted meats, but was told to stay away from salumi and fresh cheeses.
I think everyone is more careful with their first baby and becomes more relaxed with the rules the more kids they have. THere are a whole load of websites and pregnancy forums out there to offer advice, but too much advice can get confusing.
Good luck with your boiled meatballs!

Geez, you miss a couple of days on the internets...







AUGURI PROFESSORESSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Ramona:
birthing balls

! They sound painful! Or exhausting - visions of women in long dresses dancing around delivery rooms - the new world really does do things differently!

I've got no idea what a birthing ball is either. Maybe one day I'll find out. So far I've not been invited to any birthing ball.

quote:

Originally posted by alyson:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramona:
birthing balls

! They sound painful! Or exhausting -

WEll, yeah, just imagine giving birth to a ball? The thought alone is painful and exhausting enough!
Kidding aside though, a birthing ball is meant to help alleviate pain for the woman because she gets to sit and bounce on it to her hearts content. It's supposed to help a lot. I wouldn't know though, as I never used one with either of my births.

Having never given birth it's all a mystery to me too how these things work - but I hear that birthing balls as well as showers and epidurals are various options which are pretty standard in US hospitals - but which aren't here. Especially in Southern Italy.

quote:

Originally posted by Ramona:
I hear that birthing balls as well as showers and epidurals are various options which are pretty standard in US hospitals - but which aren't here. Especially in Southern Italy.

OK, I can vouch for epidurals as I had one for both of my births. They are NOT fun to get at all but once the lovely wonder drug takes effect, at that very moment, you forget all about the pain of receiving it. The second time was a bit more hard to forget for me though because they had to take it out in reinsert it because it didn't take full effect the first time around because it only put (from waist down) half of my body to sleep... it was a very strange feeling!

quote:

Originally posted by Ggriv77:
WEll, yeah, just imagine giving birth to a ball? The thought alone is painful and exhausting enough!
Kidding aside though, a birthing ball is meant to help alleviate pain for the woman because she gets to sit and bounce on it to her hearts content. It's supposed to help a lot. I wouldn't know though, as I never used one with either of my births.

Oh no! I now have pictures of space hopper races! Things have changed!

I guess we're really talking Swiss Balls here? Still sounds painful !

quote:

Originally posted by alyson:

I guess we're really talking Swiss Balls here? Still sounds painful !

Well, it depends on which swiss balls you are refering to... please elaborate!

Lindt chocolate ones maybe? The kind that melt in your mouth !

quote:

Originally posted by alyson:
Lindt chocolate ones maybe? The kind that melt in your mouth !

Oh yeah...that's exactly what I was thinking!

The Jersey Girl strikes again...get your mind out of the gutter!!!

Giovanna (and proud "Jersey Girl")
Mi Chiamo Giovanna

quote:

Originally posted by Ggriv77:

quote:

Originally posted by alyson:
Lindt chocolate ones maybe? The kind that melt in your mouth !

Oh yeah...that's exactly what I was thinking!

If you'd seen the football size ones they had here at Easter.... !

Now, Alyson, did you have to bring up chocolate? My doctor didn't say anything about chocolate (thank God!) but I've been trying to cut down so I can fill that space left in my diet with more nutritious foods! But here I am at 9 AM already thinking about Lindor balls!

Nicki, the doctor was so relieved to hear we didn't have a cat. If we had one, I'm sure he would have told us to get rid of it. He also told me not to touch dogs or birds either.

Thanks again, everyone for your advice and auguri. Here's what I'm going to do: eat whatever I think is healthy. I'm following the recommendations I've found on some U.S. pregnancy websites, so I'll be avoiding deli meats and soft cheeses and I'll me cooking any meat to a temperature of 160-165 degrees F. Roasted, grilled, fried, braised, but probably not boiled, because I don't think that would really help with my nausea! Fortunately, my husband has really come around and is now as perplexed as I am by the doctor's obsession with boiling.