So here I am pregnant again and wanting sushi, again. I find it hard to believe that Japanese women don't eat sushi while pregnant. In fact, I finally found an article that pointed out they DO eat it. They consider it quite a healthy thing for pregnant women to eat!
That said, I don't live in Japan. I was hunting for someone, ANYone to tell me that they ate sushi while pregnant (and had no dire consequences). I recently read Anktangle's birth story and noticed that she had sushi while in labor! I literally contacted her on Facebook to ask her about this! Turns out she had only eaten
Last Saturday was the annual Asian-American Festival at our local library branch. We attended and enjoyed the festivities. A friend offered me a California Roll and I snatched it! This lead to a conversation about it. She ate sushi during both of her pregnancies! And at least one of her boys is a genius (literally)! She also rode roller coasters and pretty much anything else she wanted to do! THIS was the person I wanted to find! I bought a package of Philly Rolls. They include smoked salmon, raw. They were so yummy!
After more visiting, I found Tyler again so I could buy her some California Rolls and I picked up a package of Spicy Tuna rolls to take home for myself. I was a glutton! I just couldn't stop myself! I got home and immediately devoured them. It was all so very yummy... with soy sauce and wasabi.
Sunday morning my stomach hurt. I'd been having lots of bloating with this pregnancy, though, so tummy aches were no stranger. I took a nap pretty early in the day. When I woke up, I figured out I was sick. In fact, for two days I didn't get very far away from my pillow or the toilet. I felt tired and extra yucky. Lesson learned?
Then I had my midwife appointment. I asked both the PA and the midwife for their thoughts on sushi. The PA (in training, I believe) gave me the usual rigamarole about the dangers of food borne illnesses and such. Then the midwife actually said that some raw fish contains WORMS. A good sushi chef will know and watch closely to catch the bad fish and not use it. But she doesn't trust anyone these days. I can understand that, especially in the food industry.
The PA went on to explain that basically during pregnancy, our immune system is weakened so the risk of food borne illnesses has a greater risk of making mother OR baby sick. Ugh. Well aren't I a horrible, horrible mother?! I love sushi, but not enough to risk my unborn child's health!
I asked, specifically, what about Japanese women? The midwife pretty much said "They might have worms, I don't know." This kind of makes me laugh. Kind of not.
I neglected, for some reason, to confess my recent sushi incident. I am being transferred to an OB, though (more on that later)... so I may mention it to them. In case they want to check me for worms!
In linking, I see on the menu there is a footnote:
CAUTION: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
I know I've seen such warnings before... but never really applied them to sushi.
If you're a fan of sushi, what has been your personal policy during pregnancy and the first year of breastfeeding?
