What's the Deal with Eating Soft Cheeses?

The doctor's are simply OVER cautious these days. I ate brie and feta without knowing I was pregnant, PLUS ate it when I KNEW I was pregnant a few times. They also want us to avoid lunchmeat. This is my 4th pregnancy and I NEVER had so many restrictions with the others. You'll be fine.

Mom of 4: girl, boy, boy, and baby due in 2 wks!

listen to Jennifer... I have known at least 2 women who got listeria and lost the babies. one was 32 weeks... it's 10 months of a sacrifice... I didn't like to go with out too, but I would rather know I was doing the best for my babies, and is a piece of brie really worth it??

>>>The fertilized egg has made its seven- to ten-day trip to the uterus, where it implants cozily into the endometrial surface. It is now called a blastocyst and it has divided into two parts. While you are reading this, the first part is forming the placenta and the second part will become the embryo. The two layers that make up the amniotic bag of waters are newly formed, and the very beginning of the connecting stalk -- which will become the umbilical cord -- has appeared. Until your placenta is fully functioning, the yolk sac, now present, will feed your baby. Basically, the "home" for your little one is under rapid construction! <<< from http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/wkbywkguide/0,,c3.... no worries, i think God made it this way because we can't possibly know right away!!!

Agree with the comments on unpasteurized vs. pasteurized. I ate some unpasteurized feta when I was 10 weeks pregnant and became very sick; a day later I lost the pregnancy. My doctor did post-D&C genetic testing and my "baby" was fine leaving her to believe I had Listeria. Just be careful, better safe than sorry - only eat fully-pasteurized foods while pregnant.

What you ate prior to knowing is fine. But, going forward, is it really worth the risk? What you get in return is a beautiful baby to love and adore.

Hi D.,
With Listeria, what matters is whether the milk used in soft cheese (technically, cheese aged for fewer than 60 days)has been pasteurized. If not, there is a fear of contracting Listeria, which wouldn't be a big deal for a healthy adult but is a problem during pregnancy. These days, the majority of cheeses, even my favorite super-stinky, runny French cheese, Epoisses, are made with pasteurized milk, at least for the US market. A few years ago there was a crackdown on cheese made with unpasteurized milk and aged fewer than 60 days that was being smuggled into the US for top end restaurants and cheese shops. My beloved Epoisses was smuggled into the country in its non-pasteurized form. Even before the crackdown, though, almost all brie sold in the US used pasteurized milk. I'm not sure about feta. Certain cheeses are made both with pasteurized and non-pasteurized milk, depending on whether the batch is intended for export to the US. Definitely check w/your OB on all of this, but look for domestic soft cheeses, many of which are quite good -- especially the Red Hawk and Mt. Tam cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery. Their website says that they pasteurize their milk (I think all domestic producers have to, but don't go just off my word on that). I would probably steer clear of imported soft cheeses just in case the non-pasteurized form is still being smuggled into the country. To the extent it is, it's probably all being directed to super high end restaurants and cheese purveyors. You're unlikely to find it at a typical grocery store, and it's unlikely to be brie (though why take a chance?). Also, just because a cheese is made with unpasteurized cheese, it does not mean that the cheese carries Listeria, just that it might; so, if by any chance you are actually pregnant and you did eat some feta or brie, you're likely just fine.
K.

I can't help but wonder whether this rule was set when such cheeses were made from raw milk. Now pasterized milk is used. Cheeses sold in a reputable grocery store and not hand made are likely fine. For example, you might not want to buy queso fresco at a farmer's market.

There was a book written by a cheese-making nun (in Vermont??) a few years ago in which she made a very good case that soft cheese contamination is nearly impossible. Plus I've read that a major cause of these infections is prescription drugs.

The French eat all kinds of soft cheeses from raw milk during pregnancy and aren't worried about this... Wikipedia has this to say: The Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a list of foods that have sometimes caused outbreaks of Listeria: hot dogs, deli meats, raw milk, cheeses (particularly soft-ripened cheeses like feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, or Mexican-style “queso blanco”), raw and cooked poultry, raw meats, ice cream, raw vegetables, raw and smoked fish and the green lip mussel.[8]

Don't worry too much! Just go easy -- moderation in all things is the key.

I hated (and still hate) having to watch my lunchmeats to make sure they haven't been opened for longer than a week. Life would be simpler if we simply didnt know about the evil Listeria that's everywhere just waiting to nab ya!

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Hi D.
I was always told that the reason not to eat cheese or sushi is infection. When you get an infection while pregnant, you have a compromised immune system, a harder time fighting it, limited treatment options due to being pregnant, and a higher chance of getting it in the first place. A Listeria infection is bad. Therefore they just tell us to completely abstain from eating things to be safe. That also includes some lunch meats and imported blue cheese. If you didn't get listeria from the cheese you ate, you should have been fine the rest of the pregnancy. Also, our bodies have a protective system where if you do anything too harmful to your body when you are carrying an embryo, your body will miscarry. Not the most ideal situation, traumatic to say the least, but it does help to know that if you had a few too many margaritas, or soft cheese before you knew you were pregnant, you should be ok. That is what I have been told or read. Good luck with your conception attempts.
C.

As long as you didn't get food poisoning, you're fine :-)

Pregnant or not we all run the risk of Listeria infection when ever we eat unpasturized cheezes (although this is way less often then you would think as most soft cheeses sold in the US ARE pasturized so have no risk of this infection). The issue is not the cheese itself (or smoked fish, sushi, sandwich meats etc.) but that getting food poisoning durring pregnancy can lead to miscariage.

Since you didn't get sick from the cheese, and you were still pregnant some time after, you have nothing to worry about (well not about the cheese anyway... you've got a lifetime of worry ahead :-))

Hope this helps.
T.

Dear D.,
I was never warned about soft cheeses during either of my pregnancies. My oldest is 22 and my youngest just turned 13. So, that was a while ago. I didn't have any problems or complications, but I didn't eat those things every day either.
I think that once you know you are pregnant, it's good to be careful, if nothing else to give you peace of mind. What you did before you knew should not be a problem.
I've known plenty of young women who, as an example, got a little smashed at a wedding reception or something only to find out later they were actually pregnant at the time. Then, the poor things worried their entire pregnancy about fetal alcohol syndrome. I don't know anyone that had a sick baby who stayed healthy and avoided certain things AFTER they found out they were pregnant.
Trust your heart and just do things the right way for yourself and your baby from here on out. I am sure it will be just fine.
Blessings to you!

the issue with soft cheeses is a issue of unpasturized milk that is sometimes used to make these soft cheeses, although in the US most of these cheeses must use pasturized milk and are safe to eat, try to ask if you are unsure or you can avoid soft cheese if you do not know its origin, but I happened to LOVE cheese and ate it during my pregnancy, I just made sure it was with pasturized milk

I was told to avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk. I ate all kinds of soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk while pregnant. Women all over the world probably eat raw milk products and have healthy babies. I didn't risk it, but my friends had a platter of stinky raw milk cheeses and cured meats waiting for me after I gave birth.

Hi D.,
I was concerned about this when pregnant, also. (I'm Greek, and was very saddened to think I might not be able to eat feta for nine months!)I asked my midwife at the time about it. This was ten years ago, but what I remember her saying was "Do you think the women in Greece just don't eat feta when they're pregnant?" Her point was that if a soft cheese is a normal part of your diet, it should be fine in moderation. I think I remember her advising me to buy pastuerized cheeses, to be on the safe side.
I don't think you need to worry about what you already ate. You should check with your doctor or a midwife to set your mind more at ease.
I hope this helps a little. Good luck!! (I was 38 when my son was born - it's a good time of life to have a child.)
Warmly, G.

You didn't get sick did you? Then you're fine.

mainly it is for people living in a third world country, you are just fine :)

Talk to your OB about food dos and don'ts. Listeria can cause a miscarriage, so it is a concern. Pasteurized cheese is what you want to look for.

I will tell you that I ate cheese when I was pregnant. Just make sure it is pasteurized whenever possible. I love Greek salads and I ate several while pregnant and was lucky that all as fine. I believe the concern is that you don't get sick from it.

Hi D.,

Soft cheese might cause problem in pregnant women if it's made of unpasteurized milk and the problem would happen within few days of consuming. Most of the soft cheese in the US are made of pasteurized milk so you must be fine. Check the label to make sure it's made of pasteurized milk next time. Hope you have an easy pregnancy. Enjoy it.

I ate soft cheeses moderately throughout my entire pregnancy without a problem. I think the BIG risk comes when people eat it regularly (daily) and/or buy questionable cheese. So, if you buy high quality cheeses and aren't eating them daily, I don't think it's a big deal. (I also ate raw, unpasteurized cheeses, too, and never had a problem.)

As my girlfriends said, what do you think French and Greek people do when they're pregnant? :-)