When I first became pregnant I wasn't thinking and I ate a big overstuffed tuna sandwich a few times a week. More recently I stopped eating tuna entirely and I plan to avoid it. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone on here has experience with this and went on to have a healthy normally developing baby. I feel like such a dufus because usually I am on top of avoiding the right things but morning sickness and limited cravings made me act brain dead I suppose. My last pregnancy I didn't eat any tuna at all. It turned me off. I hope I haven't hurt my baby.
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I ate tuna maybe a dozen times with each and both of my kids are healthy!
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can't change what's already been done, but chunk light tuna is supposed to have much less mercury if you wanted to partake without taking in as much mercury. if it helps, my mom at tuna, solid white, multiple times a wk with both me & my brother and we're fine
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I'm sure it is fine. You should eat fish. There are good oils in it that are good for your baby's brain. I think the avoidance lists are a little over the top. Eat your tuna if you're craving it.
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I had some no-no's here and there with DS and he is healthy and thriving with no effects!
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I suspect you are probably okay! I did a couple bad things when I was pregnant with Xander just because I wasn't thinking about it (deli meat, tubing, etc). I remember being so worried too, but he's fine. I'm sure your baby is okay too!
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I'm sure baby is fine! Chunk light tuna is supposed to have much less mercury than a big ahi steak.
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I'm sure it is fine! Craving tuna now...
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It's totally fine. My OB went over all the do's and don't's of nutrition with me at the beginning and specifically talked about fish. He emphasized that I should eat fish period.
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I ate tuna about 2 or 3 times a week last pregnancy...totally huge craving. I've eaten it with this pregnancy too...as long as it's in moderation, you're fine!
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I'm sure you're fine! Esp if aside from tuna you're not eating fish for every meal (and not all fish have high mercury anyway). Don't worry
ETA: Now I want tuna!
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I bet your ok. You could mention it to your OB if you're really concerned. Maybe she (he?) could ease your mind.
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I ate tuna at least every other week while I was pregnant and had no problems. It wasn't even mentioned by my OB lol. Deli meat, sushi, etc were also not even mentioned - I think people make a bigger deal out of these things than they really are
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Eh, all this is just recommendations without any real proof if you look into it further, plus I can't believe how many foods are on the avoid list on your side of the pond, we are allowed to eat sushi here (as long as it has been frozen first) and prawns/cold cuts are all fine too.
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My OB always said 12 oz/week is fine. So...unless your tuna sandwich was the size of your head and weighed almost a full pound, I wouldn't worry about it.
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@blackbird: hahaha, "size of your head" - love it!
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I think you'll be ok! I eat a Jimmy John's tuna sub once a week because it's one of the few things i CRAVE!
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Thanks everyone. To be honest I have heightened worries this pregnancy because there are possible sensory issues with my son and in my family and some studies suggest that genetics can combine with certain environmental factors and trigger such things. I know that just as with every pregnancy there is a "what will be will be" factor and my son is the greatest gift in the world but if there is some way I can prevent my child from potentially having such challenges I would love to do so. Im sure I'm overreacting. I have no idea if it was white albacore or chunk light tuna but @blackbird: it was pretty close to the size of my head! A big sandwich a couple times a week. I haven had one in a few weeks now but my general seafood consumption this pregnancy has been careless and more than if like to admit. Not of the big offenders really but some tuna some shrimp some eel and some salmon. I really appreciate all of the encouragement.
@Leialou: I may just mention it to my OB to see what she thinks.
I guess I can't turn back time so why worry? I am pretty good at worrying though.
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Here's the mercury fish recommendation from my local health unit.
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=50e85ce6dfb31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRDCanned light tuna falls in the safe to eat often category...
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A couple of times a week is fine. It's certainly not going to cause any sensory issues!
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@wonderstruck: thank you for reassuring me. I know it's silly. I just feel so guilty for anything I might do that could have ill effects. I hope that you're feeling better these days. I know it's been a tough pregnancy for you.
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I wouldn't worry too much. Anytime I think I did something bad, I remember when I was in college I took a Human Development class and we learned that teratogens effect the fetus only 4% of the time. Those are pretty good odds.
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@MrsHansen82: oh, I like that number! I'm sure a lot of this is just nerves.
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You'll be ok! I think you'd need to eat way more for it to cause even the slightest issue.
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I had tuna many times when I was pregnant with Liam and everything was fine. I probably averaged a couple times a month.
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@MrsHansen82: Thanks for saying this. A woman at work today saw me eating (chunk light, mixed with mayo and veggies!) tuna salad and gave me a hard time about it. I patiently explained that 1)my doctor said it's okay and 2) in my 29th week of pregnancy, I'm not quite as concerned since everything is well "formed" and is just maturing now. She continued ranting for another 5 minutes about it, and I was SOOOO frustrated! Just let me eat my tuna (one of the only proteins I've found appealing during pregnancy) in peace, lady!
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@MrsMccarthy: Try not to worry. Your baby will be just fine
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@ChiCalGoBee: Ugh so frustrating how people love to lecture on things they know nothing about. It's not like you're taking shots or smoking! It's tuna!
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@ChiCalGoBee: I got a lecture on tuna-eating from an acquaintance's boyfriend. wtf?
@mrsmccarthy: I craved tuna when I was pregnant and always felt comfortable eating it. I just didn't have it daily. Now I really want a tuna sandwich. With mustard and pickles....
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http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm393070.htm
I thought that was a nice summary.They differentiate between chunk light (which I don't eat) and albacore (which I do) tuna.
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@looch: thanks! Unfortunately I think White albacore is what I had not chnk light but hopefully its all okay.
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Reviving this thread as I ate tuna cakes (solid white albacore) and a little tuna belly this weekend. At my girls' tea, I mentioned eating tuna with LO and got huge no responses. I then realized I ate a fair amount with weekend in the first trimester. Crap, now I feel like an idiot and hope I didn't hurt our LO in the works. I did tuna cakes because we had nothing to feed LO in the house after our fridge fun last week. Now, I'm freaking out!
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@cascademom: oh honey I'm so sorry you are going through this. I'm afraid we will both just have to have faith that everything is okay. More likely than not it is. I think it would have to be pretty consistant over a much longer period of time to truly have an impact so that's what made me calm down. Just keep an eye on it from here on out and ill bet you'll have no issue.
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@cascademom: I asked my doctor on Tuesday, and she said it's the bigger fish that are only once a week. She said eat tuna, deli sandwiches are fine as long as place is clean, likewise with soft serve, and I can even toast with wine every once in a while (I won't be doing that though!)
That being said, I just enjoyed a warm tuna sandwich from potbelly!
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