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I think it's funny they made such a big deal out of listeria...All my doctors here in France told me that as long as it was heated first it was fine. On the flip side, here they make a big deal out of toxoplasmosis. I have to get monthly blood tests to make sure I haven't contracted it and have been told not to eat any unpeeled fruits/vegetables that I have not first soaked in white vinegar. In the US they don't seem to care about toxoplasmosis unless you have a cat (I don't).

Wow, and my doctor's office is the opposite and told me I was okay to eat deli meat as long as I trusted the source. I go to Mr. Goodcent's every couple weeks, it's my favorite. I do choose not to do Subway since I've never trusted their meat. I wouldn't worry too much, it wasn't fair of her to treat you like that or to jump to conclusions thinking it was listeria instead of a common stomach bug.

Frankly, I think that nurse way over-reacted, and very unnecessarily freaked you out even more. Pretty much every reputable medical source will tell you it's OKAY to eat deli meat when you're pregnant as long as it's been heated to steaming. I'm assuming that DOUBLE-TOASTING it will do the trick.

Shame on her hysteria!

I totally ate cold deli meat my entire pregnancy, not even heated.... The British midwives said it wasn't a big deal but the American doctors on the base said not to. Meh. Every woman has to make these decisions for herself, shame on that nurse for freaking you out.

@Running Elley: I agree, if I had a nurse freak out on me like that I might have insisted on the test as well!

@jholler25: Oops, sorry to worry you about toxoplasmosis! It's pretty much like listeria in that it doesn't cause much harm to adults but can be bad for fetuses. If you've contracted it before, then you are immune to it, but you probably wouldn't know if you had contracted it without the blood test...Anyway, it's mainly transmitted through undercooked meat, cat poo and vegetables/fruits that have come into contact with infected animal waste. If the vegetables are cooked or peeled, it's fine. Anyway, just wash your fruits and vegetables well and there's nothing to worry about! Also, I had a 24hr bug when I was about 15 weeks, the main risk is dehydration.

@jholler25: Man, I would kill for a soft-serve ice cream cone right now! It's so hot here that my poor fingers look like sausages!

Heated up deli meat is probably fine BUT I read that Subways in New York (where I live) are super dirty so I wouldn't get it from there. I would get it from a nice deli or something!

I wouldn't worry! All my paperwork from the OB says as long as it's heated, it's fine. That nurse must have been having a bad day.

On a side note, I got a snack size M&M McFlurry yesterday after my glucose test..and it was the best soft-serve I've ever had, I swear! lol. and I'm fine.

@Chastenet: They do tell you in the US not to change litterboxes because of that. I think my nurse told me to not do any yardwork if we had a cat, but that seemed overboard!

I ate cold deli meat from a fancy deli last week. I thought about asking them to heat it up, but then i figured it was probably better than whatever the storebought stuff sitting around forever was.

Listeria is really rare. Granted, it's not a dose-response thing (like alcohol - ok if a little bit, but deli meat - you just need one bad piece). But it's still really rare. Also, Dole salads were just recalled for listeria. No one tells you not to eat salad while pregnant!

I think that nurse totally overreacted! I've had subway 3 times in the last week. I do have them microwave the meat for me though.

we all play with fire a little bit. she was out of line to scold you when you had it heated twice. thats enough to kill any bacteria.

I think she was just grabbing onto whatever obvious explanation she could come up with, when often we never know what made us sick or even if it was something we ate or for some other reason! Sorry you had this experience. I think if you had listeria you'd be a lot sicker.

Ha! That nurse was cray-cray! My OB told me no drugs or alcohol, but eat whatever doesn't make you sick. The chances of contracting listeria are so remote. Also, most soft cheeses in North America are pasteurized and pose no risk.