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I got less and less strict as the pregnancy progressed. Every time I broke a "rule" it felt so freeing!

Honestly, I was never super strict and my LO is happy and healthy. I ate lunch meat through my whole pregnancy, drank caffeine, etc. Heck, I credit wine and bowling for putting me into labor.

I feel like stress and paranoia is more harmful than some of the things they claim are harmful. I agree with everything in moderation.

I had some smoked salmon a few weeks ago. I also am eating soft serve when I want it. That's it, though!

As for soft cheese, I've eaten that throughout since the stuff I buy is pasteurized.

JHO, great news!! You must feel so relieved!!! I definitely relaxed a bit after my first trimester. I try and follow the "rules" as much as I can, but definitely have had some items in moderation. I will tell you though, I so cannot wait for sushi and a martini after I have this little nugget! lol

@zippylef: "I feel like stress and paranoia is more harmful than some of the things they claim are harmful. I agree with everything in moderation."

I agree with what Zippylef said completely.

I never avoided caffeine because it's not "forbidden", and everything else in moderation (including unpasteurized cheeses, rare meat, sushi, wine, etc.) Around the world babies continue to be born healthy and happy without living through 9 months of rules mostly only imposed in the US.

Do whatever will stress you out the least, as that's something that is actually harmful to baby.

No.... but I did those things during my first trimester.

Definitely...to echo PPs....I'm a believer in everything in moderation.

I don't usually want lunch meat, but I have no qualms in having an occasional turkey sub if I'm craving it (even untoasted!). Ditto for soft serve. I've dyed my hair, savored the occasional glass of wine, and have a cup of coffee every morning (which I would have done during the first tri had the thought not made me sick). I won't turn away from a chunk of the brie I'm in love with if it's front of me (although I don't seek it out, but more because if I didn't have to share it with other people I'd eat the whole wedge by myself....) and I sometimes order my steak rare or medium rare (but only if I trust the restaurant, or if it's my BIL grilling).

I did slightly. I followed the rules by the book the first trimester. Once I hit 2nd trimester I allowed myself a coke every few days, and I did have some soft serve on occasion. I'm too much of a worrier and have too much of a guilty conscience or else I probably would have been more relaxed about it.

I try to watch my caffeine intake, but I know if I were presented with soft serve or deli meat, I'd totally eat both right now.

@zippylef: Exactly!

There are risks that you take, you have to weigh the pros and cons to everything, but living in a bubble wasn't worth it to me. I was very careful during the first trimester after I found out, and relaxed a lot in the second and third. And honestly for the first trimester I didn't feel like doing anything or eating anything anyway, so that made it really easy to be good.

A friend of mine gave me flack for having a half glass of wine or half a beer with dinner once or twice a week- she smoked for her entire pregnancy and had a low birthweight and sick baby at first. I was so frustrated by this situation, and as much as it upset me, I had to remember that we all make our own choices and hope that we don't unintentionally hurt our babies.

Most def. I drink coffee more often now that I'm in the second trimester. I've had soft serve and had a sip of champagne over the wknd at a wedding. I still haven't dyed ,y hair. Used acne meds, or bleached my teeth though.

I've cut down my caffeine but not cut it out. I'll have an iced tea every now and then which has 35mg of caffeine in it. The recommended daily limit is 200 so I'm not going to stress over that. The other rules I've been pretty good on (only deli meats once because I was at a work lunch and it was the only option, soft cheeses only from my own fridge that I know is pasteurized, and absolutely no alcohol). I'm in my second tri now and still follow the rules. I will probably ease up a bit but I don't intend to break the alcohol rule. A good friend of mine who is pregnant and a nurse practitioner told me she read a study recently that it can vary hugely between women as to what amount of alcohol it takes to cause problems for your fetus. Some women drink heavily with no issue and some women drink very little and their babies have fetal alcohol syndrome. Since you never know what end of the scale you're on it's not worth the risk to me. I will say before she told me this I totally intended to have a glass of wine or two at some point.