Based on studies done outside the U.S., where light to moderate drinking during pregnancy is much more common, I felt comfortable having a few ounces of wine with a meal up to 2x a week. But everyone has to make their own choices! I have friends who didn’t touch a drop of alcohol ever during pregnancy, and others who…

It was really frustrating. I looked it up online and basically, they haven’t tested it on pregnant women (like most drugs), so there’s no information on whether or not it’s safe.

In the U.S., very little. Currently pregnant, and the only cheese restriction I’d heard of was queso fresco.

I totally hear that. This whole process is very scary because you have so little control. For me, it’s better to be a little laissez-faire about the restrictions, because I could easily go overboard with anxiety and trying to control everything. You have to choose the approach that works for you, and it’s very…

Yep! I got completely conflicting advice from two different OB-GYNs. One said a certain OTC medication was fine to take, no restrictions. The other winced when I mentioned it and said, “Don’t take that anymore.” Ummm...great. Really reassuring! (Thankfully fetus is perfectly healthy so far, but it was a scary moment.)

But would you feel like a murderer for eating fresh spinach and getting listeria from that? Or ice cream? Or cantaloupe?

I commented above, but basically you have the right idea. Pregnancy brings out the intrusive busybody in people, so you just have to shut them down and not go down the rabbit hole of trying to justify yourself.

I’m a terrible preggo, didn’t even know feta was supposedly off-limits and I eat it fairly frequently. I also eat the occasional hot dog, tuna, sushi, and deli meat, drink a cup of coffee daily and a quarter glass of wine once or twice a week. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But...everyone should talk to their doctor, do their own research, and make an informed choice. Listeria has been discovered in many foods that are not on the restricted list (spinach, ice cream, hummus), so it’s impossible to avoid completely. A woman could reasonably decide that she is fine with eating deli or…

Suspenders is British English for garters. What we call suspenders in the U.S. they would call braces.

Yep. I’m pregnant and I was told that there is mandatory syphilis screening 2x during prenatal care for everyone, because the rates of mother-to-baby transmission are rising.

I think this is a fairly common cause of death in Mt. Everest fatalities. So sad.

I’d also advocate for giving to pro-choice organizations besides PP. (Not that PP isn’t wonderful!)

For a really long time, I didn’t get that the 5 was supposed to read as an S, so I referred to it as “Dead Mau Five.” Oops.

I came here to say the exact same thing! The tone of that item was SO off. Justin Bieber may be the worst but that doesn’t mean it’s ok for fans to try to touch him without permission or that he is not justified in protecting himself. I don’t care for Kim K either but I thought it was disgusting when that horrible…

Edited bc I didn’t want to pile on.

Like any other offense, the accused deserve due process and the ability to respond to allegations.

If the embryos result in a child, she might have legal responsibilities to it whether she wanted it or not. (The law on reproductive technology and custody is all over the place, so it depends on the state/judge.) But also, it’s different from a case where a woman is already pregnant. Here, there is no pregnancy, and…

Agreed that this is *the worst* but WaPo has many excellent women writers and is overall a good newspaper, which we desperately need these days.