We know pregnant women are concerned about the newly described coronavirus. MotherToBaby and the CDC are monitoring the situation and will educate people if there is new evidence about a danger from a coronavirus infection that would be specific to the unborn baby. You can find more information on your common questions about the coronavirus through our fact sheet at: https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/covid-19/. In the meantime, common strategies to avoid getting sick include thoroughly washing your hands and avoiding obviously ill people. Contact your healthcare provider if you feel ill and are concerned. If you develop a serious respiratory infection, it is much more likely to be Influenza (the flu) than coronavirus. We know that pregnant women have a harder time fighting off infections, like the flu, which can lead to complications for pregnant women and for babies. If you haven’t gotten your flu shot, do it now, for your own health and for the wellbeing of your baby. MotherToBaby has a fact sheet on the flu vaccine at: https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/seasonal-influenza-the-flu-pregnancy/. To keep up with travel notifications and other news on the new coronavirus, go the CDC Coronavirus page at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html [cdc.gov].

Holiday festivities sometimes include eating foods and drinks that might not be part of our everyday diet. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, we need to give a little more thought to what we should eat and drink. “Is it ok for the baby?” often goes through our minds during these times. As a teratogen information specialist at MotherToBaby who answers a lot of the questions we get via our texting service (855-999-3525), these types of questions ramp up during this time of year! So, here’s some insight…

Popular Holiday Food & Drinks

Eggnog & Other Holiday Beverages

Eggnog seems to be a part of many holiday parties. Always be sure to check if the eggnog is homemade or not. Does it contain raw eggs, which can carry bacteria such as salmonella? If the eggnog was commercially made and packaged, then usually the eggs have been pasteurized, and the product may even have been heated prior to packaging. Also, always remember to check if the eggnog contains a little “holiday cheer” (i.e., alcohol) or not. It is common to add rum to eggnog, and we want to avoid alcohol when pregnant or breastfeeding (see our Alcohol Fact Sheet for more info). Other common holiday beverages include mulled wine, wassail, hot buttered rum, and of course wine and champagne. All of these contain alcohol as well, so it is best to avoid them and just stick with mocktails and non-alcoholic punch.

Smoked Salmon & Fruit

“Smoked salmon tastes wonderful on crackers with cream cheese! But is it ok during pregnancy?” one woman texted me. Here’s what I told her. Smoked salmon is still considered raw fish as it is cured rather than cooked, so should be avoided during pregnancy due to the risk of foodborne illnesses. If the salmon has been heated to steaming, any concern for bacteria has been reduced. See our Fact Sheet on Eating Raw, Undercooked, or Cold Meats and Seafood for more info. Sometimes you will find foods that contain meats that have been dried, such as beef jerky. Although beef jerky is high in salt, there are not any other known risks to eating this tasty food during pregnancy.

“What about a fruit plate containing papaya and pineapple? Are there some worries about eating those fruits during pregnancy?” another texter wrote. Both fruits do contain enzymes that have been thought to induce labor. Papaya contains papain, while pineapple contains bromelain. Yet when eaten at normal levels (not daily!), these delicious fruits have not been shown to have any negative effect on a pregnancy. Of course, we hope the fruit has been well-washed before cutting and serving!

Eggplant Parmesan

“When the main dish is served, can we enjoy the amazing eggplant parmesan? Or what about eggplant ratatouille?” Eggplant is low in calories and high in fiber. Do avoid eating it raw, but cooked eggplant can be an occasional part of your diet. The concern is that eggplant is part of the Nightshade family and contains alkaloids in the leaves and tubers that can be toxic. But eating the fruit alone has not been shown to have any risks during pregnancy, especially when cooked.

Tiramisu

“Will rounding out our holiday meal with a delicious dessert such as tiramisu need to wait until after pregnancy and breastfeeding?” Traditional tiramisu contains two forms of alcohol, both Marsala wine and rum. Plus, liberal amounts of caffeine in the form of coffee and espresso. We have already mentioned that alcohol should be avoided if pregnant or breastfeeding, but what about the caffeine? Low to moderate levels of caffeine use (200 to 300 mg per day) has not been shown to increase any risks during pregnancy. See our Caffeine Fact Sheet for more info.

Who knew that holiday menus could need extra thought and consideration during pregnancy and breastfeeding?! Plus, with the added stress of COVID-19 this year, and the warnings to avoid large gatherings, you may have even more questions now than ever. Hopefully, this information will equip you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the festivities!

Your Partner in Health for Pregnant and Lactating Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

MotherToBaby supports cardiologists and lipidologists in managing cardiovascular disease during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. We understand the challenges that you face when deciding on treatment courses when your patient is pregnant or breastfeeding. Care of people who are pregnant and/or lactating with serious conditions like hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or ASCVD is further complicated by the physiological changes of pregnancy that may alter treatment needs throughout the course of pregnancy. Our resources will help you weigh the risks and benefits to both your patient who is pregnant and their baby as you determine a treatment plan that maximizes disease management and minimizes maternal and fetal/infant risk.

We are also dedicated to furthering the information and understanding of medication safety in pregnancy through our observational MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies, and we are proud to lead more than half of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated pregnancy registries conducted in the U.S. MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies are rigorously designed cohort studies that aim to provide critically needed product safety information – and your patient referrals make all the difference. If you have cardiac or lipid patients with comorbid conditions like COVID-19, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, or Crohn’s disease, please consider referring them to our research studies. With your referral, you are helping us generate data that will lead to improved product safety information in pregnancy, thereby providing patients and health providers with the evidence they need to make more informed treatment decisions.

Heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of pregnancy-related death before, during, and up to a year after delivery.

— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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Beth Conover, APRN, CGC and Angela Messer, MS join host Chris Stallman, a certified genetic counselor and mom of four to discuss allergy medications while breastfeeding. How can you ensure milk supply isn’t affected when taking allergy medication? Is over-the-counter medications safer than prescription allergy medications? Follow along as we talk about these allergy topics. DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded at our 2019 Annual Meeting prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beth Conover, APRN, CGC and Angela Messer, MS join host Chris Stallman, a certified genetic counselor and mom of four to discuss allergy medications during pregnancy. What do you know about seasonal allergies? What are the common questions about allergy medications? Join us to discuss! DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded at our 2019 Annual Meeting prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.