Food Poisoning During Pregnancy: What To Do

Written by Rachel Reiff Ellis

In this Article

• Types of Food Poisoning
• Symptoms of Food Poisoning During Pregnancy
• Home Remedies for Food Poisoning When Pregnant
• When to See a Doctor About Food Poisoning When Pregnant
• Complications of Food Poisoning When Pregnant
• Preventing Food Poisoning When Pregnant

It’s common to have morning sickness when you’re pregnant. But sometimes your symptoms might come from something else -- food poisoning.

How can you tell if it’s a foodborne illness that’s making you sick? Once you know it is, how can you treat it safely when you have a baby on board?

Types of Food Poisoning

Your immune system is weaker than usual when you’re pregnant, so it’s harder for your body to fight off germs that might hitch a ride on food and make you feel bad.

You can get food poisoning when you eat foods contaminated with:

• Bacteria
• Parasites
• Viruses
• Certain chemicals

There are many types of food poisoning. Some are more common, and more dangerous, when you’re pregnant.

• Listeriosis. This comes from listeria bacteria. Pregnant women are 13 times more likely to get listeriosis than other people. It can lurk in ready-to-eat meats like hot dogs and cold cuts. Poultry, seafood, and dairy products can have it, too, especially if they’re not pasteurized. It can grow even on foods that are cold in the refrigerator.
• Escherichia coli (E. coli). This bacteria lives in your gut naturally. Still, you can get sick if you eat contaminated fruits and vegetables, raw or undercooked meats, or unpasteurized milk and fruit juices with certain types of E. coli.
• Salmonella. This bacteria causes something called salmonellosis. Most often, you get it from undercooked or raw eggs, meats, poultry, or unpasteurized foods. You can also get it if you eat food that has touched soil or animal poop infected with salmonella.
• Campylobacter. You get this bacteria mainly through contaminated chicken or unpasteurized foods.
• Norovirus. This is the main cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. The virus spreads easily through contaminated food and drinks.

Symptoms of Food Poisoning During Pregnancy

It can be tricky to know when food poisoning is to blame for your sickness. Sometimes, germs from food can make you sick right away. Other times, they hang around in your body for days or even weeks before you have symptoms.

Usually, it causes:

• Stomach pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Dehydration

Often, food poisoning can feel like the flu, because you might have fever, headache, and body aches along with your other things.

Home Remedies for Food Poisoning When Pregnant

When you’re pregnant, it’s more than just your health you’re protecting. Some bouts of food poisoning can pose problems for your baby, whose immune system isn’t strong enough yet to fight off germs.

When you start having symptoms that seem like food poisoning, call your doctor right away. They can help you figure out if it is food poisoning, and if so, what may have caused it.

You may be able to handle your symptoms at home with your doctor’s guidance. However, if you're vomiting and having diarrhea, you may need treatment at the doctor’s office or even a hospital. Don’t take any over-the-counter medications without talking to your doctor first.

If your case is mild enough to treat at home, work on rest and rehydration. Get fluids however you can: ice chips, small sips of water or clear liquids, or by drinking a sports drink with electrolytes in it. Wait until you’re sure your vomiting is over before you try to eat. Take your first foods slowly, and stick with bland, non-greasy foods.

When to See a Doctor About Food Poisoning When Pregnant

Your food poisoning needs professional treatment if you’re having:

• Signs of dehydration like excessive thirst, dry lips, little to no urine, or dizziness
• Vomiting or diarrhea that won’t stop
• Severe pain in your abdomen
• A fever higher than 101 F
• Blood or pus in your stool
• Black or tarry stool

Call your doctor right away if you have one or more of these problems. They’ll do tests on your blood or stool to find out what's making you sick. You may need treatment with antibiotics. They’ll also want to be sure your body has enough fluids. You may need an IV to help your body rehydrate.

Complications of Food Poisoning When Pregnant

Certain kinds of food poisoning are very dangerous for your unborn baby.

If you get listeriosis , you may have no symptoms at all. However, you can pass it on to your baby. That can cause serious health problems like:

• Paralysis
• Blindness
• Seizures
• Issues with the brain, heart, or kidneys

At worst case, listeriosis can cause preterm labor, low birthweight, and even miscarriage or stillbirth.

Salmonellosis can also pass to your baby and put them at risk of serious complications like meningitis.

Campylobacter can cause miscarriage if you get it early in your pregnancy. It’s also very dangerous if you have it at the time you give birth and pass it to your newborn. Infection in a new baby can be life-threatening.

For you, the most common complication from food poisoning in general is dehydration. Some foodborne illnesses, especially E. coli, can also cause kidney damage.

Preventing Food Poisoning When Pregnant

You can protect yourself from many kinds of food poisoning, whether you’re pregnant or not, by being careful about what you eat and how you handle it.

Safe food handling tips:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after you touch food.
• Don’t let raw meat come in contact with anything you’ll eat raw, like produce, or food that’s already prepared.
• Keep perishable foods refrigerated or frozen.
• Clean fruits and vegetables before you eat or cook them.
• Wash utensils and food prep surfaces after you use them.
• Cook food to a high enough temperature to kill germs.
• Refrigerate leftovers right away. Don’t eat food that’s been sitting out or that has expired.

Certain foods should be off the menu until after your baby is born. Don’t eat or drink:

• Unpasteurized dairy products, like raw milk and some brands of soft cheese
• Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish
• Runny or raw eggs, or things that contain them, like cookie dough and homemade eggnog. Pasteurized raw eggs are OK.
• Hot dogs or deli meat, unless heated to 165 degrees
• Refrigerated patés or meat spreads. Jarred or canned are OK.
• Premade chicken, ham, or seafood salads from a deli
• Smoked fish, unless it came from a can or you cook it
• Unpasteurized juice or cider
• Sprouts

Also pay attention to food recalls. Companies have to tell the public if they find out something they’ve sold is making people sick.

Poisoning during pregnancy: treatment, prevention

Pregnancy is a magical time in every woman's life. A rounded figure, an unusual step, a happy glint in her eyes, all this makes the expectant mother especially beautiful and charming.

At the same time, a baby under the heart imposes on a woman a certain level of responsibility. She needs to take better care of herself, learn not to be nervous, get more rest and pay special attention to her diet. nine0003

It is important that the products that end up on the table are fresh and of high quality, the dishes are balanced and the emphasis is on useful microelements and vitamins. This approach to nutrition will be the key to the proper intrauterine development of the fetus.

Sometimes in the position of girls, taste preferences change. Even if before that she had never eaten papaya and hated avocados, now a woman may want these particular foods in the middle of the night. And ask them to add marinated octopus and a couple of squids to them. Also during pregnancy, some desire to eat fresh vegetables and fruits more often increases. It would seem that there is nothing wrong here. Except for one "but". nine0003

Let's say you want plenty of vegetables and overseas fruits in winter. We must be aware that, firstly, our vegetables, which grew on their own, were not stuffed with antibiotics and other chemicals will be difficult to find. Secondly, any overseas products must retain an attractive appearance, despite the long journey. Therefore, you need to understand that they will also be stuffed with hazards.

So, if you used to eat all these goodies and nothing, then the pregnant woman’s body, which works according to other laws, can react to poisons and severe poisoning will develop. nine0003

Also, any other products of poor quality and with violation of the shelf life can cause poor health.

The main symptoms of poisoning

Poisoning during pregnancy looks exactly the same as in other people. That is, a person begins to experience:

• nausea,

• weakness, nine0003

• dizziness,

• malaise,

• vomiting, diarrhea,

• cramps in the stomach,

• flatulence,

• jumps in blood pressure may be observed. nine0003

As a rule, poisoning is caused by ingestion of E. coli. It acts only within the gastrointestinal tract and cannot cause any harm to the fetus through the placenta. It's a good news. But there is also bad news.

1. Food poisoning causes vomiting, which is a fast track to dehydration. It, in turn, will lead to thickening of the blood and a problem with blood flow. There is also a risk of blood clots. nine0003

2. The gag reflex is also bad because it causes uterine contractions, and if the uterus contracts often and strongly, then there is a threat of miscarriage.

3. With loose stools, vomit, useful vitamins and minerals leave the body, and then it will not be easy to replenish their supply.

4. General intoxication negatively affects the condition of the fetus. nine0003

Therefore, if you notice similar symptoms in yourself, you need to provide assistance in case of poisoning, preferably medical.

Help with poisoning - what to do

Why is it important to see a doctor during pregnancy if you are poisoned? After all, usually with diarrhea and vomiting, we prefer to just lie down. In fact, only a doctor can choose the right treatment and establish proper nutrition. Without his recommendations, it is better not to drink anything at all, except for sorbents. nine0003

A good option for enterosorbent during pregnancy will be Polysorb. Numerous studies have confirmed its safety and effectiveness. It carefully envelops toxins and poisons and gently brings them out. The drug does not enter the bloodstream and does not affect the organs. In case of poisoning, you need to stir the sorbent in water and drink. The dosage will depend on the weight of the patient. It is necessary to drink the suspension in small sips.

It is also important to monitor the sodium-potassium balance. If necessary, restore it with the help of special preparations. nine0003

After the attack subsides, you need to continue treatment and carefully monitor nutrition. It is necessary to remove from the diet:

• milk and dairy products,

• eggs,

• heavy food - fried, fatty,

• raw vegetables, fruits. nine0003

It is permissible to eat cereals on the water, cereals, broth. Do not lean on pastries and sweets. It is also better to exclude them from the diet for a week.

Prevention of food poisoning

Poisoning during pregnancy, what to do at this moment, and what to avoid, it became clear. It remains now to deal with the question of what prevention can be in this situation. nine0003

Best to avoid:

• mushrooms, they are heavy for the stomach, can cause discomfort, and very often people feel bad after mushrooms,

• canned food, still bet on the use of fresh products,

• milk - milk poisoning is not uncommon, especially in cases where this product is purchased from the hands of farmers or grandmothers and is not subjected to additional heat treatment, it seems that everything is natural and there are no chemical additives, but different cases are known, in the end you don’t you know how the hostess takes care of the udder and how she stores the milk until it is sold, nine0003

• fatty, fried - the body spends a huge amount of energy on digesting such dishes, but we do not add strength,

• sausages, sausages - they are not healthy, not environmentally friendly and it is not clear what they actually consist of,

• fast food and fast food restaurants are places that should be banned for pregnant women, cases of poisoning occur regularly here. nine0003

Neither are the banal rules that apply to regular hand washing, buying food with the correct expiration date, refusing to experiment in nutrition, no matter how much you want it.

You need to understand that during pregnancy you are responsible not only for your life, but also for the life, development and health of that little man whose heart is beating inside you.

He cannot take care of himself. And if you eat french fries or a burger, all the fat and carcinogens will enter your body. The baby will also get it. So you need to learn to look at your food differently in order to avoid problems and troubles. nine0003

Happy pregnancy!

Why is Polysorb right for you?

• Recommended for use by people of all ages.

• Does not contain preservatives, dyes and sweeteners. Neutral in taste.

• Gently removes harmful and normalizes the intestinal microflora. nine0003

The dosage of the drug is calculated individually depending on its weight according to instructions .

If you have any difficulties in calculating the individual dose of Polysorb, you can get a free consultation by phone: 8-800-100-19-89 or in the consultation section .

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Updated April 14, 20211

Content:

What causes

Danger for mother and child

Clinical manifestations

Diagnosis includes

How to cope with poisoning

Pregnant women carefully monitor their diet. But the appearance and taste of food does not always allow you to recognize low-quality or contaminated products. When pathogenic microorganisms enter the digestive tract, poisoning occurs, which poses a danger to the mother and fetus of varying severity; in severe cases, hospitalization may be necessary for treatment.

Pregnancy poisoning accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea

What causes poisoning

Food poisoning is an acute disease that is associated with the consumption of foods with various types of toxins. The latter can be of biological and non-biological origin. Main types of toxins:

• microbial toxins;
• natural poisons of animals, plants or fungi;
• chemicals. nine0029

Most often, during pregnancy, poisoning develops when using low-quality products. Signs of an infectious process occur when food is contaminated with staphylococci, proteus, clostridia, toxigenic types of Escherichia coli, salmonella. Sometimes dysentery, cholera, shigellosis are diagnosed.

For a clinical picture of poisoning to appear, microbes must multiply on foods and release their toxins. This is accompanied by the appearance of gas bubbles, an unpleasant odor or a change in color. This quality of food is usually repulsive. But symptoms in a pregnant woman can also appear after a normal-looking meal. nine0003

Microbes secrete several types of toxins. In staphylococci, a thermostable type is synthesized, which is not destroyed by boiling or heat treatment. Toxin can penetrate into food from an abscess on the skin of the hands of a food production worker.

Pustular skin lesions are most often associated with staphylococcal infection. Therefore, people involved in cooking and food production are prohibited from working with damage to the skin of their hands.

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The following factors contribute to the spread of foodborne infections:

• violation of sanitary and hygienic norms;
• long-term storage of food without a refrigerator or in the open air;
• presence in the premises of insect vectors of infection - flies, cockroaches;
• wrong conditions of sale;
• storage or recycling of expired food.

Less often, intoxication occurs in a pregnant woman when poisonous plants, mushrooms are used in food. The danger is represented by mushrooms collected independently in the forest, among which it is not always possible to recognize poisonous ones. For poisoning, it is enough for only one inedible to hide among the edible ones. But toxic substances can also be present in good mushrooms if they are old or were picked in the wrong place. nine0003

Chemical poisoning can occur through accidental or intentional ingestion of chemicals. These may be:

• alcohol and its analogues;
• narcotic substances;
• medicines.

Mushrooms and chemicals cause toxic liver damage, which is very dangerous for pregnant women and can be fatal.

Mushrooms can cause serious poisoning with vomiting

Mother and baby health hazard

Depending on the type of pathogen and its amount in the body, poisoning during pregnancy can occur in three forms:

• mild;
• medium;
• heavy.

Vomiting and diarrhea are the main signs of intoxication. They lead to the loss of a large amount of fluid and trace elements. The severity of dehydration is determined by the frequency and abundance of diarrhea. The following degrees of dehydration are distinguished:

• 1 st. - a woman loses up to 3% of body weight;
• 2 tbsp. – loss of 4–6% of the mass;
• 3 tbsp. – weight loss by 7–9%;
• 4 tbsp. – Weight has decreased by 10% or more.

Dehydration occurs due to the loss of fluid from the blood plasma and tissues. In pregnant women, this leads to an increase in blood clotting, the risk of thrombosis, placental abruption and fetal hypoxia. Toxic substances are also able to cross the placenta to the fetus. In the early stages, while the chorion is not formed, toxins can have a damaging effect on the tissues of the embryo or lead to miscarriage. nine0003

For a pregnant woman, damage to liver cells and the development of hepatitis are dangerous. This condition often leads to severe liver failure, which ends in clouding of consciousness and coma. Violation of the balance of electrolytes in the blood becomes a trigger in the development of convulsive syndrome.

A pregnant woman becomes weak, her temperature rises

Clinical manifestations

The first symptoms of poisoning appear 2-24 hours after eating poor-quality food. Pathology can occur in the form of damage to several parts of the digestive tract:

• acute gastritis – infection of the stomach;
• gastroenteritis - affection of the stomach and small intestine;
• colitis - involvement of the colon;
• enterocolitis - damage to the small and large intestine.

Sometimes the entire digestive tract is involved in the infectious process.

Poisoning during pregnancy begins with symptoms of acute gastritis. A woman feels pain in the stomach, a feeling of heaviness, belching may appear. The feeling of nausea ends with vomiting, accompanied by weakness, chills. With mild intoxication, body temperature rises. After involvement in the inflammatory process of the small intestine, abdominal pain becomes more pronounced, cutting. nine0003

Diarrhea in case of poisoning is easily distinguished from the usual relaxation of the stool. It is characterized by:

• high frequency, more than 5 times a day;
• offensive smell;
• particles of undigested food;
• gas bubbles or foam;
• a large amount of liquid.

Pathological impurities - blood and mucus - appear in severe infectious lesions of the intestines with salmonella, shigella, dysentery bacillus. nine0003

Severe intoxication is accompanied by high body temperature, which can rise above 38°C. In some cases, a sign of a serious condition is the absence of fever with a decrease in temperature below 36 °.

Other criteria for a severe course of poisoning are:

• pronounced weakness, loss of strength;
• dryness of mucous membranes and skin;
• blue extremities;
• severe muscle and joint pain; nine0029
• rapid breathing;
• muffled heart sounds, but severe tachycardia;
• lowering blood pressure;
• vomiting more than 15 times a day;
• diarrhea more than 20 times a day;
• severe abdominal pain;
• convulsions.

In a mild form of pathology, it lasts 1-3 days. It can be cured at home. But in severe cases with signs of dehydration, the pregnant woman needs hospitalization in the infectious diseases department. If there is a suspicion of poisoning with mushrooms or chemicals, the woman is hospitalized in the toxicology or intensive care unit. nine0003

What diagnostics include

At the first stage of diagnosis, complaints about the condition, frequency of diarrhea, vomiting are evaluated. A connection is established with the use of substandard products or hazardous substances. By the nature of the stool, the doctor can determine the level of damage to the digestive tract and suspect dangerous infections.

Stool culture is performed to determine the type of pathogen. It is important to do this before starting antibiotics. The search for the following infections is mandatory:

• dysentery;
• salmonellosis;
• escherichiosis;
• pathogenic staphylococcus aureus;
• yersiniosis.

In an unfavorable epidemic situation, feces are examined for cholera and rotaviruses.

A biochemical blood test is necessary to determine blood electrolytes, assess liver function. Additionally, serological tests, abdominal ultrasound, examination of vomit or washings can be used. If fever persists for several days during treatment, blood cultures are performed. nine0003

Blood tests for food poisoning

How to deal with poisoning

What to do with toxic infection depends on the condition of the woman. With a slight malaise, vomiting less than 5 times a day, you can try to cope with the disease on your own. For treatment on the first day, it is necessary to completely refuse food and consume a large amount of fluid to replenish its balance. Water will bring little benefit, you need to make up for the loss of ions. This is helped by special solutions of salts for rehydration, which are sold in a pharmacy in the form of a powder. It must be dissolved in clean water and drunk as often as possible during the day. nine0003

Dried fruit compote can also be prepared. It contains a lot of potassium, which helps restore the work of the heart and muscles.

What can be eaten from the second day of illness:

• viscous cereals;
• lean pureed meat;
• dry white bread;
• low-fat kefir.

Exclude from the diet fresh vegetables and fruits, fatty, fried and any other dishes that can injure the mucous membrane. Women who are in hospital are assigned table No. 4 according to Pevzner. nine0003

Do not use loperamide for diarrhea, imodium. These drugs inhibit peristalsis and contribute to the retention of toxic substances in the body.

Severe dehydration requires fluid and electrolyte replenishment, which cannot be done orally. The woman is hospitalized.

Poisoning is dangerous for pregnant women, it can lead to fetal hypoxia in the later stages, severe dehydration. Therefore, the expectant mother needs to carefully monitor her diet and not eat suspicious foods. nine0003

Read more: how to get rid of constipation during pregnancy

April 16, 2019 12:05 pm | Edited: 14 April 2022 18:52

* The information provided cannot be used for self-diagnosis, treatment determination and does not replace a visit to a doctor!

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