

No hot dogs. No hot baths and lots of hot flushes. Or is it that you CAN have hot dogs, just not the processed type and you should only avoid hot baths in a certain trimester?
Pregnancy is the one time of your life you will be bombarded with information and actually want to know it all.
But it’s tricky.
Old wives tales linger, different studies contradict themselves and really all you want is the facts. So… What should you avoid and what is just a myth?
1. Avoid flying during your first or last trimester.
Not true.

You CAN fly during your first and last trimester. Image via iStock.
There are no problems flying during your first trimester and between 28 to 40 weeks for a single pregnancy. Airlines such as Qantas and Jetstar will allow you to travel on flights under four hours with a doctor’s letter. Check with your individual airline first.
2. You must avoid eating sushi.
Yeah sorry, it’s true.
While mums groups always come up with the “but Japanese women eat it while pregnant all the time in Japan” the recommendation from NSW Health is not to.
This is because raw seafood and ready-made foods like sushi carry a high risk of listeria contamination. Listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirths and serious illness in babies.
You can’t see listeria so even if the sushi looks fresh it could still be dangerous.
Better to be safe than sorry they say. Right?

Top Comments
I missed soft cheeses so so SO much.
I know! I ate my last wedge last week - Jindi Camembert mmmmm - before I tested on Sunday and somewhat unexpectedly got my happy news! Oops. I'll have to live off the memory for a while now.
Congratulations on your news! There are ways of getting around the soft cheese ban - baking the cheese seems to be fine. Otherwise just double-up on your chocolate intake!
My mum told me I couldn't drink cold water during pregnancy, this was during summer temperatures over 35 degrees with 90% humidity! She also has a huge lists of foods I couldn't eat (pineapple, prawns, anything "cold" the list goes on). And don't mention exercise, she would have had a heart attack if she knew what I was up to!
I ended up just lying to her about my day rather than get into an argument- yes mum, I only ate steamed chicken, hot water and rested on the couch all day long.