Pregnancy is a wonderful experience for almost every expecting mother. A mother must take care of the baby inside of her but she should also be aware of taking care of herself. She is responsible for everything that occurs to her and to her baby. A healthy diet is essential for a pregnant woman, since the healthy foods maintain her health as well as the health of child in the womb.
However, sometimes it happens that a pregnant woman gets poisoned by certain foods. Food poisoning occurs after one has consumed contaminated foods. When this occurs, there are several symptoms that appear, such as pain in the stomach, fever and headaches. In the majority of cases, food poisoning is not very serious and the expecting mother recovers very fast. However, there are also cases when food poisoning is severe and can affect even the child and even cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Listeriosis and toxoplasmosis are two kinds of food poisoning that every pregnant woman should be aware of.
Listeriosis
Listeriosis is a dangerous type of food poisoning caused by the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. These bacteria reside in the soil and water and can easily get into the contact with vegetables. Furthermore, it is very dangerous when it comes into the contact with processed foods, as well as with meat. The incubation period for this food poisoning is from one to three months. It is a time that passes from the moment of eating contaminated food to the time when the first symptoms appear. The most common symptoms of this food poisoning include headaches, fever, muscle aches and convulsion. In severe cases, the symptoms like stroke, meningitis and septicemia may also appear.
When the symptoms are noticed, it is extremely important for a pregnant woman to immediately seek a medical attention. Otherwise, miscarriage or stillbirth may be the fatal consequence of this type of food poisoning.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is another kind of food poisoning, which is very serious, especially for the expecting mothers. Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis can be acute and latent. The most common symptoms of acute toxoplasmosis resemble those of a simple flu, such as headache, muscle ache and swollen lymph nodes. On the other side, the symptoms of latent toxoplasmosis appear after several months and can cause bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorders and Parkinson's disease. If a pregnant woman gets infected by this parasite, she should be treated immediately in order to prevent miscarriage or stillbirth.
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