# Drinking raw goat milk while pregnant....and no, not me...yikes...



## paulaswrld (Mar 2, 2008)

i have a GF that is pregnant, I remember something about not drinking raw goat milk while pregnant...but, can't find anything that makes sense on the web...and then I realized that ...duh...you all would know I am sure. Just want to be able to explain it to her.

Thanks,

Paula


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## Dacaree (Jan 31, 2009)

Many many years ago, that is what everybody drank, and usually warm to boot. As long as the milk is clean and the milking practices are clean, I personally do not see a problem. 

I drank it with my last child with no ill effects. 

But with that being said, it is my personal decision and anyone that drinks raw milk, young, old or pregrant, needs to do as much research as possible so that they can make a well informed choice.


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## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

From what I remember, the main concern with raw milk (and soft cheeses and cold cuts) while pregnant is listeria. This will cause an abortion. Since listeriosis can be present in a doe long before you see symptoms, this is why drinking raw while pregnant is discouraged. However, if I'm also remembering correctly, the main cause of listeriosis in a doe is moldy feed. If it's your own herd, you know what they're eating, etc. I would think it would be less of a concern. I drank some raw while pregnant, though not much--just in coffee b/c I couldn't stay away from that cream on the top! I believe LeeAnne (quiverfullmidwife) discourages her clients from drinking raw while pregnant (please correct me if I'm wrong.) Lots of folks do it, though, so it's probably a "do at your own risk" sort of thing and how comfortable are you with taking that risk. Some people can't imagine going off of raw for 9 months... To each her own??


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## paulaswrld (Mar 2, 2008)

Thanks Billie, looking forward to hearing what LeeAnne has to say on this.

P


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

I personally wouldn't drink it, just cuz' if something did happen I would blame myself for drinking it...I knew I shouldn't have drank that...why didn't I listen to my gut...why, why, why myself to death. Reduce your risk that is my motto when pregnant.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I drank it during 2 of my 4 pregnancies, both raw cow and goat milk. I even owned a cow and goat dairy during the last 2 pregnancies, doing all the barn chores and a lot of the outside chores myself with nary a problem. I did not handle the hormone injections for the cattle though, not even with gloves.

The only issue I did have was after my last son was born and I was breastfeeding him. The goat kids would get to screaming for their bottles while I was milking the cows and my milk would let down. I ended up catching mastitis from one of the cows. That was not fun.


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## jason t. (Apr 30, 2009)

here is an interesting site
www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/listeriosis_gi.html


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## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

I knew I had asked this question before... This is the thread I had been thinking of:

http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,5653.0.html


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

You can also look at it like pregnancy is the time when you most need to eat those nourishing foods. 

If listeria is the concern, you can freeze milk and then use the stuff that is older first, so a doe would have time to show symptoms before you drink the milk. 

Yea, it's just a personal decision.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

If you do it, do so recognizing the risks. Yes raw milk can be incredibly healthy. It can also be incredibly dangerous and to not acknowledge this is dangerously naive at best. I am appalled at the people I meet at markets who says things like "there can be bacteria in raw milk? My supplier didnt tell me that?" or "I was told that raw milk is so good for you that everyone should drink it!" and "I was told that it really didnt matter how clean the place is, those are just stupid government laws because the milk is so healthy for you that it strengthens your own body to be able to fight anything off!" 

There are several diseases that you can get from raw milk that monthly testing might or might not catch and listeriosis is one such illness. It will cause the typical food poisoning type symptom, plus if you are pregnant it will cause either miscarriage or preterm labor and babies are often permanently damaged--blind, deaf, etc.

There is evidence that pregnant women are particularly susceptible to listeria.

At a farmers market I recently met the first pregnant women that I had ever heard of who had listeriosis while pregnant who did not, while she had it, miscarry or deliver. She was in a coma for 4 days and hospitalized for 2 weeks. The baby seems fine now but they know that there is a whole host of ways that the baby might have been injured that they do not know yet as listeria targets the brain prions and the baby is likely to have been very susceptible. They did not know where she contracted it from, she did not (to her knowledge) drink raw milk...my bet would be lunchmeats or hotdogs, maybe?

The website posted above is a good one to read all of the recommendations to avoid listeriosis.

Anyway whether you drink raw milk or not during pregnancy is 100% up to you, just make sure that you have researched and know all the facts, not just anecdotes or "wonderfood" stories. Yes, raw milk is good for you. It can also be bad for you and the odds may be very very small that you would get sick, but if it is you...well then it is 100%. And I would never, EVER drink raw milk (or serve it to a member of my family) from a farm that I hadn't been too. That is just plain foolish and careless with the health of your family. "But I dont have the time! It is so far away!" How much time to you have to spend in the hospital?


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

Wow, amazing advise...research as with anything...how much time we spend on this site alone trying to learn everything we can learn about goats for their safety and ours. I will be looking into the site posted above.


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## paulaswrld (Mar 2, 2008)

Thank you all so much,

Paula


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