Can You Eat Lobster While Pregnant?

When I found out my little one was on his way earthside, like many first-time pregnant moms, I had questions. Most of them were food-related. Could I still eat a hot dog? What about eating sushi while pregnant? And while we're on the topic of seafood, what about those lobster rolls I loved to devour once a month from the Cousin's Maine Lobster truck that parks in my town's village square? Luckily, the answer to the latter (barring shellfish allergies) was yes — lobster is still safe to eat while pregnant, as long as it's cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit (thank goodness!). 

It's important to keep in mind that seafood of any kind may contain mercury, which can be harmful to your growing baby. However, lobster is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a "best choice" seafood option, which means pregnant and breastfeeding women are safe to eat a couple of servings per week. Lobster is a source of protein, zinc, and vitamin B-12. It also contains choline, which can help support a growing baby's spinal cord development.

Pregnant women should avoid consuming lobster if it's raw or below the minimum internal temperature, or if it seems off in odor or color (the meat should be cream colored). The U.S. government's food safety regulations for lobster state that unless you're buying frozen lobster meat, you should only purchase live animals with confirmed leg movement. This may seem like an odd quality to look for in shellfish, but lobsters can go bad quickly once they die. If you decide to fish for fresh lobster, it's important to check with your local authorities for any possible safety advisories. Government agencies or non-profit organizations will often alert the public about any contaminated waterways, making lobster unsafe to eat.

Then there's the caveat any lobster-loving mom-to-be would dread — a pregnancy-onset allergy to seafood or shellfish. Women can experience food allergies or sensitivities for the first time while pregnant, or they can have harsher reactions to their pre-existing allergies, thanks to changes in the immune system and hormones. A group of mothers discussed the phenomenon in a parenting thread on Reddit, and one user wrote, "My MIL developed an anaphylactic allergy to lobster and shrimp while pregnant with my husband. She's still deathly allergic. He was her fourth and had never had any food allergies before." A poster at another thread shared a similar experience, but said her pregnancy-induced shellfish allergy went away shortly after she gave birth.