Toxoplasmo what?!

So since I'm in my last month and final days of pregnancy I thought my days of blood work were nearly over. Unfortunatley, I found out today that I'll have to be tested one more time (a month after the baby's birth) for toxoplasmosis. You may be asking why I have to be tested...in France they take their toxoplamosis very seriously. Interestingly, in the US the only mention we hear of this parasitic disease is in brief passing from our OB's, and that's just to warn us not to touch cat poop. Since I've been here, I've been tested every month for it. Since I bruise easily I look like a pregnant junkie for a week after every blood draw. Needless to say, I knew very little of what the disease was let alone what caused it (other than the previously mentioned cat poop). I initially thought they tested it so often because there is so much poop on the sidewalks here that they are fearful you'll step in it, track it into your home, and get it that way.

*Seriously, there is A LOT of poop on the ground. You know there is something wrong when an entire country has a "saying" about stepping in poop. They say it's good luck to step in poop with your left foot, but bad luck to step in it with your right foot. I say it's bad luck with either foot and I haven't looked anyone in the eye while walking down the street since I got here for fear of the poo (and the vomit).

Anyway, ends up that while it is something you can get from cat poop, it seems they were most concerned here with getting it via raw meat (since no one picks up the poo we know it's not for fear of hand contamination.) Raw meat-yes. They don't like to cook their meat here. In fact, Seb's dad always bitches when he makes red meat for dinner and has to cook my meat longer -he's always complaining about how there isn't any taste left and what's the point of eating it so cooked (Not really sure why he cares if he's not the one eating it, but whatever)...Seriously, the blood drips on the plates and that's before they cut into it. Even when you order it "well done" it's still mooing. So now I don't bother ordering meat at a restaurant that's not poultry or pork-because you know those have to be cooked throughly. Even the french don't want salmonella or tape worms.

So I find the contrast interesting. I mean, Americans eat mooing beef as well, so it's possible to get the disease at home just as easily. I do like the French preventive care, but I really don't like being poked every month.

Other than the monthly blood tests for toxoplasmosis (I think I just like typing that word) there was another interesting differences between the US and French maternity care:

Prenatal vitamins: when I aske my midwife what she recommended she said that they didn't recommend prenatal vitamins, but if I wanted to take them I could and that I could probably find some in the pharmacy. She recommended I eat a balanced diet and everything would be fine (does nutella count as part of a balanced diet?). We finally found two kinds of vitamins and one I liked (b/c it didn't have the fish oil -which totally sucks when you burp a lot). But since most women don't use them here, the pharmacy next to my house had to special order them for me. How weird is that? I remember my first visit to the OBGYN and she gave me a sack of vitamins to try -in addition to the store vitamins. The plethora of prenatal vitamins in the US is overwhelming and to find out that in other countries they are having healthy babies without them makes you realize someone is making a shitload of money off our fear for our fetus. I really need to get in on that.

It's been beautiful in Bordeaux this week so we are off for a day at the park. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!