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Day 65 of 280 · 9 weeks + 2 days

Fish, the right kind

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

Nine weeks and two days. Fish is recommended in pregnancy, as long as it's the right fish. The FDA's three columns, in plain words, and two meals to plan from them.

Size this week
about the size of a strawberry
Length this week
around 22 mm from head to bottom
A South Asian woman in a loose shirt at a fish counter pointing at a fillet of salmon while the fishmonger weighs it, bright shop light, a shopping bag on her arm.

Nine weeks and two days. Fish gets talked about as a pregnancy worry, but the FDA's actual advice starts with "fish intake during pregnancy is recommended." The worry is only about which fish. Today you sort that out once.

Your baby

A single ripe strawberry with its green cap on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around 22mm from head to bottom, about the size of a strawberry, and this week the major organs and bones are developing (NHS). The FDA's reason for recommending fish is the baby: there is moderate evidence that fish intake in pregnancy can support a baby's cognitive development, and fish provides omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), iron, iodine and choline (FDA).

Your body

The FDA and EPA advice for pregnant or breastfeeding women is 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list, or 1 serving a week from the "Good Choices" list; a serving is four ounces, about the size of your palm (FDA).

Best Choices include salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna (including skipjack), cod, catfish, tilapia and pollock. Good Choices include albacore (white) tuna, yellowfin tuna, halibut, mahi mahi and snapper. The ones to avoid, with the highest mercury, are king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, bigeye tuna and Gulf of Mexico tilefish (FDA). For fish someone caught locally, check the advisories; if there are none, eat only one serving of that fish and no other fish that week (FDA).

Try today

  1. The fish list

    Time: 10 minutes

    1. Write three columns on a card: Best (2 to 3 servings a week), Good (1 a week), Avoid. Copy the names from above (FDA).

    2. Pin it to the fridge, at eye level, where whoever cooks will see it.

    3. Plan two fish meals for this week from the Best column, and add them to the shopping list.

    4. Put a tick on the card each time one is eaten, so you can see the week's servings at a glance.

    Make it work:

    A four-ounce serving is about the size of your palm (FDA), so a normal fillet is usually one serving, not two.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a stronger sense of smell that makes cooking fish, or anything, harder to be near; it can make nausea worse (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    if you vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    cravings and aversions, which often fade after the first 3 months (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    if you lose more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    wondering about smoked salmon. CDC's listeria advice for pregnant women is to avoid refrigerated smoked fish, pâté and meat spreads; shelf-stable sealed versions are safer (CDC).

    Call your provider

    for fever or chills (MedlinePlus).

For you

One number to keep: white (albacore) tuna is limited to 6 ounces a week, and tilefish, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy and king mackerel are off the list (MedlinePlus). The Office on Women's Health gives the ceiling the other way round: up to 12 ounces a week of cooked low-mercury fish and shellfish (OWH).

If you're the partner: this one is yours to cook. If the smell is the problem, open the windows, or cook it when she's out, and keep the leftovers for her tomorrow.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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