Raw Milk and Pregnancy

If you’ve ever been pregnant and read the giant list of foods you cannot eat, you’ll likely see on there raw milk. If it’s not on the list, it’s because the thought of drinking raw milk in general, nonetheless while pregnant, is absurd. Obviously it’s harmful and especially dangerous to you and your developing baby.

So what’s the deal? Will raw milk kill your unborn child?

The truth is this: it might.

Why is raw milk so dangerous in general but particularly when pregnant? It’s because of the bacteria in raw milk. Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk contains bacteria. A lot of it, like the probiotics we often take in pill form, are beneficial. But since all bacteria isn’t killed as it is in pasteurization, there is a potential for harmful bacteria. In large enough amounts, the harmful bacteria can cause illness. While all food poisoning is dangerous while pregnant, the bacteria that people are especially concerned about is listeria. Should a pregnant mother get food poisoning from listeria, it could cause miscarriage or still birth. Obviously, this is a tragedy as all death, in particular infant and unborn, death is.

This is why they warn so strongly against raw milk. It’s also why they warn against deli meat and sushi. The risk of listeria in all these foods and more are high.

In conclusion, avoid raw milk at all cost while pregnant, right? Well, not so fast.

The benefits of raw milk such as a better nutrient profile than pasteurized milk, probiotics, and digestive enzymes are all still there whether you’re pregnant or not. In particular, the full, undamaged calcium in raw milk is great for pregnancy as women’s calcium stores are impacted by both pregnancy and breastfeeding. During pregnancy, we need to be eating the most nutrient dense foods we can stomach. As we talked in Nature's Supplement, raw milk is packed with nutrients and can be a great option while pregnant.

So we should drink raw milk while pregnant? Well, that depends.

There is a risk versus reward ratio we need to balance. We need to consider if the risks of raw milk are worth the nutrients or if the risks are too high and we should just pop some extra vitamins and probiotics.

For me, it all comes back to the farmer. How are they caring for their cows? Are the cattle healthy and fed high quality food? Are their milk cows clean? Do they keep their barns clean and well bedded? Are they on fresh pasture regularly? What’s their sanitation practices? Do they have hot enough water for cleaning their milking equipment and bottles? Do they sanitize well their equipment, bottles, and cow’s udders? Do they have the ability to quickly cool the milk? What about testing? Do they test for somatic cell counts and bacteria counts? Will they share the test results with their herdshare owners? Do they have the integrity to pull the milk if something goes wrong? The answers to these questions would depend on whether or not I would personally feel comfortable drinking raw milk while pregnant.

High quality, low risk raw milk goes all the way from grass to glass. The cows need to be healthy and clean. Their food must be nutrient dense and high quality. The milking practices of the farmer must be clean and safe. They should use hot enough water for washing and cool for sanitizing. The should have a good udder prep routine. The milk should be cooled to 38-40 degrees within an hour of milking. The farmer should test routinely and share the results with the herdshare owners. You want a famer you can trust. The farmer controls all the aspects that contribute to safe raw milk.

In essence, I can’t tell you what you should do when it comes to raw milk and pregnancy. You have to take the information you have and make the best decision for you and your growing baby. It can be incredible for your health. It can be detrimental to you and your baby. There is risks with all foods, and raw milk is no exception.

What I can tell you is what I am currently doing as a pregnant mother. I try to make sure I drink a glass of raw milk every single day because I have had a very hard time this pregnancy keeping food down. I know the milk is great for me nutritionally and it’s something that doesn’t make me throw up. But I know my cows. I know how well they’re cared for. I know our test results. I milk them myself for the raw milk so I know the process is top notch. Because of this knowledge, I feel absolutely comfortable drinking raw milk while pregnant.

But that is me and my farm. You have to choose what is best for you pending on the farm you get your milk from.