Stacey Solomon sparks debate about whether pregnant women can eat soft ice cream

A debate has been sparked online about whether it is safe for pregnant women to eat soft ice cream, like Mr Whippy.

There are many foods women know are off-limits while pregnant, but many are confused whether soft ice cream is on that list.

The confusion comes after Stacey Solomon was warned by fans against eating the sweet treat during her pregnancy.

The Loose Women star, who announced she was pregnant with boyfriend Joe Swash’s baby in February, had taken to Instagram to share a video of her tucking into a 99 ice cream over the sunny Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

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“Mr whippy when pregnant??? I got told not to eat these!!!! xxx,” one fan noted.

While another agreed: “I’m sorry but don’t think you can have that ice cream!! I’m pregnant myself and found out recently we’re not allowed it when pregnant that sort of ice cream. It sucks.”

A worried Stacey then took to Twitter to gauge further advice: “So yesterday on Instagram, I learned, that apparently you can’t eat Mr Whippy’s when pregnant. Is this true? And why? Seriously whhhhhyyyyyyyy???”

And people were quick to offer advice to the pregnant star.

Some thought it was a bacteria risk, which meant pregnant women should avoid the sweet snacks.

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A quick scroll of parenting sites reveal many similarly confused mum-to-bes unsure whether they are able to eat soft ice-cream during pregnancy.

“Could murder a 99 from the ice cream can but was sure I read somewhere soft ice cream is off limits for pregnant ladies – anybody know?,” one such post reads.

“I think it is I’m afraid, something to do with slightly higher risk of food poisoning then other ice cream,” one user offered.

“I think it’s a listeria risk as the milk is not stored in the machines at a low enough temperature,” another suggested. “I craved McDonald type milk shakes last pregnancy and couldn’t have them for the same reason.”

While others believed that the soft ice-cream ban had something to do with it being made from unpasteurised milk, which is off limits when pregnant.

“My midwife told me not to eat it – I think it contains unpasteurised milk,” one woman wrote.

However, according to the NHS: “Soft ice creams should be fine to eat when you’re pregnant, as they are processed products made with pasteurised milk and eggs, so any risk of salmonella food poisoning has been eliminated.

“For homemade ice cream, use a pasteurised egg substitute or follow an egg-free recipe.”

But Tina Perridge, midwife at Private Midwives does offer a further piece of advice for pregnant women considering consuming soft ice cream.

“The NHS is quite clear that as these products are made from processed pasteurised milking eggs, they are safe to eat when pregnant,” she explains.

“The only concern would be the cleanliness of the machine producing the treat. Many suppliers pasteurise/clean their machines every night to a high temperature to destroy bacteria, but a small supplier/ice cream van may not. It is therefore probably best to stick to well-known companies and outlets.”

Stacey has been keeping fans updated on her pregnancy and recently revealed in an Instagram post that she has developed a lot of hair on her tummy.

The 29-year-old – who announced she was pregnant with boyfriend Joe Swash’s baby in February – asked her 1.4m followers for their insight.

Captioning an image of her belly “covered in fur”, she wrote: “I think I’m pregnant with a Furby.

But, turns out its totally normal to expect bump hair while pregnant.

According to Healthline, it’s very common for women who are having a child to develop excessive hair growth in particular areas of their body – known as hirsutism.