Maria Fowler is VERY excited about becoming a first-time mummy, bless her.
The former TOWIE star has been sharing frequent updates with her fans on social media, keeping them posted on every step of her pregnancy.
And, over the weekend, she decided to give fans a little taste of her fun family day out with a sweet montage picture.
In one of the photos included, Kelvin Batey could be seen happily sitting on a wall with their pet dachshund.
Maria could be seen showing off her beautiful baby bump in the second photo, beaming as she posed with a tasty summer treat.
Yup, it’s a soft ice cream - with a swizzle of sauce and a flake - from an ice cream van.
However the photo didn’t have quite the impact she had hoped for on her fans…
One wrote: “You need to be careful eating soft ice cream in pregnancy.”
Another commented: “Someone’s got to look out for your unborn baby, is it really worth risking listeria?”
“Always check the ice cream man serves pasteurised ice cream - they often don’t,” lectured a third.
However Maria was quick to shut down the comments.
“Of course I checked - [my] midwife told me it was fine and I look after my own unborn baby, thank-you.”
She added: “How rude.”
According to NHS guidelines, it is perfectly safe for pregnant women to eat soft ice cream.
They explain on their website: “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.”
However some experts, such as Dr Rana Conway, claim that ‘Mr Whippy’ type ice creams from vans and kiosks should be avoided as the 'whippy' machines themselves may contain listeria.
What is listeriosis?
According to Baby Centre UK, Listeriosis is an illness caused by a bacteria (named listeria), which is found in certain foods, in soil or in animal poo.
They explain: "Although the infection is rare, even a mild form of listeriosis in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in newborn babies."
How common is listeriosis?
Listeriosis is very rare, even in pregnant women. There are fewer than 200 cases in the UK each year, and fewer than 30 of these cases are pregnant women.
What are the symptoms of listeriosis?
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Fever
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Chills
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Muscle aches
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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Diarrhoea
To be on the safe side, see your GP or midwife any time you have a fever and chills during pregnancy.
How can I reduce my risk of listeriosis?
According to NHS Choices, you can reduce your risk of listeriosis by:
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Avoiding mould-ripened soft cheeses (e.g. brie, camembert, chèvre)
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Avoiding soft blue-veined cheeses –(e.g. Danish blue, gorgonzola, roquefort)
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Avoiding pâté of any kind, including vegetable pâté
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Avodiing unpasteurised milk – only drink pasteurised or UHT milk
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Heating ready meals or reheated food until they’re piping hot all the way through
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Making sure your fridge is set at 5C or below and working correctly
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Avoiding any food after its "use by" date
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Eating food taken out of the fridge within four hours – after this time, it should be thrown away
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Washing your hands before and after preparing food
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Washing cooking utensils and surfaces thoroughly before and after preparing food
It's safe to have any pasteurised or UHT milk and yoghurts, including probiotic yoghurts. Hard and soft pasteurised cheeses, such as cheddar, cottage cheese or processed cheese are also fine to eat.
There’s no denying that motherhood has had a positive effect on Maria.
In fact, her pals say that the star has turned her back on her partying ways after finding love and starting a family with her BMX racer beau, Kelvin Batey.
They told us: “Maria loves going out and has been known to be the last person standing at a party.
"But she hasn’t missed drinking since she found out she was pregnant and is loving her calmer new lifestyle.”
Congratulations once again to Maria Fowler on her pregnancy - we can’t wait to meet her baby!