Help! Drank before I knew I was pregnant and so scared. Any moms in this situation able to talk about it and reassure me?

[RBRB365]

I drank before I knew I was pregnant. I have very irregular cycles and actually was going through fertility work up. Got what I thought was a light period and it must have been implantation bleed. Drank week 4 of pregnancy 4x, week 5 3x. Found out I was pretty week 5+5 days last drink was the night before. I had 2-3 drinks 5x and 5 drinks 2x these times with more I was consuming over 4-5 hours. Never wasted but I was tipsy. I am terrified I gave my baby birth defects! I haven’t been able to stop googling FAS and I’m not sleeping well. Haven’t talked directly to my OB yet. Any moms been in this situation? Some of things you find on the internet are terrible and looking for advice on if anyone had similar experience that turned out fine and how to reduce this guilt/anxiety.

[Birdy1991]

You are still very early on and technically you’re not pregnant for the first two weeks anyway if you’re measuring from the start of your last period. Literally this happens to everyone.

I’m 35 weeks now but didn’t find out until 13 weeks and had Christmas various nights out in that time where I had been drinking heavily. Obviously baby isn’t born yet but she is developing healthily and well.

Try to stop googling - FAS usually occurs when mothers drink heavily throughout pregnancy. I’m sure you’ll be fine x

[Birdy1991]

I don’t mean literally everyone but this does happen to a lot of us. Again try not to worry but speak to your midwife with any concerns 😊

[Gimmecaffeine]

Very early on the risk is low as you aren't sharing much blood with the baby, as it is initially nourished by the yolk sac.

This happens fairly frequently. If you aren't ttc you might not think anything of being a week or two late and carry on as usual. FASD are typically associated with a massive intake if alcohol consistently through pregnancy.

Talk to your midwife, but it will be fine.

[Dyrne]

Have a chat with a midwife if you’re panicking; but please step away from google! Lots of people drink before they know they’re pregnant and things turn out absolutely fine. FAS is usually when mums drink throughout pregnancy or drink a significant amount.

[daisychain1620]

I was about 6 weeks pregnant and had a Christmas night out, totally fall down drunk and had to be poured into a taxi. Not my finest moment. Obviously I didn't know I was pregnant I might add but my baby was big and healthy with no health issues. I would try not to worry, I believe it happens more than we know, people just don't want to admit it

[Miss2820]

My sister in law didn’t no she was pregnant she was out on a girls holiday drinking getting drunk etc she found out when she got back she was nearly 7/8 weeks.. baby was fine had no issues

[BruceAndMarley]

At that stage nothing you drink/take/smoke reaches the baby as early as that. Don’t worry. Baby isn’t using their placenta yet. A lot of women don’t know they’re pregnant til a little later. My friend didn’t even know she was pregnant until she went into labour full term. She had continued her normal lifestyle of drinking , smoking, generally not being safe. Her baby was and still is perfect .
Congratulations, try and relax otherwise it’ll be a long pregnancy (I’m 30+4 and it’s been rough as I worry about everything!)

[sel2223]

That's how I suspected I might be pregnant.... the hangover after a night out just didn't go away!
I'm now 33 weeks.

[Christmastree43]

Hi OP, I was in this situation and felt awful, I found out at 11w and had had a housewarming do, my sisters wedding, drank a bottle of wine on my birthday, and drank moderately a few times on a holiday in that time, I felt sick and fixated on it when I first found out as it wasn't a planned pregnancy either so took a bit of coming to terms with.

What made me feel better was my aunty who's a ward sister who told me she did the same with a much wanted baby, he is now 17 and absolutely lovely, physically perfect and no issues with behaviour/ school etc.

Then my grandma told me that her pregnancy craving with my aunt was babycham, and of course back in those days it was fine to have a weak gin and tonic most nights too! My aunty is the cleverest one in the family, first to go to university and an all round boss so I did feel reassured after that.

[TinyTear]

After 3 miscarriages, the one that is now 8 years old was the one where i had sangria on a work party at about 3/4 weeks...

Good luck, should be fine

[Indigogirl88]

Dont worry I drank a bottle of red the night before I tested, I was 5 weeks, I was so worried as well but been ok so far, I'm 25 weeks now

[saraclara]

Some of us on here had our babies before not drinking during pregnancy was a thing. Only the teetotal DIDN'T drink during pregnancy back then! And here we all are, with our lovely, now grown up children.

(We were also the generation whose mothers smoked throughout pregnancy. Ugh)

But seriously, you'll be fine, and so will your baby.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Totally normal.

To give your child a chance of foetal alcohol syndrome you'd have to be downing at least bottle of vodka a day. It's not easy to achieve - you have to be a hopeless alcoholic.

The gap between that and a few glasses of wine over a few weeks is vast.

[RBRB365]

Thank you all this has made me feel much better!

[crazychemist]

Don’t panic! The placenta isn’t established at that stage, so there’s very little that can pass from you to baby. Many, many women drink in the early weeks because they don’t realise. I twigged that I might be pregnant during a wedding, but had already had a fair amount to drink that day (stopped when I realised I might be preggers!) and had been totally plastered at another wedding the weekend before. DD was absolutely fine.

[MrsRose2018]

Aww OP please don’t worry yourself!!!

I found out I was pregnant on a Tuesday at 4w + 3. That Saturday was my 30th birthday and I had:

• strong cocktails (probably at about 5/6)
  
• quadruple vodka lemonades (it was a gimmick thing at the club were in) x 4
  
• cigarettes
  

And before anyone says anything, we weren’t trying and were using condoms! The little suckers just found a way in!

ANYWAY!! I now have a very healthy, active little boy currently booting me in the bladder as I type this and am off to be induced this Saturday!

It’s totally natural to be scared but don’t be! Just hold off the booze, get your folic acid down you and carry on 😘

Xx

[VodkaCranberry2]

I found out I was pregnant at 4/5 weeks and had been drinking up until then. I also (stupidly) smokes until I was 15 weeks pregnant. Which obviously I’m not condoning at all. But my 11 week old is perfectly healthy!

[Nackajory]

Me too, my DD was fine. Now a happy 12 year old with no sign of a defect. Relax, you'll drive yourself daft, you can literally worry about everything when you're pregnant and it doesn't stop when they're born so you need to learn to reign it in for your own sake. Congratulations , enjoy your pregnancy