Drinking in pregnancy

I used to work with children with learning disabilities, and having seen the effects of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome would judge anyone that drinks in pregnancy.

I believe that the current advice is that there's no safe amount of alcohol to drink when pregnant. I wouldn't give any amount of alcohol to a baby so I'm certainly not giving it to a developing foetus.

I know someone who did drink in pregnancy and is of the view that the guidance is only there because most people can't drink a small amount and a blanket ban is easier. But her children have significant issues - maybe they are completely unrelated to her drinking in pregnancy, but I personally wouldn't want to have that doubt.

One or two glasses is not causing FAS. Even the FAS orgs are clear about that.

The guidance I was pregnant was that a small amount was okay. In fact, I remember going to the doctor when I found out that I was pregnant very concerned that I had not known that I was pregnant (it was a surprise pregnancy) and had therefore been out drinking every weekend for the first 4-5 weeks. The GP said not to worry, this is how most babies are conceived!

I stopped drinking when I found out, but was often pressured by family to have “just one glass” if we were out for dinner.

Even on that website it says that studies showing a low amount of alchohol 1-2, 1-2 times a week aka the previous NHS limits didn’t show any adverse effects.

I get thst there’s a better safe than sorry approach, Ive slso heard women of child bearing age shouldn’t drink at all just in case. It’s abit infantilising.

You realise it will be documented in their adoption file, yes?

This is a website called 'bumps' would you accept this as 'true'
https://share.google/VeY0E7sc12VxXTRUY

The NHS link doesn't give limits no, but it advises that 'no' alcohol is the better approach.

I can't even react to your 'private doctor comment lol .. they will tell you anything.. 🤷‍♀️ i give up lol

But they were (luckily) adopted. How can you possibly know what their mother was drinking or taking during pregnancy?

I had an occasional small glass (sherry glass or shot glass) of wine intermittently through my second trimesters because I like the taste. I don't drink to get drunk. I don't drink coffee or tea. I've never smoked or taken drugs. Quite frankly in the first half of pregnancy, I could barely even eat food thanks to the bone wearying nausea.

Having spent 4 months longing to vomit for a temporary relief, then segueing seamlessly into incapacitating SPD that eventually had me near housebound in constant burning pain, forgoing a few sips of something pleasant every few weeks was a step too far in loss of pleasure in the physically deeply unpleasant year (x2) of pregnancy and postnatal healing phases. Then there was the nearly 3 years of breastfeeding...
(oh and the months of not driving because I couldn't fit behind the steering wheel/ was recovering from surgery/ birth injuries)

I'm a light drinker and was happy with my ability to stop after a few mouthfuls. I can go weeks without drinking. I wouldn't do something like Dry January because there's nothing to prove. I can go that length of time without thinking about it anyway.

The advice was slightly more relaxed then and previous generations haven't been full of FAS from mums drinking Guiness recommended for iron in older generations.

The advice has been made blunt and overly simplistic because many people don't understand what a unit is and mistake a large glass for one when it's 2 or 3, and think they're drinking lightly when they're half a bottle through. It's also not ethical to thoroughly research a "safe" threshold.
That doesn't mean that small, occasional amounts are definitely harmful, or that anyone who misses the taste on a few occasions has an alcohol problem.

TBH, I probably put my babies at higher risk by driving between months 6-8 with my bump rubbing the steering wheel and getting the seat as far back as I could reach and see to fit in the car. Month 9, I couldn't fit anyway (and was trapped in the house unless someone else could drive me door to door)

The nhs link doesn’t give limits and private clinics will tell you anything a private doctor says neither of which are accurate facts

You claim to have seen the results… but FASD isn’t caused by someone having one or two drinks in pregnancy.

As I said, the extent of my drinking in pregnancy was a champagne at a couple of weddings - I just object to the scientific illiteracy of telling women they’ll cause FASD if they have one or two alcoholic drinks over the course of a pregnancy.

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption at all, really. Even outside of pregnancy, guidelines are for “lower risk “, not “zero risk” drinking. But one half glass of Prosecco realistically is not going to cause FASD

Brits have got a totally fucked up attitude to drinking. They are a nation of lushes. The amount of mental gymnastics people do to justify drinking during pregnancy is crazy.

Yeah this really.

I don’t drink at all btw and think life and the world in general is better without alcohol but I think the risk of an occasional small drink in pregnancy is overblown

If you think its ok to have one or two drinks now n again during your or anyone elses pregnancy, and you think its worth the risk, thats up to you.

Im just saying ive seen the results and I dont think it is worth the risk .. 🤷‍♀️

The ‘no known amount is safe’ is because it’s unethical to run studies on pregnant women and unborn babies.

There is lots of evidence to show sustained and binge drinking can cause FASD. There aren’t any studies showing that one drink can cause it - if it did, half the population would have it.

I have two children with it ... but if u click this link, that takes you to a well known clinic

https://share.google/oEpd4A3SCGbcYF3EE

Or this one ... its the NHS advice website

share.google/vCAk4mUMUU2TPa077

Do you have a source for this other than google?

.

It is not incorrect ... and i am not fearmongering .. these are facts .. if you google any information about drinking during pregnancy they will all tell you that even ONE drink can cause FASD ... all be it might be milder than if you binge drinking or are and alcoholic, but it CAN effect an unborn child. It doesn't always, but it CAN ..

Quote:
There is no safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy because any amount can cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The risk and severity of FASD increase with the amount, frequency, and timing of alcohol exposure during pregnancy. While heavy and regular binge drinking carries the greatest risk, even light or moderate drinking can have negative effects on a developing fetus. Therefore, the safest approach is to avoid all alcohol consumption throughout pregnancy.

Key Factors Influencing Risk
Quantity:
The more alcohol consumed per occasion, the higher the risk.

Frequency:
Regular drinking, such as daily heavy drinking or repeated heavy binge drinking, increases the likelihood of FASD.

Timing:
The stage of pregnancy when alcohol is consumed can impact the developing brain and facial features.

Individual Factors:
Factors like the mother's and baby's ability to metabolize alcohol can also influence the effects.

Why Avoid Alcohol?
No Known Safe Level:
Scientific and medical organizations agree that there is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.

Potential for Harm:
Even low levels of alcohol can potentially affect learning and behavior in a child, although these effects are not always apparent.

Risk Before Pregnancy is Known:
A woman may be at risk before she even knows she is pregnant, making it important to stop drinking alcohol before trying to conceive.

Speaking as a parent is an adopted Son who has FASD, a glass of wine once every so often is OK, BUT ANY MORE THAN THAT, can cause serious harm. I was lucky enough to fall pregnant after adopting 2 children and never touched a drop. Our second adopted child has severe ADHD and she suspects her mum drank during pregnancy but we don't know for sure. AS1's mum has subsequently died during a drug fuelled episode.

When I was pregnant with DD 34 years ago, Guinness was considered to be good for you in pregnancy as it was supposed to contain a lot of iron (I think this has since been disproved). You were even allowed to drink it in hospital! Then after a couple of Guinness, you could sneak off to the smoking room for a crafty cigarette! Seems quite unbelievable now, doesn't it?

I love a drink but I didn't have any at all during my three pregnancies. The risk might be very small but it's there, and quite frankly any risk was too much for me. It's just not worth it.

FASD cannot occur due to exposure to any amount of alcohol. There is no risk of FASD from having one drink.

Children with FASD have typically been exposed to extensive alcohol use / binge drinking.

I’m no great advocate of drinking with any frequency (or any significant amount) in pregnancy - but to claim your child might develop FASD from having one glass of wine is just incorrect and fearmongering.

They are bu to pressure you into having a drink/ make a fuss over it, but you are being unreasonable to judge the woman having a drink. If that’s her only drink all pregnancy then it’s absolutely fine (even if it’s not, it still could be fine, you don’t know so butt out)