How did you manage to not drink during pregnancy?

[enkelt2]

Just that, really. I've never been pregnant. Out of all the things pregnant women do for their children, the one thing that impresses me the most is that they can manage to not drink! For such a long time!

I'm not an alcoholic but just cannot fathom not being able to get a beer or two every couple of days, whenever I want.

So for people who used to drink regularly before your pregnancy, do you just... go cold turkey out of sheer will power?? Or did pregnancy make you alcohol-adverse?

Genuinely curious.

It was surprisingly easy, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I just didn't drink. Have always been someone who enjoys a drink.

Really not an issue tbh. A healthy child was more important and we don't at lot anyway.

If you are even thinking about this,you have an alcohol problem.

I went off the taste. That was one of my first signs. But I also wanted to do everything 'right'.

I did miss it though, but probably more the habit of Friday/ sat wind down with a drink. Especially if dh was having one. Alcohol free wine is utterly shit. Alcohol free shandy: not a bad compromise.

It still is allowed

There seem to be a lot of people saying it’s easy to stop drinking when you’re pregnant unless you have a problem with alcohol but I didn’t find that. I didn't drink at all whilst pregnant but had very strong cravings for wine, more so than when I wasn’t pregnant. After a tough week at work with pregnancy related exhaustion, back and pelvic pain and swollen feet, I would’ve loved a glass of wine on a Friday evening. It wasn’t easy and I don’t have a problem with alcohol. I did it because it was best for my unborn children.

There's absolutely no risk

I didn't miss alcohol but I did miss having having a drink option that wasn't sweet.

But that may be because I don't really have a sweet tooth so don't really enjoy juices and lemonades.
These days there are a lot more interesting alcohol free adult drinks which I now pick out of choice

The knowledge of the harm it could do along with crippling round the clock nausea did it for me. When the sickness cleared I was just focused on doing the best for my baby. I love a drink but having a healthy baby was my number one goal. There was no drinking once they were born either because of breast feeding,

I really enjoy my wine, but I would have given up, but actually it was easy - I just didn't fancy it any more and it was the same with coffee.

I love a drink or two and would just about get through a dry January but had absolutely no problem giving up alcohol during pregnancy. I think as soon as you know you are carrying a baby and alcohol would harm your baby, there is just no desire at all.

I’m not pregnant and I don’t drink. I think if you are worried about this and you aren’t pregnant, it reads that’s you do have an alcohol problem. Becoming anxious over not being able to drink alcohol is a problem. You don’t have to be a drunk who’s passed out in a puddle to be an alcoholic. It takes many shapes. I’m the daughter of an alcoholic who slowly drank himself to death

Maybe you do have a low level problem if that's tge thing that impresses you the most.

I don't drink at all and really don't see it as even slightly impressive, everyone should be able to not drink. If they find it difficult then there's a problem.

I think this is the core issue really. How do people make that decision to have a child, knowing all the sacrifices you have to go through. I think that's my real question.

It was pretty easy, but I had a pretty misspent youth so didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything and didn't have ds until I was 34. After that and not drinking while BF I've not really gone back to it, I still have a very occasional glass of wine. I genuinely can't remember the last time I did, I know I had a couple with dinner on my birthday early summer, I've probably had at least once since then but I can't recall. I'll have a few glasses of champagne Christmas day, but not drinking for almost two years really knocked my tolerance and having recently hit 40 my recovery is also poor! Especially also having a fiver year old to deal with, I just can't do it hungover. I say this as a young woman who'd easily drink a bottle of red or more before going out back in the day!

Oh I remember DH and I did a spa weekend fairly recently and both nights I had a glass of wine with dinner

I missed it I suppose but sort of academically - like it would be nice to have a glass of wine but I can't/won't. it was really a not an issue. You simply don't drink.

Have them later, make sure you've lived life well up to that point.

Didn't cost me a second thought.

It's not compulsory.😉

I'm a regular drinker. But just stopped when pregnant. It wasn't just about me anymore. I felt sick the first few months anyway. After that, I'd have a caffeine free coke instead.

When I was in my twenties and living up every weekend, I couldn’t imagine taking off nine months to party. And then I got pregnant.

Even before I knew I was pregnant, I remember sipping a glass of wine and telling my husband it was ‘off’ because it tasted absolutely awful. I couldn’t stomach alcohol during my pregnancies - I could smell it on people and if there was an open bottle near me, it made me wretch.

So physically I couldn’t drink but I also didn’t want to drink. I wanted nice healthy food and gallons of milk. And sleep. I wanted to sleep. I was more than happy to have a break from booze and all that was associated with it for myself and my baby.

This. It’s a period of your life where you look at your partner and never realised how annoying they are (when before pregnancy you had also consumed alcohol and were likely as annoying 😂).

As much as I love wine, I didn’t find it too hard to give up. I found the worse one to sacrifice was a really pink steak, that one hurt 😭

First pregnancy, I felt so awful that i went off all alcohol anyway. I still fancied it occasionally, when my husband poured a glass. It looked nice. Smelled nice. Tasted absolutely awful. I would only try a taste, but it was vile. Annoyingly I craved a cup of tea, but that tasted vile too.

With my second I got a craving for beer, which i never drank before I was pregnant. I just ordered in a box of non alcoholic wheat beer. It was ok and did the job. I actually didn't want the effects of alcohol ( i felt sick and tired anyway), but it was about the taste for me.

This

Purposely harming your tiny unborn baby is pretty easy to avoid.