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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be totally freaked out an kept awake by programme last night about drinking in pregnancy??

59 replies

mrsgooglemad · 04/03/2015 20:22

Well, as it says......currently trying to conceive baby number one and I do love the odd glass of wine. I have cut down a lot since ttc so thought I was fine. I've got friends with children and most of them say that they had the odd, very occasional drink whilst pregnant (special occasions, christmas, toast at wedding etc) and I thought this was fine. Until I saw the programme last night! It basically stated that the uk is way behind other countries with their guidelines, and that women trying to conceive or already pregnant should not drink AT ALL through the pregnancy as it definitely has effects. A parting comment at the end of the programme was something like "if you want a drink, don't get pregnant, if you want to get pregnant don't drink". I went to bed and honestly lay awake worrying about it! Ridiculous I know, as I never intend to be getting trollied if I am lucky enough to be pregnant. Anyone else totally freaked out? Or just me being a nutter?!

OP posts:
CalleighDoodle · 04/03/2015 20:26

Can you really not stop drinking alcohol for nine months?

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 20:30

I'd be concerned if you were unable to stop drinking for a few months anyway to be honest. What would happen if you were on medication that couldn't be taken with alcohol?

BOFster · 04/03/2015 20:30

People have been drinking moderately for years while pregnant or TTC with no obvious ill effects. It sounds like a load of scaremongering nonsense to me, and just another attempt to police women's bodies.

ohmychrist · 04/03/2015 20:33

This reply has been deleted

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Nicknacky · 04/03/2015 20:33

Op, I don't think that programme was very objective so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. There is a long thread discussing this on Aibu, but basically there is nothing wrong with a small glass of alcohol every so often.

Nicknacky · 04/03/2015 20:34

Oh for goodness sake, she isn't an alcoholic! She was just concerned after a scaremongering programme!

Feckeggblue · 04/03/2015 20:36

There is a long thread on this on aibu. Don't be freaked out, the programme didn't offer any evidence and was like something you'd see on this morning. Hardly groundbreaking stuff

SillyBlueHat · 04/03/2015 20:37

Stopping drinking for 9 months is not as hard as I thought it would be. Not sure I could do it without the incentive of being pregnant though!

Sallystyle · 04/03/2015 20:38

What is with all the drinking and pregnancy threads?

AnyFucker · 04/03/2015 20:40

I didn't give up drinking while I was ttc. It would have been horrid to do that since it took me 2.5 years and I didn't think I needed to (nor was I advised to) put my life on hold

How many women have had a couple of huge binges when not knowing they were already pg and no harm comes to their babies

in your situation, I would carry on drinking very moderately (if you are sure that is the case) and stop as soon as you know you have caught

IME, I didn't have to think about stopping drinking. At 1 week post ovulation I knew something was up as I was literally too nauseous to enjoy my usual glass of good red...so that was that for the next 9 months apart for a glass of champers at New Year which I literally forced down imbetween gipping Smile

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 20:40

Actually I thought there was pretty evidence that moderate drinking in pregnancy can have a significant effect on the baby. (As I remember it's somewhat genetic dependent but you would have no way of knowing whether you're genetically vulnerable or not). Certainly not to the level of FAS but a notable affect on behaviour and IQ (think of the order 2-5 IQ points). If you're not genetically predisposed than the effect would be negligible.

It's at the level where I certainly wouldn't do it myself but I wouldn't urge someone who drank moderately.

(www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/even-moderate-drinking-during-pregnancy-can-affect-childs-iq-8317300.html)

hestialou · 04/03/2015 20:40

I didn't drink for two weeks every month whilst ttc, and drastically cut down rest of time, no finally pregnant cant stand thought of drinking and don't miss it. So don't worry when you need to stop you can do x

Original poster
mrsgooglemad · 04/03/2015 20:45

Christ, I never said at any part of my post that I can't stop drinking! What worried me was the programme and the fact that uk women are basically given wrong advice! It frightens me that the nhs will gladly tell pregnant women that it's safe to drink a couple of units....it's clearly not after watching this programme and hearing the guidelines from other countries. Thanks for the sensible replies, the rest of you are simply ignorant. What's it like up there on your high horse?

OP posts:
Bumpandkind · 04/03/2015 20:46

Please don't worry about all the scaremongering. I imagine most British babies wouldn't have been conceived if their future parents hadn't been trollied at the time.

During pregnancy a small amount of alcohol (like the amount you suggested) is absolutly fine. Enjoying it when it's a rare treat is lovely ( remembers glass of red in the bath whilst watching baby move inside).

Ignore all the ridiculous comment.

BifsWif · 04/03/2015 20:46

The OP is saying that she's worried about the odd glass of wine while TTC not that she can't give up alcohol when she does fall pregnant.

Original poster
mrsgooglemad · 04/03/2015 20:47

And by the way, ohmychrist.....seriously? What is your problem? What an ignorant, unnecessary spiteful response. You are clearly very sad.

OP posts:
WilsonWilsonWoman · 04/03/2015 20:51

At my booking in appointment in October the midwife told me the current advice was not to drink at all, I'm in Scotland.

Nicknacky · 04/03/2015 20:55

wilson that was the advice I got as well but she did say what the nhs guidance was. I'm also in Scotland.

eurochick · 04/03/2015 20:55

Read the AIBU thread. Surprisingly, it is more balanced than this one!

There are studies that show everything, including that moderate alcohol raises IQ!

I was ttc for 3 years and did not give up drinking for all that time. I also, shock horror, had a few glasses in the second and third trimesters on special occasions. I'm happy with my choices.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 04/03/2015 21:02

ohmychrist There's a questionnaire online (easy enough to find) which gives a pretty reliable indication of whether you're an alcoholic. Pretty sure none of the questions are:

"Are you a bit freaked out at the prospect of going the best part of a year without a single drink?"

Because that's not what alcoholism means.

FWIW I just about managed the first trimester dry Grin Never got drunk, not even tipsy, just love the taste of a nice glass of wine or an ice cold lager on a hot day. DS fine, doesn't have two heads or anything. Like someone else said, women have been drinking in pregnancy for forever, and I've never heard of anyone whose child was affected as a result of them having a glass or two of wine a week.

phoenixrose314 · 04/03/2015 21:05

Personally, I'd just not risk it, and although I don't judge, I do wonder why people would take that risk knowing there is a possibility that it will affect the unborn child...?

I didn't drink, or eat any of the stuff they tell you not to, and my boy is fine. He probably would have been fine if I'd drunk wine and ate prawns and blue cheese and rare steak to my heart's content... but I had a lot less worry, a lot less stress, because I knew I was doing everything I could to set him up for the best start in life.

Guess I just can't understand the mentality that opposes that?

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 04/03/2015 21:10

OP, can I recommend the book 'Expecting Better'? It will put your mind at ease.

TheoriginalLEM · 04/03/2015 21:11

both of my pregnancies didn't present themselves to me until quite late on (irregular periods). both pregnancies i drank a lot before i realised i was pregnant. Of course I stopped once i knew but any damage would have been done. it worried me a lot but thankfully both babies were fine.

MoonlightandMusic · 04/03/2015 21:12

This article might help re-assure you OP - I didn't see the programme last night, but it sounds as though they had a particular reaction they wished to provoke.

It's difficult to make an assessment of actual risk on soundbites - really you'd need to have the unedited versions of any interviews they did, a full understanding of each participant's background, to go through the associated studies, and to know who paid for those studies to identify bias...