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To ask if you drank alcohol during pregnancy

479 replies

Butterflyflower1234 · 14/02/2020 08:52

I'm curious as to people thoughts on alcohol during pregnancy?

I was always of the opinion that I wouldn't touch a single drop of alcohol during pregnancy but now I'm wondering would it be significantly harmful to have say one small glass of wine with dinner every so often (less than once a fortnight).

OP posts:
Curiosity101 · 14/02/2020 10:36

I was a reasonably regular drinker prior to being pregnant but gave up completely when I was pregnant. We were actively TTC so I abstained from the two weeks prior to my positive test all the way through to birth. I expected to miss it but it really wasn't bad at all.

I had no reason to believe I'd have anything other than a normal helathy pregnancy but as a few people have said, I'd never had forgiven myself if something had happened to the baby. In the end it was a very rocky pregnancy and even though the problems could never have been caused by alcohol consumption I know I'd have blamed it on that and myself if I had drunk anything.

Each to their own though. There's plenty of research that says small amounts have no measurable negative effect.

BiddyPop · 14/02/2020 10:38

DD is now 14, so that may put a context on my experience.

The advice then, as now, was a blanket - no alcohol. As it was a blanket no to many types of (medical) drugs, and lots of other stuff (soft cheese anyone?!).

My GP however was quite pragmatic. She explained the rationale for many drugs being a no-no - because drug companies are afraid to test them on pg women, even if safe and effective in normal populations, just in case there is a repeat of some of the more historical cases (I know an anti-nausea medication which had been deemed safe and commonly given resulted in a number of birth defects, for example). So certain antibiotics I had taken for chest infections in the past weren't an option when I had another chest infection (I have shitty lungs!!) and I had to seriously increase my inhalers and take time off work that I normally didn't need to get rid of it by rest rather than meds.

On foods, caffeine, wine etc:
OK alcohol first - GP felt that you wouldn't want to be knocking back a bottle of wine a day. But that at the same time, a small amount was not statistically harmful (we did talk about FAS etc) so a small glass of wine per week would be ok and that a more relaxed mother was better for a growing baby than a stressed out mother.

Or a small beer.
But no spirits.
And there were no issues with cooking with alcohol as that was burned off in the cooking process just leaving the taste.

Caffeine - again, too much was not good, not from a long term impact, but baby wouldn't grow as well in utero. And would also drive me daft once they were big enough to kick, with hyperactive kicking. But a cup of coffee a day was no problem at all, and the odd day having a second was fine. And especially as my coffee of choice is a latte, the extra milk was good for calcium for my and baby's bones. These were the days before decaf was commonly available in coffee shops.

Food was the big one!

Blanket ban on shellfish included both those stuck to rocks all the time or sitting in sand and eating by filtering the water around them (mussels, clams, etc) and also prawns, crab, lobsters etc which got their food by catching smaller fish etc in the water to eat. The main reason for the ban was the number of cases of problems where food poisoning had been caused by filter feeding shellfish sitting in polluted waters and still being served - food poisoning being unpleasant for everyone but worse for PG ladies.

But that those shellfish that moved around rather than sitting in 1 place, and eating a variety of food rather than just filtering out particles, once properly stored and cooked, would be fine to still have. (Just try getting a waiter to accept your order for prawn cocktail though....). At the time, I didn't eat crab or lobster, but loved a good prawn.

Salads and creamy dressings - mostly to do with the threat of listeria leading to food poisoning. So if it was a salad (coleslaw, potato salad etc) that I made at home safely, or that came in a sealed packet from the factory in a fridge rather than an open tub in the deli counter in a shop, they were fine to eat. But I didn't get anything from deli counters for those few months.

Cheese - no unpasteurised cheese, or soft cheese or blue cheese. Again, food poisoning threat.

So we agreed that pasteurised hard cheese were fine and unpasteurised hard cheese that was mature was also ok.

Soft cheese that was pasteurised was also ok (and again, the "properly stored and packed and coming from a factory with good hygiene standards" thing applied here as with salads - so a slice of brie from a deli counter was a no, but a slice of brie that had been cut and packed in the French cheesemakers' site and was pasteurised was fine).
Blue cheese we unfortunately concluded was off the menu temporarily.

Meat needed to be thoroughly cooked - in general. Again, a food poisoning thing.
Chicken and pork always would be anyway.

But red meat - well any mince always cooked to no pink and especially when PG.

For lamb chops or steak or a roast - well I like them quite rare anyway. GP reckoned that if they were a single piece of meat, had been well stored and cooked, and it wasn't loads of it, an occasional pink bit was ok. Not red and bloody, but I didn't need to get to well done and leathery.

Things like tiramisu were also off for multiple reasons - strong alcohol, soft cheese, (and usually a full stomach by the time dessert came!! No one told me beforehand how much room a baby takes inside and the impact on being able to eat a proper meal!!).

But lots of other things, in moderation and if reasonable precautions around the reason they were not recommended (or banned, depending on who said it!), were still ok.

BirdieFriendBadge · 14/02/2020 10:39

Nope. Not a sip. Not worth the worry/guilt it would have caused me no matter how small the risk.

I'm one of those people who doesn't "get" why an occasion needs to have alcohol though. And get the opinion I'm in the minority.

AshenQueen · 14/02/2020 10:44

No, but I don't drink much anyway so it wasn't a big deal and I didn't really avoid it because of pregnancy, more that I was sick for 9 months and the smell of it was disgusting to me.

Dollywilde · 14/02/2020 10:48

The thing I find interesting is that the ‘it’s only 9 months, surely unless you’re addicted you can stop, it’s not worth the risk’ argument could be applied to any pregnancy restriction. Like, by that logic I should eat only rice and steamed fish and broccoli for 9 months. Having a burger? There’s a risk it could be undercooked so it’s ‘just not worth the risk. Surely you can give up burgers for 9 months - unless you’re addicted?’. Traffic fumes - I work in central London and there’s an argument that traffic fumes are as bad as the occasional cigarette. Should I work from home more often, in order to avoid the fumes? Wear a face mask? ‘Better safe than sorry, it’s only 9 months, what are you, addicted to not wearing a mask?’

There’s a raft of things in life that involve risk and are avoidable, but at some point you have to draw a line between the ‘life goes on as normal’ and ‘it’s only 9 months’ positions on either end of the chart.

As I say I haven’t had a drink at all this pregnancy and I’m 4 months now but every single thing I do (not holding the handrail on the tube, getting in a car to visit a mate, cuddling my cat) has a risk associated and life now (as always) is a series of micro-decisions as to whether that risk is proportional to the value of the action. I think there are a lot of people who think that they are excluding risk when actually they’re just minimising it.

LaurieMarlow · 14/02/2020 10:54

The thing I find interesting is that the ‘it’s only 9 months, surely unless you’re addicted you can stop, it’s not worth the risk’ argument could be applied to any pregnancy restriction

I know.

And I can never understand why none of that applies to driving. Ever. And that applies far beyond pregnancy.

It’s the most risky thing we do and yet the people tying themselves in knots over infinitesimal risk elsewhere just blithely ignore.

I know our perceptions of risk are madly fucked up, but I don’t understand why that glaring double standard isn’t scrutinised more.

ellejay33 · 14/02/2020 10:56

Not a drop. I don't really drink anyway but I didn't see any upsides to doing so pregnant?
I did dislocate my knee whilst preg so ended up having codeine for a few days.

CatteStreet · 14/02/2020 10:58

Yy Laurie re driving.

The other one that baffles/amuses me is cleaning products. It's apparently not fine for a woman to have a tiny glass of prosecco every couple of weeks, but it is fine for her to liberally splash strong chemicals about daily. (Note: not saying there is necessarily anything riskier about using cleaning products than there is about having a very occasional small glass of something alcoholic, just wondering about the logic or lack of it).

LittleDragonGirl · 14/02/2020 11:00

Drinking during pregnancy even small amounts can increase risk of complications during pregnancy and has been linked to learning disabilities and other disabilities in children.
Unfortunately there is evidence to support the fact that even very limited and sporadic drinking can cause negative effects, although unlikely the increased risk is still present. There is no way of knowing if you will be unlucky enough for it to impact your child until they are born.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/alcohol-medicines-drugs-pregnant/

mauvaisereputation · 14/02/2020 11:01

I had sips with my first, if I have another I will avoid completely I think.

LaurieMarlow · 14/02/2020 11:06

The other one that baffles/amuses me is cleaning products. It's apparently not fine for a woman to have a tiny glass of prosecco every couple of weeks, but it is fine for her to liberally splash strong chemicals about daily.

I’d never thought of that but so true.

Context is all. Patriarchal society has no interest in discouraging women from cleaning, but delighted to have an excuse to lay down overly stringent (given the evidence) restrictions on drinking.

happymummy12345 · 14/02/2020 11:07

I drank during my pregnancy and I'm not ashamed to say it. A lot less than usual and weaker than usual (so if I had a spirit and mixer I made it much weaker than I usually have, I like spirits strong. Or I'd have wine topped up with lemonade). But I'd do the same again in future.
My mum drank and smoked as usual through all 3 of her pregnancies, my Nan did through both hers.
I know most will say I'm wrong but it's my choice

Hagbeth · 14/02/2020 11:10

No alcohol during any of my five pregnancies. Just the thought of the alcohol entering my baby’s system kept me from doing it.

JTTWC · 14/02/2020 11:11

I didn't have a drop during either of my pregnancies. I do not think that a few glasses here and there would do any damage but like other posters say why do you risk it? Genuinely would like to know. It is only 9 months, or less once you actually find out. Drinking is something we can control and if you want to ensure you can give the best possible health to your baby why bother even having one. Parenthood involves being selfless and putting their needs first. And that begins in pregnancy. Again I would not judge anyone who has a few glasses because it is not my place to but that is just my opinion.

LaurieMarlow · 14/02/2020 11:13

why do you risk it?

Did you get in a car while pregnant?

Why did you risk that?

Statistically that’s far more likely to do damage than an occasional glass of wine.

mantarays · 14/02/2020 11:14

The other one that baffles/amuses me is cleaning products. It's apparently not fine for a woman to have a tiny glass of prosecco every couple of weeks, but it is fine for her to liberally splash strong chemicals about daily.

Hell, yes. “It just wouldn’t be practical for a woman not to Hinch her home daily.” Hmm

JTTWC · 14/02/2020 11:19

@LaurieMarlow

But what do you do then? Never go out when pregnant? What about the women who go to work, need to go to the supermarket, see family or drop their child off at school/nursery? For some driving is a necessity. Drinking is not.

LaurieMarlow · 14/02/2020 11:22

For some driving is a necessity.

For the vast majority it isn’t. I don’t drive, I’ve organised my life accordingly.

It’s just a habit we’ve gotten into and we have collectively decided to downplay the risks associated with it while fussing about much, much smaller ones.

I find that bizarre.

OscarWildesCat · 14/02/2020 11:24

I did but the guidelines were different when I had mine, I'd have the odd glass of wine on a weekend, its perfectly fine to do so in moderation. A MW told me the reason they are now saying none at all is people not understanding what, "in moderation" means, she had one patient who thought half a bottle of vodka was ok because she wasnt intending to drink again for the duration of her pregnancy so was using up her allowance Hmm

Igotthemheavyboobs · 14/02/2020 11:24

Didn't have any, even on my 30th birthday and when me and dp got engaged.

Not a huge drinker anyway but don't really see the point of just having 1 when it will have no effect and you could have something nicer without alcohol in (in my personal opinion)

I have friends who did and don't judge them, it is a personal choice

squeakyclean13 · 14/02/2020 11:24

I had a very small glass about twice a week. I found I really wanted the taste. I probably had about half a champagne flute & both my children are absolutely fine.

SueEllenMishke · 14/02/2020 11:24

Yep...had the occasional glass of wine and some champagne on my wedding day!

My midwife was aware and said it was fine.

mantarays · 14/02/2020 11:24

For some driving is a necessity. Drinking is not.

So women for whom driving isn’t a necessity should not drive during pregnancy? Women for whom leaving the house isn’t a necessity should presumably go into seclusion?

AtLeastThreeDrinks · 14/02/2020 11:26

I get not piling on with the dos and donts of pregnancy, but any alcohol will interfere with you baby's REM in-utero, which has an impact on development. Source is this book, I read it when it first came out a few years ago but the bit on foetal and infant sleep/development really stuck with me. Obviously there are risks everywhere, but that seems like such an easy one to avoid.

Mydogatemypurse · 14/02/2020 11:26

I had a red wine on xmas day with my meal and one at my friends wedding. I actually used to really like tonic water if I was out somewhere were people were drinking. I got loads of lemon in it but lemon was my craving. It also felt like a grown up drink rather than drinking pop all the time.

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