To have had one small glass of champagne last night (26w pregnant)

[bluemoon2468]

Basically, what I'm trying to establish is how many mums can actually say they didn't have a sip of alcohol during their entire pregnancy?

Last night I celebrated a friend's birthday with a very small glass of champagne, just less than half of a standard size champagne flute. This was my first drink since a couple of weeks before I conceived, aside from a few very occasional sips of other people's drinks here and there (e.g. tasting a cocktail DH made a few weeks ago with a small sip). I have no particular plans to drink again whilst pregnant, but I won't rule out another small drink at some point before I give birth if I fancy it.

I'm pretty comfortable with my decision, but am just wondering whether in reality most mothers engage in the occasional drink in pregnancy or stay strictly tee total?

[BobFleming]

I didn't drink at all (apart from drinking all day at a wedding before I knew), but I really can't see the issue with a very infrequent small drink. Having said that, I can't really see the point.

[sunrainwind]

I had the occasional small glass of wine once I was in second trimester (and a normal sized once when in labour - it was very long!). Most of my friends had the odd one too - no one I know of drunk more than one small glass a week.

[Fruitsaladjelly]

As pp said FAS is rare and something caused by heavy heavy drinking for prolonged periods. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy the odd glass of wine during pregnancy. The advice to abstain is because there are no studies as to what threshold is safe, basically such a study would involve making hundreds If not thousands of pregnant women drink to various levels throughout pregnancy and then seeing which babies suffered deformity as a result. It would never get passed an ethics committee let alone the issue finding women willing to roll that dice. However women have drunk whilst pregnant for centuries, we know moderation doesn’t cause issues. We also know developmental problems occur for The babies of some alcoholic Mothers. It’s about common sense. Personally I couldn’t stomach alcohol during my first pregnancy until 8 months when I craved and caved to red wine. The second pregnancy I enjoyed the odd shandy, and very occasional wine, I didn’t fancy more than that.

[Laaalaaaa]

I didn’t touch a drop - thought I’d find it incredibly hard as beforehand I’d have thought nothing of polishing off a whole bottle of wine plus some gin on a Saturday night. I had zero inclination to have even a sip. I dreaded holidays, weddings and girly weekends away - I didn’t miss it on any of the above occasions. I know a small glass occasionally would have done the baby no harm but I just couldn’t do it - had there been anything at all wrong with my baby I would have blamed myself. Just my personal opinion.

[Mmmmdanone]

When I was pregnant it was advised that you could have to to 2 units a week. So I did. No harm done.

[Woodlandwalks]

I don't understand threads like this. Either way you have to justify your decision in a way that may or may not offend other Mums. My baby is 14 weeks old and I had my very first drink last night since before she was conceived because that was what felt right to me. That doesn't mean I'm critical or judging of others who choose to have the occasional drink whilst pregnant or in the early days of exclusive breastfeeding, it's just what I wanted to do for us. How does that affect you? Will it make you feel better or worse about your decision to do what feels right for you and your baby? Or are you simply asking is it really possible to go the entire pregnancy and not drink a drop? Because yes it is. There you go.

[MummBraTheEverLeaking]

While I was pregnant we had 3 weddings to attend, the first of which was a week after I found out I was pregnant, and they had a free prosecco bar on the beach 😫 However I didn't have any.

The next 2 weddings I did have a teeny sip of fizz for the toast then gave the rest of the glass to DH.

About 4 days before the positive test however I had 2 espresso martinis, half a bottle of red wine, a rare steak and a couple of other cocktails on a date night with DH!

[crumpetsandcoffee]

I had the occasional glass of half wine half soda (so a small glass of wine) in my 1st pregnancy, son is now 18 and doing well. Couldn't touch a drop in my 2nd though as the smell made me wanna vom 🤮

[1805]

I had alcohol during both of my pregnancies. In fact, I didn't know I was pregnant until 9 weeks with my first, ( I had 3 negative tests) and went to 2 parties and drank quite a lot, safe in the knowledge I wasn't pregnant.
I also took some strong painkillers, and some travel sickness pills. (it wasn't travel sickness was it!!!) Ds turned out just perfect.
I am not encouraging doing this by the way.
During my second pregnancy, I had the odd small bit of wine on a few occasions.

[DressingGownofDoom]

@yellowsunset

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Another judgy twat

[mindutopia]

Absolutely fine. I had probably 6 glasses of champagne (well, okay, more than like it was cheap Tesco cava) over the course of both of my pregnancies.

[UnicornAndSparkles]

A small glass once in a while is fine. I had the occasional small glass after 12 weeks too.

There is a great book called Expecting Better which discusses this. In essence, 1-2 units, one or twice a week is fine. More risk to baby by getting stressed over it.

[Fruitsaladjelly]

@mmmmdanone exactly, the only reason mums aren’t given that kind of advice now is that everything has to be based on clinical studies rather than the evidence of generations of experience and clinical studies can create a skewed viewpoint. It’s the same as the issues with over use of induction, it’s used to be very common for women to go 43,44 weeks into pregnancy, but now everyone is encouraged to induce at 41 weeks for no reason other than that is an artificially created norm. The justification being that the rate of complications go up beyond that point without any weight being given to the other factors at play that caused the problem. Simply naturally having a longer gestational period is not a risk factor however complications can sometimes cause longer gestational periods. We should be looking to separate the two.

[MitziK]

I'm wondering something...

It is legal for a woman to terminate a pregnancy. Because it's her body, her choice.

The absolutism about not drinking or looking at a glass was a thing in US long before it crept over here. Reproductive Choice is something women in the US don't have in the same way we do. Alcohol is far more heavily restricted and disapproved of (as per Prohibition) as an artefact from the first waves of immigration/invasion.


Remind me again why we are saying on one hand 'yep, your decision, your body' but have now imported a 'how dare you risk the individual you happen to be the incubator for?' dynamic?




(And no, I didn't drink during pregnancy. I don't really drink much outside pregnancy - think I've had a single G&T since Christmas)

[Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches]

In my second pregnancy I had a glass of champagne on Christmas Day and one on Christmas Eve, 7 months by this time.

I didn’t in my first.

Went off it mostly while pregnant, although I still like the idea of drinking, but not drinking itself iyswim.

I think a tiny bit in the third trimester in particular is fine.

[WitsEnding]

Back in the 90s my doctor told me to carry on having one glass of red once or twice a week.

[Fridaysgirl17]

This is my second pregnancy, on my first no never touched a drop, and in this one still no I can't really as I have GD so not worth the risk on that side of it, but I'm not a huge drinker anyway but I've no judgement on anyone who has a drink, each to their own

[SueEllenMishke]

I had the odd glass of wine and champagne on my wedding day ( i was 11 weeks)

[crispysausagerolls]

I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it as I would feel too guilty.

I feel bad enough having one small coffee a day - and that’s only justified by having a toddler who doesn’t sleep well and really needing the boost.

But then I’ve had a number of takeaways which a lot of people would think is terrible! So everyone has their own boundaries and must do what they are comfortable with.

[Wolfgirrl]

Not at all. I had a glass of prosecco at a christmas party when I was about 6 weeks, then 2 glasses at my baby shower when I was about 33 weeks.

Didn't touch a drop in between. Baby fine.

If you are confident you can stick to a tiny amount, once or twice throughout pregnancy, I really don't see a problem. However if I thought one would lead to 2 and then 3, I wouldn't touch a drop.

[bluemoon2468]

@Woodlandwalks I wasn't asking if it's possible to go a whole pregnancy without drinking. Seeing as many people go whole lifetimes without drinking obviously it's possible. I was wondering how common it is. By the looks of it, not very!

[DuckonaBike]

Of course the occasional small glass is fine! Don’t worry about it at all.

[Duggeeismysaviour]

I drank maybe on average a glass of low percentage beer once a week during both pregnancies, after week 12. Some weeks it was 2 others it was none.

I avoided wine as very high percentage, and spirits of course.

But I am an educated scientific person with a rational mind and a free will. All this pearl clutching is insane.

My 2.5 y o and 7 month old are just fine

[Rosebel]

I had a drink on Christmas day but nothing else. Although for the first four months the thought of alcohol made me feel sick.

[Panicmode1]

I've had four children - I had the odd glass of wine or champagne in each one - and they've all turned out ok!

(We went to a wedding in France when I was pg with #3, and the women were incredulous that I wasn't drinking..!)