Few sips of red wine when pregnant?

[ShutUpAlex]

Did anybody have small amounts of wine when pregnant? I know a lot of people have one small glass a week, but I have found that 3 or 4 sips of red wine in the evening makes my morning sickness just completely vanish! However, those sips added up each day (or at least until the morning sickness is gone) may add up more than what I think.

Would I be u reasonable to do this?
Did anyone else find this helped? I’ve tried sickness bands, ginger everything etc but can’t shift the nausea.

Of course it is fine. A few sips no harm. Zero alcohol is for the ones that can't stop themselves. I had a small glass evenings when on holiday and absolutely perfect. Even asked the doctor and it was not a problem.

OP if you want to have a few sips, have them. They will not affect the baby.

MNers love to judge other women, and society in general loves to treat pregnant women as if they are stupid and police their every move such as refusing to sell them a bottle of wine in a supermarket or looking askance if they order a wine and soda in a bar. Mind your own business!

There is a massive difference between smoking, drinking every day, or taking drugs in pregnancy and having the odd drink here and there.

There is no "safe" limit for alcohol in pregnancy, but that's because it would be unethical to do a study, not because one doesn't exist.

To all the posters saying there is NO safe amount of alcohol to drink and there’s no way they’d put their baby at risk in that way, what do you say to the posters that have pointed out that highly qualified medical professionals in the form of their midwives, GP’s and consultants have told them that small amounts are perfectly fine?

@Ginuwine the official advice can’t define it with a blanket approach for the country I totally agree but that doesn’t stop individuals applying their own previous experiences with alcohol along with that info (and other info) to decide what and when to drink.

It’s generally accepted that 1 unit per hour is metabolised by the liver, that’s quite a lot, half a pint of 3.8% beer. So if you drink one weak half pint over the space of half an hour say, with food, you don’t ‘feel the effect’ because it’s metabolised quicker than you are drinking it.

It’s a mine field, not only trying to work out the units in each drink but what actually happens to alcohol once consumed. A blanket approach by the official channels is absolutely right they need to protect everyone I mean, I hope that’s their intention but that doesn’t mean someone is acting stubborn for going against that official advice.

It essentially comes down to how much risk you as an individual are willing to take. If you accept that there is inherent risk in consuming any amount of alcohol during pregnancy and still choose to drink, then that is of course your decision to make. From my own perspective, that is not a risk worth taking.

It is easy to say that there is inherent risk in so many things in life. Of course there is. But here we are talking about a known and evidenced risk, and a life-long condition that is completely avoidable.

If anyone is interested, please do take the time to visit www.nationalfasd.org and preventfasd.info.

But here we are talking about a known and evidenced risk

Not evidenced from small amounts of alcohol, no.

There are known and evidenced risks from using cars when pregnant that never get talked about.

I meant to also add that unfortunately not all health professionals are fully aware of the risks of alcohol during pregnancy currently. However, the FASD professional community in the UK are working hard to provide training and support for midwives and other health professionals so that there is broader awareness and misinformation is minimised.

If you accept that there is inherent risk in consuming any amount of alcohol during pregnancy and still choose to drink, then that is of course your decision to make. From my own perspective, that is not a risk worth taking

I don't accept it. No-one should, as it is not true.

@Daphnise

"A few sips".....

You mean two or three glasses.

So no it's not the best thing to do every day for nine months.

Really, and you know this for a fact? 🤨

@CLJ4180

I meant to also add that unfortunately not all health professionals are fully aware of the risks of alcohol during pregnancy currently. However, the FASD professional community in the UK are working hard to provide training and support for midwives and other health professionals so that there is broader awareness and misinformation is minimised.

Thank you for the work you do.

Anyone who parents a child with FASD, as I do, understands the pain and lifelong challenges these beautiful and loved children face every day of their lives. And the heartbreaking bit is that it was preventable.
No shame, no blame. But info is power.
There are lots of ways the original poster could help lower stress levels, healthier ways. I hope she is discussing her stress with her midwife, doctor, families and friends. The Drymester programme is set up to help provide support: www.drymester.org.uk

If anyone reading this thread is worried because they have drunk in pregnancy and would like help - support is out there.

No I would not.it's selfish however you try to justify it.
Sorry I know that's not what you want to hear but you asked.
Many women have got through severe nausea without resorting to alcohol to make themselves feel better.
I hope your nausea goes soon.

Speaking as an old midwife/paediatric nurse please please do not drink alcohol one sip leads to half a glass etc.
Have seen too many babies affected by alcohol in utero their lives are fucked.

@Mynamenotaccepted in your career, did you truly see babies whose lives were ‘fucked’ because their mothers drank a sip/half a glass of wine? Really? Even though the guidelines only changed in the 2000’s?

one sip leads to half a glass etc.

No it doesn’t. Why is there this assumption that no one has any self control?

@Mynamenotaccepted

Speaking as an old midwife/paediatric nurse please please do not drink alcohol one sip leads to half a glass etc. Have seen too many babies affected by alcohol in utero their lives are fucked.

Thanks for the work you do - midwives and nurses play such an important role.

Just to say, as mum to a child with FASD and someone who supports other families affected by FASD, their lives don't have to be f&#ed. With the appropriate diagnosis and support they can live lives full of meaning and purpose. But people need to know what signs to look for. If a pregnancy was alcohol-exposed and the young person is struggling, it's always important to discuss these concerns with the child's healthcare professionals - even if decades later and they are just not coping in school, at home. When people know what they underlying cause is and understand it's due to the way their brains developed in pregnancy, it changes everything - what type of support they need at school, how to parent them, etc. People with FASD have lifelong cognitive challenges and deserve support. It's a neurodevelopmental condition. They are only f&%ed if they go undiagnosed and unsupported - because society refuses to recognise this hidden epidemic and people keep their heads in the sand about the risks of alcohol in pregnancy. I know you probably know this, just wanted to take this chance to say how important it is for early diagnosis and awareness.

@TheKeatingFive

one sip leads to half a glass etc.

No it doesn’t. Why is there this assumption that no one has any self control?

Exactly this. Why is it assumed that if anyone has literally a sniff of alcohol that they couldn’t possibly control themselves and will be mainlining alcohol hand gel and anything they can get their hands on?

It's absolutely fine and actually has some health benefits. . Just don't drink more than one. It's the norm to drink during pregnancy (moderately)in the country I live in

[quote SmidgenofaPigeon]@Mynamenotaccepted in your career, did you truly see babies whose lives were ‘fucked’ because their mothers drank a sip/half a glass of wine? Really? Even though the guidelines only changed in the 2000’s?[/quote]

Ah, here we are again. Certain users questioning the stated lived experience of others just because it doesn't fit the answers they're looking for to confirm their view of the world and carry on with the wine.

@SmidgenofaPigeon she's said what she saw. She was a health professional. Why does that need questioning because it doesn't fit your "go on then" argument?

@maddy68 it’s so weird being pregnant in a country where the rules are so different from our own.

What actually is the risk?

@Ginuwine I will question it because it’s quite an extreme statement. Why wasn’t there a National outcry in the mid nineties if it was the case that the 1-2 units of alcohol, that were a guideline amount for pregnant women, was leading to children’s lives becoming ‘fucked’ as a direct result?

@tobee

What actually is the risk?

There no definitive quantifiable answer to this question @tobee because every unit of alcohol behaves differently in every single human being. The rate at which it metabolises varies quite wildly. There are averages of course but the government can’t risk that.

[quote SmidgenofaPigeon]@Ginuwine I will question it because it’s quite an extreme statement. Why wasn’t there a National outcry in the mid nineties if it was the case that the 1-2 units of alcohol, that were a guideline amount for pregnant women, was leading to children’s lives becoming ‘fucked’ as a direct result?[/quote]

Maybe the cumulative evidence and research papers required and studies weren't there in the 90s. Maybe some of the affected children grew a bit and displayed the signs required.

Maybe we don't know everything that we needed to know years ago, otherwise you know... Savile. Etc.

Would you feed a small child alcohol? If not then why on earth would you have it pregnant where your baby directly consumes everything you eat and drink? I find it bizarre

I understand other posters saying it's not a big deal and it's not - but daily is ridiculous?