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.

NTFT

This is from the BMA report, p27, which contains footnotes to the studies.

www.bma.org.uk/media/2082/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders-report-feb2016.pdf

“Existing evidence on the adverse irreversible effects of PAE [prenatal alcohol exposure] at low-to-moderate levels is inconclusive and there is currently no consensus on the level of risk or whether there is
a clear threshold below which alcohol is non-teratogenic. A 2006 review of the evidence
on the effects of alcohol on the developing embryo, fetus and child – conducted by the NPEU (National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit) – found there to be no consistent evidence
of adverse health effects from low-to-moderate PAE.8 Other reviews, including systematic reviews and large epidemiological studies, have drawn similar conclusions.79,80,81,82,83 A recent prospective cohort study in the US found no association between low-moderate prenatal alcohol consumption and a range of perinatal outcomes.84 It is worth noting that the current evidence is not robust enough to exclude any risk from low-to-moderate levels,8 and evidence is continuing to emerge as to the possible effects of PAE at these levels. A 2012 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on alcohol guidelines found that there was no evidence for a risk free level of alcohol exposure during pregnancy.85 Evidence from animal experiments suggests that damage to the CNS may occur even at low levels of alcohol exposure.3,8,86,87 A 2014 prospective cohort study in the UK indicated that women who consumed alcohol in adherence to national guidelines – of no more than two units per week – during the first trimester of pregnancy, were at increased risk of adverse birth outcomes.57 A separate prospective study of 501 mother-child dyads found that the child’s behaviour at age six to seven was adversely related to low-to-moderate levels of PAE.88 A dose-response relationship between the level of alcohol consumed and the behaviour exhibited was also found.88 Another large prospective study indicated that occasional low- to-moderate drinking during the first trimester may have a negative and persistent effect
on children’s mental health.89 Studies examining the effects of alcohol on the fetus have shown that exposure at low-to-moderate levels can alter fetal behaviour (see Appendix 4). These studies have consistently shown that acute exposure to one to two units of alcohol rapidly suppresses fetal behaviour through a rapid decrease in fetal breathing.90,91,92,93 Studies examining the effects of chronic consumption indicate that low-to-moderate levels of exposure (two to five units per week) elicit a developmental delay in the functioning of the fetus’s nervous system and may result in a permanent effect.94,95 It is not currently clear what effect these changes in behaviour have on fetal development and the health outcomes of pregnancy.“

@lulugee

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

Because the foetus DOESN'T directly consume everything you eat and drink! Jesus, read a biology book. Maybe one for small children.

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

No, we are questioning it because it is not true. There is no child out there that was damaged by a few sips of wine. IT's not biologically possible and it doesn't happen.

You are so over invested in this, swimlittlefishy. Literally shouting down every point made.

I'm not over invested, I am refuting bullshit. Somebody has to. There is a cohort on here determined to make other women feel as shit as possible with complete lies.
Very few of you understand biology. People are quoting studies they have not read, and if they have, they have not understood.
I will continue to shout agianst misinformation and propaganda. Do you have a problem with that?

You are so over invested in this

It’s a common tactic to call people who are difficult to argue with ‘overinvested’

I’d say you’re not under invested yourself 😉

I've no particular problem with it. Nothing about your rails against "propaganda" will change my mind on any subject whatsoever.
Carry on.

Haven't read the full thread but, OP, I had terrible nausea for the first few months of my current pregnancy but no actual vomiting too.

What are your eating habits? I was told to wat little but often and I felt it made a real difference. A few crackers here and there, a banana, etc. It was an empty/almost empty stomach that seemed to bring on the nausea.

How kind of you to allow me to contribute

We all know that its bullshit that a single sip of alcohol is harmful, every one of us. If want to tell women lies to scare them, maybe you should be a little less over invested yourself. What is your agenda?

@swimlittlefishy

How kind of you to allow me to contribute

We all know that its bullshit that a single sip of alcohol is harmful, every one of us. If want to tell women lies to scare them, maybe you should be a little less over invested yourself. What is your agenda?

Oh, behave yourself. This is just nonsense.

I saw the title and knew this was going to go hysterical....

So here's the thing, there is no scientific evidence, because it is unethical to test it. However, I once chatted to the head of the Royal College of Midwives who said the reason the advice is not to have any, is because as soon as you give anyone the slightest grey area, some people just take it too far. So it is easier to say none.

In reality a few sips, or a small glass or two a week makes no difference. With my first I actually craved white wine, which was a nightmare. I would count down to Friday night and make my mini bottle last all night. With my second I wasn't bothered at all.

I do think we should reflect more generally on the context in which we assess risk. As we all know, humans are notoriously bad at this.

It’s not all all surprising that a virtually non existent risk from very low alcohol consumption is vilified, when plenty of other risks aren’t (non essential car travel, eating out/takeaways).

Christian societies have always viewed alcohol with a moral lens. Add that to society’s infantilising and policing of the pregnant body, plus the narrative that no one has any self control and it’s easy to see how the pretty well insignificant risk of minimal drinking is magnified by cultural factors.

It’s fascinating to view that alongside our approach to driving and RTA, where we’ve been more or less conditioned by society to pretend there is no risk.

It’s pretty illuminating .

@GreyhoundG1rl

You are so over invested in this, swimlittlefishy. Literally shouting down every point made.

To be fair, I absolutely agree with @swimlittlefishy and @TheKeatingFive

The amount of misinformation and misunderstanding on this thread, along with accusations of not loving / caring for your children if you even let a drop of alcohol pass your lips, and the complete lack of biological understanding, coupled with infantilising women by suggesting they have no self control is completely ridiculous and deserves shouting down.

There is a safe limit. Of course there is. Not everyone whose parent has ever drunk alcohol has FAS.

This is basically what Emily Oster’s research was about and concluded that a small amount of alcohol is metabolised by the body before it even reaches the fetus. So some alcohol is safe, by the research many many people have done and the stats shes crunched.

I’d do it OP.
I’d probably measure out the wine first rather than sip ad hoc but I’m a control freak.

Excellent post @TheKeatingFive. I wonder too, if the posters claiming they'd never do anything that would put their baby at the slightest risk, have considered any of the following: do they use rear or front facing car seats for the first few years, at what age their baby was left alone to sleep at any point, were their babies BF or FF, how much sugar their children consume, etc etc.... The list could go on and on. Do we all do things perfectly all the time?

I see this thread is still raging on... I completely agree with you @swimlittlefishy and admire your energy to debate The Moral High Roaders

I've had some conversations about this with others "in real life" since this thread. Every single one of them has drunk a little amount during pregnancy and some were told by doctors about the small glass of wine a week rule.

The lack of critical thinking in this thread is bonkers - of course they will say no alcohol as a guideline, because many can't be trusted to measure a small amount.

It’s all about assessing the risk. With my first child I had terrible morning sickness- only thing that settled it was a couple of sips of red wine in the evening - no more than that. I barely drink at all so it was a weird thing for me to even try in first place tbh but it did give me some relief in the evening at least. DS was 9lbs 4 oz at birth and very healthy so clearly didn’t affect his development.
If it’s more than a couple of sips or you have a tendency to drink a lot normally or you have other health conditions that may affect the baby I’d say no, better not to risk it.

Oh, behave yourself. This is just nonsense

Your posts? I agree, they are. But so are so many of the others, littered with misinformation and sanctimonious bullhockey.

@TheKeatingFive

You are so over invested in this

It’s a common tactic to call people who are difficult to argue with ‘overinvested’

I’d say you’re not under invested yourself 😉

Touché 🤣

@GreyhoundG1rl

You literally have to be an alcoholic to go into the realms of FAS, so it's an educational point Well that is utter nonsense.

Completely agree. And also there is a difference between FAS and FASD - FASD being much much more common, with suggestions that the vast majority of the prison population may have some level of FASD.

with suggestions that the vast majority of the prison population may have some level of FASD.

This sounds like BS to me. Prisoners are overwhelmingly from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Given that levels of alcohol consumption are similar across all social classes, with wealthy professionals being the most likely to drink regularly (I’m sure I’ve seen articles written about how middle class mothers are the most likely to drink moderately during pregnancy) how come there aren’t scores of people from middle class backgrounds accused of having ‘some level of FASD’?

@swimlittlefishy

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

No, we are questioning it because it is not true. There is no child out there that was damaged by a few sips of wine. IT's not biologically possible and it doesn't happen.

You that sure? No child has ever been damaged?

There are studies where one or two drinks have caused it. I know that's inconvenient for some arguments on here but it's just factual.

From the American College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians:

"Fetal alcohol syndrome is most likely to occur in babies born to women who drink heavily throughout pregnancy.

"But alcohol-related problems can occur with lesser amounts of alcohol use. It is best not to drink at all while you are pregnant.”

This is why ACOGG and other leading health organizations like The Mayo Clinicc say that no amount of alcohol is deemed safe for pregnant women.

You that sure? No child has ever been damaged

By a sip of alcohol? Yes, I am 100% sure of that, There are NO real studies to show one or two drinks caused "it" (whatever you think "it" is). It's not biologically possible.

[quote lulugee]**@GreyhoundG1rl* precisely! It seems @swimlittlefishy* has a guilty conscious probably - probably feeling bad about her choices during pregnancy [/quote]
Lazy, and untrue. I have nothing at all to feel guilty for. You should feel guilt for your endless attempts to make other women feel bad for no good reason, and should examine your motivations for that.