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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have one small glass of red wine at 38 weeks pregnant?

430 replies

baby2c · 22/08/2025 20:49

I’m not a drinker at all but DH gets a bottle of red once or twice a month and tonight I really fancy just a very small glass, I’m a weirdo (according to DH) who likes ice in red wine on the rare occasion I have it. DH is only having one glass just in case I was to go into labour and he had to drive to hospital. So I was thinking of having a tiny amount with some ice and enjoying sipping it whilst watching tv in my pjs however I’m not sure if this is totally out of order or reasonable? Would you? Or did you? I haven’t touched alcohol at all since finding out I am pregnant at 4 weeks.

OP posts:
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5
StandFirm · 22/08/2025 21:10

Calamitousness · 22/08/2025 21:05

Your fine. Have it and enjoy. Your foetus does not need to metabolise wine. Your liver does it for you both. Totally unlike giving it to a newborn. And yes. Their brain and other organs are fully developed and you’re not going to cause any harm. You need to drink a lot to cause problems. One glass is absolutely fine. As someone else said the advice is none because some women could not interpret small amounts as much previously allowed.

Alcohol crosses the placenta freely, so the baby’s blood alcohol concentration quickly becomes almost the same as the mother’s.
The placenta does not “filter” alcohol — it just passes it along. So what I said stands. I doubt that a very small glass will be truly toxic but OP asked for opinions and I would personally abstain - I did in all my pregnancies. The comparison with the bottle was to highlight the fact that the barrier is in fact minimal. That's it. But I'm not a doctor and I guess neither are you. I think OP would better ask her GP.

seaelephant · 22/08/2025 21:11

some women smoke crack cocaine while pregnant, just drink the wine and enjoy your evening

SaltAirAndTheRust · 22/08/2025 21:11

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 21:10

Alcohol crosses the placenta freely, so the baby’s blood alcohol concentration quickly becomes almost the same as the mother’s.
The placenta does not “filter” alcohol — it just passes it along. So what I said stands. I doubt that a very small glass will be truly toxic but OP asked for opinions and I would personally abstain - I did in all my pregnancies. The comparison with the bottle was to highlight the fact that the barrier is in fact minimal. That's it. But I'm not a doctor and I guess neither are you. I think OP would better ask her GP.

Edited
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It’s less than one unit.

FanofLeaves · 22/08/2025 21:12

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 21:10

Alcohol crosses the placenta freely, so the baby’s blood alcohol concentration quickly becomes almost the same as the mother’s.
The placenta does not “filter” alcohol — it just passes it along. So what I said stands. I doubt that a very small glass will be truly toxic but OP asked for opinions and I would personally abstain - I did in all my pregnancies. The comparison with the bottle was to highlight the fact that the barrier is in fact minimal. That's it. But I'm not a doctor and I guess neither are you. I think OP would better ask her GP.

Edited
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It does not go straight from the mother’s mouth into the placenta. May I present to you the organ known as ….the liver.

Original poster
baby2c · 22/08/2025 21:13

FanofLeaves · 22/08/2025 21:08

OP I once posted here that at 37 weeks pregnant I had a small glass of red wine and it wasn’t the only one I’d had during pregnancy either and it was like a bloody witch trial, some posters are unhinged. If they’d known where I lived they’d have been out the front with pitchforks.

sorry I do have one question though. Ice with Malbec ?!

Edited

😂😂 good job our addresses aren’t visible eh?!

Yep, I like an icy glass of red every now and then. My DH thinks it’s a disgrace 🤦🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
IllBeLookingAtTheMoon · 22/08/2025 21:14

You seem keen to have it. I wouldn't, but the risk is objectively low, so do it if you must. No one is going to stand between a pregnant woman and the thing she desires!

Remind husband he has to drink less than the limit because you never know when he will have to drive. Enjoy the last weeks of your pregnancy!

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 21:14

FanofLeaves · 22/08/2025 21:12

It does not go straight from the mother’s mouth into the placenta. May I present to you the organ known as ….the liver.

Show quote history

Yes but it still passes the placenta freely and the alcohol level in the baby's blood is then about the same as the mum but with more adverse effects. That's it. But again, I think she'd better ask her midwife or gp.

RememberBeKindWithKaren · 22/08/2025 21:14

Yep. But then when I was pregnant I was still eating all the soft cheeses, camembert, peanut butter, small to moderate amounts of booze regularly and all sorts of stuff that I've heard women aren't supposed to eat these days. Mine turned out ok. But I guess not worth it if it's going to worry you .

Annoyeddd · 22/08/2025 21:15

There are so many things we do in pregnancy that are so much riskier than a few sips of red wine. We will drive long distances, cross roads, use insecticides to treat head lice in our older children the list goes on.

PoshDuckQuarkQuark · 22/08/2025 21:15

Define small...

If you mean like a 30 ml (2 tbsp) amount then fair enough.

Anything more then no.

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 21:15

OP- I'm not judging you btw, just sharing my thoughts and what I did.

NamelessNancy · 22/08/2025 21:15

YANBU at all to have a glass of wine - I hope you enjoyed it.
YABmassivelyU to put ice in red though!

SleepWalkingtoSeville · 22/08/2025 21:15

Mad to think that having a small glass of wine at full term is considered horrific but no one would bat an eyelid at opioids in labour!

EwwSprouts · 22/08/2025 21:15

FanofLeaves · 22/08/2025 21:10

You don’t smell like an old soak off one small glass of red wine 🤣🤣

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Hilarious exaggeration.

tripleginandtonic · 22/08/2025 21:16

Fgs, one glass of wine will make no difference.

MidnightPatrol · 22/08/2025 21:16

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 20:51

Would you give your newborn a very small glass of wine in their bottle? No. As tempting as it is, the risks aren't worth it.

What is the logic here then…?

Should pregnant women be subsisting on a diet of breast milk?

Horsie · 22/08/2025 21:16

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 20:51

Would you give your newborn a very small glass of wine in their bottle? No. As tempting as it is, the risks aren't worth it.

Hardly the same!!

OP, there is no risk at all from one small glass of wine, defined as 125ml. Sip and enjoy!

Bobnobob · 22/08/2025 21:17

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 20:51

Would you give your newborn a very small glass of wine in their bottle? No. As tempting as it is, the risks aren't worth it.

Wtf.. it’s not even slightly the same! Babies don’t come to any harm if their mum has a small glass of wine as a one off

LarkspurLane · 22/08/2025 21:18

StandFirm · 22/08/2025 20:51

Would you give your newborn a very small glass of wine in their bottle? No. As tempting as it is, the risks aren't worth it.

Is this just for alcohol or would you also suggest that pregnant women should not drink anything other than breastmilk?

Firealarm1414 · 22/08/2025 21:19

When I was pregnant 14 years ago the nhs advice was one or two units once or twice a week was absolutely fine. They even told me to go home and have a bath and glass of wine in early labour. 2011 was hardly the dark ages when it came knowledge about drinking and pregnancy, and as far as I know a whole generation wasn't born with adverse effects because of it? Every single study has shown that it takes a lot of drinking to do any damage. I would relax and have the glass.

LizzyEm · 22/08/2025 21:20

If you haven't touched it yet, why would you now Confused
you've only got a few more weeks to go, wait and celebrate the birth instead.

Chenecinquantecinq · 22/08/2025 21:20

SaltAirAndTheRust · 22/08/2025 20:53

My mum was told to have port every month when pregnant with me, to help with iron! I turned out fine, and she says she has no regrets.

Yes my mother was advised by her GP to drink Guinness every day when she was pregnant with me in the mid 70's. I sometimes wonder if it had any effect 😂she proudly tells how she drunk it despite hating the taste!

kiddywinkleyeee · 22/08/2025 21:20

baby2c · 22/08/2025 21:07

Thanks everyone who’s been reasonable (also the people who say they wouldn’t I’m including in that), the people asking if I’d give my baby it through a bottle etc I just have no words 😂

I am currently sipping my thimble full of Malbec with some crushed ice and my feet up.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! X

Enjoy 😉

ClassicalQueen · 22/08/2025 21:20

If you want it, have it. It’s very low risk at this stage and the amount. FAS tends to be larger amounts of alcohol over a longer period of time.

Growlybear83 · 22/08/2025 21:21

EwwSprouts · 22/08/2025 21:09

Just as your DH isn't having much as he may have to drive, I wouldn't in case everything started and I went into hospital smelling of alcohol.

I very reluctantly went to ante natal classes when I was pregnant and the midwife who ran the sessions told us to have a couple of bottles of beer if we were overdue. I doubt that anyone would be concerned if the OP turned up at a hospital after a glass or two of wine 😆😆

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