Drinking in pregnancy

[Overitmum]

Going to start by making it clear I didn’t drink. I was at a family event over the weekend and kept having people ask me do I miss drinking since I’m 6 months pregnant, or I got the I bet you can’t wait for a good drink comments. I was never a big drinker before so it’s not bothering me at all. There was another mum to be at this party and she was drinking a glass of wine so it made people ask me did I want one to even sip over. I just kept repeating I was happy enough with my orange juice then I had people admit they would have had a sneaky drink when they were expecting. Aibu to think you can not drink during pregnancy. It’s got me thinking how many women actually have a drink when pregnant but think it’s fine because they are not getting drunk, it honestly shocked me the amount of women who openly admitted at this party to having a drink when pregnant. Surly in this day and age with all the information we have on the dangers of drinking when pregnant it would make you think twice.

Is it worth the risk? Surely what you're saying is like drinking and driving: you can have a drink and then drive but you're probably less safe than if you hadn't had a drink...

Well you also need to add the following to the things that have been proven to potentially be damaging to a foetus:

• fish (mercury)
• paracetamol (latest studies suggest risk of learning difficulties, ADHD and autism)
• ibuprofen (this one is actually really bad)
• seafood, raw or cooked, fresh salad, soft cheese, salami, charcuterie (all risk of food poisoning, the salad actually has the highest risk of listeria nowadays)
• undercooked steak, pate etc
• coffee

Getting listeria, damaging the foetus' kidneys by taking an ibuprofen, or proven risk of autism because of paracetamol are pretty fucking bad. Yet we don't judge pregnant women for taking small risks here and there because pregnancy is miserable enough.

Show me the study that shows an ocasional small drink causes FAS? You can't. And until 20 years ago the advice was it was ok to drink one or 2 small drinks ocasionally. We should all be walking around with all kinds of learning difficulties if one glass of alcohol is as dangerous as you think.

Oh and the pain medication you get during a c section absolutely do pass to the foetus. Should we not have c sections or epidurals?

There are tiny levels of risk with so many things in life. Taking unnecessary car journeys carries a level of risk, yet I never see anyone concerned about that.

I haven’t RTFT but no one is going to give their child FAS from a glass of wine a night FGS. It’s a litre of gin they don’t want you drinking. But they think you’re too dumb to understand moderation so they say no alcohol at all. Get a grip OP!

I think drinking after giving birth is much more dangerous. You’re much more likely to drop the baby or fall asleep while feeding.

This! ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

The sad truth is that the most vulnerable time for the foetus is before you even realise you are pregnant, in the first few weeks. So you should give up even if you are trying.

Fgs they just won’t give it a rest will they?

Some people get so worked up when they spot an adult without an alcoholic drink. Even hassling pregnant women now. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Saddos.

Same here, that was the guidance then … my kids are 24 and 23.

I’d agree really you although you shouldnt live in a town or city due to air pollution either. Shouldn’t have various foods / drinks due to microplastics, pesticides, mercury etc The same should go for men pre conception as the side affects of modern life reduces the number and quality of sperm.

Really as soon as you contemplate conceiving you should live alife of gentle exercise and carefully considered nutrition.

but that's NOT true. Before the placenta forms, the foetus is less impacted by outside factors and it's why doctors are always telling women not to worry when they realise theyv'e been doign stupid things without realising they're pregnant. Where do people get this stuff from?

I'm not going to comment on the alcohol/no alcohol thing. It seems ot me it's one of those things where the world is split into two camps and there's no bridge. One thinks its reckless and any risk is crazy even if we don't even know these risks and have no proof. The other camp thinks the risks are tiny, if not nonexistent and are happy to make decisions accordingly.

I strongly suspect these two camps go on to be in different camps on all kinds of issues throughout their respective children's lives!

Yep, I didn’t drink at all while pregnant. It wasn’t difficult. It’s a short time in your life!

Actually I haven’t gone back on the booze and DC is nearly 1!

Are you saying we have no proof of FASD?

I don’t think that’s true at all…

No, I'm saying its not true that foetus is most vulnerable in the first few weeks. that's a known fact that they aren't. So I was responding to the poster who suggested we should all stop drinking from before we even get pregnant because before we find out is when the feotus is most at risk.

My comments re proof are that there's no proof that there is harm to babies from small amounts of alcohol. So some people are happy to drink. Others feel that as there's no proof that there ISN"T harm, they won't drink at all. And the two groups will remain apart forever.

This was me, twice! I rarely drink then 2 separate pregnancies got absolutely smashed without knowing I was pregnant.

I couldn't drink the remainder of either of mine as I used those units up in week 3 🤣

Actually these things change constantly. When pregnant with my eldest was told to eat liver, 2nd one told no liver but plenty of fish for brain development, 3rd obpne avoid certain fish due to mercury levels,

So how are people meant to take all these " rules" as gospel