To want a couple of glasses of wine when pregnant??

[tootidy]

I am nearly 10 weeks pregnant and would like to drink a couple of glasses of wine (per week) as I did when i was pregnant with my other children. The current guidelines are not to drink at all which is different to what it used to be.

YANBU.

I was prescribed tablets for anxiety during my last pregnancy and thought, 'Wait a sec! No booze, but this chemical crap is okay?'

I drank a couple of glasses of wine and felt much better.

Well, if you're anything like me when pregnant the searing heartburn caused by having a glass of wine will soon put you off anyway...

'Better nice wine than shit food which there dont seem any 'guidelines' about. '

A good point. I find aspartame far more frightening than a glass of wine or a bottle of beer.

I don't think this is an AIBU question really - it's such a personal thing. You sounds sensible and not like you're going to go mad and if you're happy to have a drink then there's nothing to stop you.

For me, I knew I wouldn't enjoy anything I drank whilst pregnant, so I just didn't drink.

Do "most doctors" really not approve? The doctors' opinions that I've heard were more along the lines of "whatever, it's not a big deal, if you're sticking to just one or two drinks, like you should anyway it's not going to do any harm".

They've changed the guidelines for no medical reason.

If you want to have one drink a week I'd say just get on with it and stop worrying too much!

'There seem to be so many kids with special needs these days, how would you feel in restrospect research came to light that acohol is one of the factors in causing learning difficulties? '

I sort of see this. But I doubt there is ANY way to really pin down causes, especially given factors like vaccines, environmental pollution, better diagnostic techniques and the like.

DD1 has severe dyspraxia. Before I knew I was pregnant with her - about 2 weeks after conception - DH and I went for a dirty, heavy weekend away and I got so ripped on voddy I threw up the next day.

I didn't drink again except a few Guinesses and one pina colada in my 3rd trimester, but I did feel guilty (this was back when the guidlines were 1-2 units a few times a week).

BUT, DH has dyspraxia himself, as does his father and DH's older brother.

There's some great summaries of research about this issue here: this says everything I want to say!

Personally I would try and limit to one unit a week, and that would be me being cautious. As it is, I haven't much felt like drinking so haven't. Certainly I don't think there's any reason to beat yourself up over the odd glass a week!

The other is like moondog pointed out, crap that is in food.

For example, there's research out there that links aspartame and other artificial sweetners to the potential for serious health concerns like neurological problems.

Ha Expat I was just going to mention that. You musn't drink alcohol yet they have no restrictions on the amount of aspartame you can push in. That chemical is now being linked to all sorts of issues in babies over here. Mind you they do consume an awful lot of sodas even in healthy Colorado. How you doing btw? All going well I hope.

tootidy you are going to get a very polarised response to this!

You obviously want the answer to be yes, have a drink and don't worry.

It really is up to you what you do.

To shove my oar in, I would say a small amount of alcohol sounds fine to me. The fact they admit they changed the guidelines from "some" to "none" for no good reason I can see says it all for me.

Yes, I did notice there are tons of sodas there, ali. But one thing I have noticed here is that aspartame and artificial sweetners are FAR more prevalent in foodstuffs here. Then there are things that used to be free from them, like Oasis and Lilt, but now these drinks are loaded with them.

Barf.

I'm okay, thanks for asking!

It's quite chilly and rainy here and my auld, creeky body is feeling a bit aged for this pregnancy lark, but 30 weeks, DS is head down and here's hoping he stays that way .

It's down to personal preference rather than reasonableness or perceived reasonableness.

I would say to be careful about units - v confusing, so what looks like "a glass" of wine could be 2 or even 3 units depending on size of glass and strength of wine. you can pretty much guarantee that 1 glass of wine will be more than 1 unit.

Agree with greenandpleasant - it's a good idea be cautious about your measures and to remember that some wines are stronger than others.

With DD1 I didn't drink at all, DD2, I had a couple a week and with this pregnancy (am currently nearly 17 weeks), I didn't drink in the 1st Trimester but have had around 3-4 glasses (small) wine a week.

As mentioned, it is a guideline set by the Government because some people do go out and get rip roaring drunk whilst pregnant and maybe or maybe not, these babies are born with problems due to this. So the Government think that a no-drink guideline is the safest one to set.

I ask this though, how many of you know a baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome due to the mothers enjoying a glass or two of wine? The majority of mums I know have drank very moderately throughout their pregnancies, all babies were born fine (not saying that there may not be slight issues that would not be pinpointed to drinking but not FAS).

my friend a consultant gynae drank wine throughout her pregnancy- moderately of course - she says there is no evidence that moderate amounts are harmful

avoid

there is NO evidence that moderate amounts are harmful.

but cause we are THICK women and don't know what moderate means we need to be told not to drink any.

Some studies go as far as to indicate that light to moderate drinking may actually improve the chance of successful pregnancies. A 1993 study published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" by Ruth Little and Clarence Weinberg concluded, for example, that there were fewer stillbirths and fewer losses of fetus due to early labor among women who consumed a moderate level of alcohol. That some alcohol can be protective against preterm birth is also supported by Dr. Martha Direnfeld of Haifa University who points out that when used properly, alcohol is known to stop unwanted uterine contractions, and thus has "saved many pregnancies that might otherwise have spontaneously aborted." More than this, Dr. Robert Sokol of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse in Detroit has shown that it is light drinkers and not abstainers who have the best chance of having a baby of optimal birth weight and in their book "Alcohol and the Fetus" and Doctors Henry Rosset and Lynn Wiener have presented data that shows that children of moderate drinkers tend to score highest on developmental tests at the age of 18 months.

that is from laweaselmys's link. which is a very good link btw.

I drank wine throughout all three of my pregnancies (not excessively obviously). DCs are now 21,19 and 12 and all absolutely fine (all went to grammar schools, two now at university if that bothers you!, no abnormalities at all). A glass of wine used to stop me feeling sick in the evening and relax me and make me feel generally better. Went off alcohol in third trimester if I remember rightly. Gave me funny dreams.

KVC - I could but I don't want to especially after reading alot of the replies from other mums on here. i hav 2 healthy kids and drank moderatley with both of them - as was the advise then.