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.

There is recent research to suggest that despite all of the anti-smoking stuff, a small amount of cigarettes per day, again, do absolutely no harm. It was kept quite quiet though because it doesn't exactly encourage people to quit! Which certainly in the long term, is most likely best.

I can't really equate this to drinking wine though, because drinking regularly at low-levels is good for your heart and your health. Smoking is not. Thus I feel okay saying go ahead drinking a few glasses per week of wine, and would still encourage pregnant mum's to quit smoking if they could.

In European countries they don't tend to have this laddish culture with drink hence they have a nice glass of wine every night with the evening meal and teenagers join in as well. Only in GB do we find young girls/boys out in the street legless (not saying it doesn't happen abroad). I would say the drinking to excess in this Country has a lot to do with the Government setting guidelines at zero alcohol.

I would be interested to see what the guidelines are for alcohol consumption during pregnancy in the likes of France/Italy/Spain. Does anyone know?

Oh I love it when people say something completely incorrect then write '.Fact' after it, as if that makes it true! Roffle!

In Spain it is, and has always been, that no alcohol during pregnancy is best. Which I think is probably based on the following:

Has it occurred to those who keep repeating that 'there is no evidence that it does any harm', that, by the same token, one could also say that 'there is no evidence that it doesn't do any harm'?

Yes, oddly enough, some of us are clued up enough to have read the studies - yes, proper scientific studies - which do show evidence that there is no harm in small amounts of alcohol.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

**

That's all the guidelines are saying, that it is the safest choice. Nobody's pointing a gun at your head. The fact that you're so defensive about it does suggest to me, like other posts point out, that you may have other issues and may be more attached to your alcohol fix than you'd care to admit.

Masflaka - do you apply that reasoning to everything you do as a parent? For example:

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking computer use during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking MSG consumption during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking inhalation of traffic fumes during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking aspartame consumption during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking use of pillows during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking watching of television during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

There is always the possibility that some as yet unidentified harm to a baby might result from light or moderate drinking DRIVING during pregnancy.
Given the above possibility, even if remote, the very safest choice for an expectant mother?s fetus would be to abstain.

Of course, the last one will apply to everyone, not just expectant mothers. I hope you don't ever get in a car do you

I don't know how true it is, but I've HEARD (must emphasise that this ishearsay) that in France women are encouraged to drink wine during their pregnancy. But obviously not to the point of getting bladdered.

The whole alcohol guideline thing is a knotty issue. I do know that growing up with extremely controlling teetotal parents who believed that having one spoon of alcohol puts you on the road to hell, well the moment I had some freedom (when I moved out) I went a bit mad on the partying/drinking scene. DP says he sees no harm in allowing children to drink a little bit of wine with meals. I haven't made up my mind about this.

I don't think there's any point having a glass of wine if there's any chance of a risk. Might as well not bother.

It's not like you NEED one, so no point. Have a glass of fanta instead- sugarrush or non alcoholic wine.

There is more evidence of risk from a tin of tuna actually, than a glass of wine. So why not demonise tuna sarnie eaters? Is it because pregnant women are not supposed to be adults or to enjoy themselves in any way?

'Have a glass of fanta instead- sugarrush '

No, that stuff is FULL of aspartame and other artificial sweetners.

Aspartame is now a known neurotoxin.

Wine, however, is not.

Nanacuddles

I would never put my unborn child at risk by drinking FANTA! It is loaded with preservatives, artificial flavourings and sweetners, including aspartame!!! But if other women choose to drink it it would not cross my mind to judge them for it

Seriously, if you take the attitude that there is no point in doing anything were there's any chance of a risk, you'd hardly be able to leave the house throughout your pregnancy. You certainly would never get in a car or walk along a road.

Fanta also contains a number of E numbers which are known carinogens and banned in some countries.

And the process to take the alcohol out of wine is full of potent chemicals.

Wine's been around for thousands of years, Fanta and rubbish soft drinks have not.

Just joking about the fanta. I advised my daughter to cut down on her coke, fanta and other sugary, horrible soft drinks when she was pregnant. She did, but then started drinking coffee!!! She's a nightmare

A lot of those soft drinks don't have sugar. They have artificial sweetners, which are probably far worse for you than sugar.

There is nothing wrong with coffee.

Again, it's been around for hundreds of years.

It's perfectly fine to have a cup or so of it or tea, another natural substance.

It's only a problem if you are anaemic, as tea and coffee can interfere with iron absorption.

She really struggled with coffee, she got bad water infections which gave her tummy pains and the hospital told her to try to give up tea, coffee and pop.

She's had the baby now but she still drinks lots and lots of water so some good did come of it!

My H is a GP - he says it's fine to have a small glass of wine a couple of times a week with food. A friend who works in paediatrics says the same. Another friend who is a consultant in her local SCBU says the same and did the same for the second two tris of both her pregnancies (so actually practiced what she preaches).

If these people think it's ok, and a glass of wine for the flavour of it helps me enjoy pregnancy so I'm not stressed to the gills, I'll do it. Yes, I'll choose a lighter white wine rather than a stronger red, but I'll still have it. My mum drank moderately (and smoked lightly!!) when she was expecting me and I've turned out ok (PhD from Cambridge). She also took up eating far more fruit and veg than normal while PG - perhaps that had a greater influence on me in the womb...? There are plenty of positive things we can do to help our babies grow which are definitely proven to be beneficial, so why not focus more on doing plenty of those, and stress less about one glass of wine a couple of times a week?

Just joined this (very lively) thread. I am 30 weeks PG, and have been enjoying a couple of glasses of wine a week since the 12 week stage. My understanding is that alcohol is most harmful in week 1-12 as this is when the brain is developing. (Paradoxically, in the very early weeks there must be a huge percentage of people who were drinking at point of conception and beyond - I was on holiday and was drinking all sorts).
I don't feel guilty about my 2 glasses a week and I eat exceptionally well (and don't drink FANTA or any other crap!).
What I find most irritating from those who condemn those who choose to drink moderately during preganancy is the ambivalence towards everything else which gets put into the body.
P.S. In France, they used to encourage a glass of champagne every day - not sure if this still stands.

Have your wine and enjoy it. THe 'guidelines' are woman-bashing bullshit (women are too stupid to drink in moderation, so let's prohibit them from drinking at all because they really are only walking incubators, not people).
Even the 'guidelines' on what non-PG people should drink per week are rank nonsense - the Government simply made them up.
I drank a fair bit while PG, my DS is very healthy and advanced for his age. You need to drink an awful lot to risk FAS and there is almost certainly a genetic component to it anyway.

KVC what a rank pile of bullshit. Half the 'symptoms' you mention are not evidence of any illness at all: wtf does 'problems with daily living' mean?, and many could have a wide variety of causes, genetic or otherwise. Also there is a fair old bit of disagreement about how much normal child behaviour is now being medicalised (being very active, being a little slower to read than peers), possibly due to drug companies wanting to peddle more pills.

Oh, and one for all the pious bucketheads who bleat 'why can't you just not drink for nine months'? The answer is: the risk is minimal and a pregnant woman is an adult human being, not just a baby machine, and why should she be treated like a moronic invalid and forbidden to do whatever she wants?

I have read this thread with interest and can't help agree with the pro drinkers. I am in the first trimester of my second pregnancy and am having a glass or two of wine a week, just as I did with my first pregnancy. My first pregnancy ended in stillbirth at 24 weeks due to me catching an airborn virus that I was not immune to. My point is, after going through it, and learning so much about why pregnacies go wrong, or why babies are ill, it is never because of the very limited drinking being discussed here. And I have found out the hard way that a successful pregnancy and healthy baby is not guarenteed just because you have ticked the no drink, no cofee box. It is much much more out of our hands than we realise. Genetic problems, inherited factors, or just the sheer mysteries and vagaries of the pregnancy and birth process are so much more powerful than your weekly glass of wine. While I truly respect and understand the emotive feelings and fear people haveabout drinking and pregnancy, it should be taken into account that it is just one factor, that should of course be treated carefully and sensibly, but the truth to me now is that it is no longer the enemy; bad luck and sad twists of fate can deal us much more dangerous and harmful hands.

solidgoldbrass - I too agree with you with regards to people who are saints and preach the why can't you not drink, its only for 9 months?

Since December 2006 I have been pregnant for 13 months and breastfed for 7 months thus leaving a window of 4 weeks (where I fell pregnant with DC3) where I could have drank to my hearts content. Am I truly that bad a mother if I want to relax and unwind after a hard day looking after two children by having a couple of glasses of wine a week whilst pregnant or breast feeding? Bloody hell, burn me at the stake!

You have me worried now I was out today and had a can of fanta...... I am 14 weeks pg what the hell have I done!!!!