Who has stopped alcohol completely whilst TTC?

[crazycatlady82]

Hi there,

I have been trying the JSing approach to conception for about 6mths but alas no success...

So, I did some reading and only drink 2-3 nights per week. More 2 nights at the weekend. Net total about 14-18units per week but is this too much? Should I really stop completely?

The reason I ask is I am now giving up on JSing, and now buying ovulation sticks along with conceive plus gel etc.

Out goes fun sex and in comes military position followed by heels behind my ears... (For 1hour no less - my colleague said so!)

I'm getting desperate and seeing pregnant women and babies everywhere!

Has anyone else started to take a more focused approach or is it just me that needs a glass of wine, oops Prozac, oops cup of camomile tea. That's allowed - right?!?!

Thanks

xx

Hi there, personally once I knew we were TTC I stopped drinking, but I have never been a big drinker. Only having a drink when we actually went out to the pub or something once a month so was easy for me to stop.

I think the best way to conceive is just to relax and enjoy the practising! Have a glass of wine and relax, have fun with it all. You are more likely to conceive the less stressed you are about it.

Don't beat yourself up. Plenty of people get pregnant every day without TTC and the majority of them I'm sure drink, and smoke, and all other bad things you are not supposed to do until they find out what's happened.

The point is, as long as you are happy and you obviously don't drink or anything when you know your pregnant, I'm sure everything will be fine.

Good luck!

I totally agree - the most important aspect is that you're relaxed. I have a ttc plan because I have a plan for everything in my life but I am still drinking occasionally. I'm not a heavy drinker anyway and have never drunk daily but I now only drink on special occasions. As has been said, women have fallen pregnant for many many years while drinking, smoking and living 'unhealthily' so don't beat yourself up. The tip I'm living by regarding ttc and drinking is: "don't get drunk"!

God no. I've been trying for getting on for 3 years now, and a few glasses of wine is one of the things keeping me sane through this miserable process. Relax, dtd regularly and forget about the legs behind the ears - all you are doing in sending the semen and useless swimmers upwards. The decent ones will get where they need to quickly without that.

Hi there ladies,

Thanks for the reassurance.

I think my other concern, and I should have perhaps put it in my earlier post, is when I go out and socialise.

My friends are very heavy drinkers. They are generous buying rounds, refilling glasses etc. Even when you try to say 'no' they like to be nice (I am guilty of this too - oops!)

They are good friends so I could just say please don't keep the refills flowing as I am trying to get pregnant but I also don't want them asking me all the time how its going. Mainly because having not said much it hasn't gone too well. Hence the more planned approach...

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

xx

hi,
I think that there are women who benefit from not drinking while TTC, not because it gets them pregnant but because they feel like they are doing everything they can and it's not much to give up. TTC aside, I know a few people who just enjoy very disciplined diets and lifestyles. I'm not one of these people. I come from a boozy British family, married into a wine producing Euro family and live overseas in a very 'could get knocked over by a bus tomorrow' type culture which also involves alot of drinking.

I tried to limit my at-least-moderate drinking while TTC a few times and it just made it more miserable (and made no difference). I have one observation though that might be of use should you want to cut down a little. My TTC efforts were unsuccessful and I found some motivation for cutting down drinking in the run up to my first IVF. My observation is that even in my environment people actually fail to notice lack of drinking in the way that I imagined they would (something that I had, in past, used as an excuse). The key I found was not to refuse drinks rather that if you have a full or almost full glass in front of you people stop noticing, it really surprised my how easy it was to drink very very little in an evening without making a big deal out of it. Anyway, just an observation, I wish you well with getting pregnant, drinks or not

I have taken my getting drunk times when in uni and younger, so I really didnt drink much when we decided to TTC so for me it was easy to give it up, and I must admit I dont miss it. None of my friends or family have questioned the non drinking when together, or if I go to the bar alone, I dont think they think about if there is alcohol in my fizzy drink or not.
My tea, which have caffeine in, and my cola has been hard to give up, I still drink a bit of it, but have cut it down to a minimum.
But I think, you should do, what feels right for you. Every woman is different. :D