TTC, got drunk, feeling so awful about it

[wannabemumma88]

My husband and I decided a few months ago that we were now both ready to start trying for our first baby - we said we'd have a month or so to clean up our acts and get healthier and fitter before trying (husband would have a beer after work, smoked and drank a lot of energy drinks and I was the typical Saturday night binge drinker, smoker and desk job however)

We have only started trying properly this month (I ovulated last week) and apart from the odd glass of wine here and there and occasional cigarette (I am quitting and have cut down from 20 to 7 a day at the moment) we've both been really good and it's actually been so refreshing and have so much more energy etc.

However, yesterday I failed myself. My father is a landlord of a pub and we went for lunch there, had a glass of Prosecco with my lunch but whilst sat with my family and friends in the sunshine I ended up drinking more and more (approx 6 glasses of Prosecco and 4 shots of a coffee based liquor and smoked around 20 cigs). I haven't been out and seen anyone in a while as work / home renovations / exercise etc is using all my time so I got very carried away.

Today I feel wretched, I feel so guilty, I've been so good up until now, but now is the most important time whilst I've just finished ovulating and I'm absolutely terrified I've caused damage or ruined my chances for this month.

I suppose what I'm looking to find out is if anyone else has done this and if so, did it have any impact on your fertility / pregnancy?

DH and I had just started TTC when we went away on holiday. I was sure I wasn't pregnant as DH had been away for a couple of days around what I thought was my fertile time, and I thought it might be my last chance to live it up so I made the most of it. I drank a LOT for a week, didn't watch my diet at all, I even went in a hot tub. Couldn't believe it when I got home and saw the positive pregnancy test. DS is 14 now, he's a bright sporty boy - no hard done. Phew! Try not to worry OP.

My DS was conceived whilst me and my now husband were at a festival and on LSD. Lol. Smoked about 50 cigarettes over the weekend too. He was obviously unplanned! But now a healthy 2.5 y/o

We are now ttc baby number 2 and I have already had two early losses since June... whilst eating healthy, not drinking and not smoking at all...

A lot of what goes on in your uterus is out of your control. The best thing you can do is to forgive yourself - torturing yourself will do you no good. Get help with quitting the fags , well done on cutting back but you do need to quit completely if your serious about ttc.

As for the alcohol I don’t believe it’s likely to have had a major affect at this point so don’t beat yourself up but promise yourself it won’t happen again!

Although you should obviously try to be the healthiest version of yourself whilst ttc, you also don’t know how long the road is going to be yet so I’d say a small glass of wine here and there is just fine! But obviously you know yourself best and if you’re more of a binger maybe best save it for when AF arrives and you’re definitely not pregnant!

Hope that helps xx

I really wouldn't worry about it. Think of all the unplanned pregnancies that happen and are absolutely fine.
I got horrendously drunk at my brothers wedding and realised two days later that I was late. Still had a raging hangover as I sat there looking at my positive pregnancy test.

To be fair this is how quite a few babies are conceived!

Less flippantly, I think the concern is there is a link between smoking and drinking and poor health outcomes for babies and mothers or in severe cases of large amounts of alcohol regularly drunk can result in damage like foetal alcohol syndrome. However, it is incredibly difficult to qualify the effect on health for a specific individual these have. That is no research study can tell you how many drinks and when during the pregnancy they are drunk, will equal X grams lower birth weight for example.

So drinking while ovulating is not a straight forward sick baby or reduced fertility. Plus on the flip side you are human and allowed to do these perfectly legal behaviours.

It sounds like you are trying the right things. Quitting smoking and reducing your drinking while TTC is great. I wish you all the best and why not get in the professionals and talk to your GP if you haven't already for some support.

Remember everything is potentially/possibly/maybe forbidden when being in possession of a uterus.

I got a comment when eating a ham sandwich that it was a miscarriage risk. My colleague informed the person that at 38 weeks I could probably have my lunch without too much worry. A discussion about Listeria ensued and I ate my darn sandwich

Many many babies are conceived after a lot of drink. September is the number one month for births and it’s in part due to all the partying over Christmas and the new year! So there would be a lot of damaged babies if this was a problem.

If you conceived this cycle then the fertilised egg would be bouncing along still unattached to for a few days and then it would take a fair few more days to implant and start drawing nourishment from you. Just be more careful from here on in until you know whether you are pregnant. Good luck and try not to worry.

I've been TTC for 9 cycles now and no way would I have been able to give up my drink this whole time! People TTC for ages and certainly don't give up on alcohol and lots go by the mantra of drink til it's pink.

In short, you have nothing to worry about, this is literally what most other people do unless they were tee total to start with.

@wannabemumma88 in February 2018 I went out got drunk and a week later found out I was pregnant I now have a happy healthy nearly 2 year old... I read on here that it's up to 8 weeks where the alcohol doesn't reach baby, I could be wrong as I'm only repeating what I read. Don't put yourself down, I have a friend who constantly went out got drunk most weekends and then one day didn't feel well she took a test it came back positive and she was actually 26 weeks pregnant x

Op, if you are pregnant, there isn't even an umbilical cord yet. Nothing you drank could harm the baby. Relax.

Dd was almost certainly conceived in a pissed up state as lots of babies before and since and was perfectly heathy. I really wouldn't worry. The after effects of the booze are probably making you feel anxious.

@wannabemumma88 even if you have conceived, you are before implantation. So any cigarettes or alcohol wouldn't effect the fetus at all. If you're worried about the egg, egg health is improved across months/years so again not impacted by this one off. If you're worried about the miscarriage likelihood, these are slightly impacted by ongoing early drinking.

For the above reasons many 'drink till its (a test) is pink'

Its important you reduce drinking when TTC and stop when pregnant, but that session of prosecco will be FINE @wannabemumma88! Please try to put your mind at rest

Thank you everyone, you are all wonderful and your replies have made me feel much much better x