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Original poster

what do you think of pregnant women drinking?

154 replies

babyonboard · 12/07/2005 17:39

Just wondering, as we went out for a sunday roast this weekend, and I had a pint of lager shandy (it was a really hot day and it was lovely out in the pub garden)
I have generally been having a shandy or a white wine spritzer almost every weekend since I found out I was pregnant, and do not ssee the harm in it myself,
I did however get a lot of disgusted stares from various women sitting near us.
i am very proud that i stopped smoking the day I took the test, and though it has been hell i have not succumbed since, even though dp is still smoking as normal so the temptation is always there
I do not see the problem in treating myself to an occasional drink, and don't believe I should be wrapped up in cotton wool for the whole 9 months.
what are your thoughts?

OP posts:
sheepgomeep · 13/07/2005 00:44

'The same people encourage drinking in pregnancy (moderate of course). But will slat you for "EARLY WEANING", FORMULA FEEDING etc.'

I weaned my babies at 4 months and formula fed my dd (and ds after 3 weeks)

I hate the tone being implied by some posters that because a lot of us think that drinking in moderation is fine, that we are somehow bad mothers and don't deserve to have children.

Oh get real for goodness sake

Norash · 13/07/2005 00:44

You tell me!

hatstand · 13/07/2005 00:45

help. i don't understand

Norash · 13/07/2005 00:47

Are you refering to me Sheepgomeep?

Oh and by the way I think your username is quite catchy! I like it

Norash · 13/07/2005 00:48

If indeed you are refering to me then I would refer you to the post below, where I clearly state that I am not judging anyone. Merely stating my opinion.

Norash · 13/07/2005 00:49

Hatstand the answer to that is ..................................................

sheepgomeep · 13/07/2005 00:54

Norash Well you were one of the people that I was referring too but I didn't see your earlier post which is fair enough sorry . No it was jobrowns post that really got up my nose tbh.

Bad mothers beat and starve thier children, lock them in a house on thier own while they sod off on holiday not those who maybe have at the most a few units of alchohol a week

thymes2 · 13/07/2005 01:03

This is probably in the wrong place as it's to do with drinking while breatfeeding but I have found it very helpful ie I have been able to have a drink sometimes with no adverse effect to my little one.
table
I had one to 2 units once or twice a week for quite some weeks during my pregnancy as per government advice at that time. Unfortunately, at the beginning a lot of booze was drunk in the few weeks before I found out I was pregnant. I was also a smoker and I found it very difficult to give up. Luckily my baby is fine but now I know what it is to be a mother I would not take the same risks again.

eidsvold · 13/07/2005 04:02

wouldn't do it personally - but that is their business.

edam · 13/07/2005 04:34

I see JoBrown is causing trouble again - seems to be her speciality. Jo, it is hard medical fact that within the stated limits, moderate drinking in pregnancy will do your baby no harm at all. Your decision for your baby may be no alcohol. But there is no need to condemn other people for making different decisions to you. They aren't harming their babies. Don't pretend that they are - they aren't. Fact. You getting on your high horse doesn't change that.

And your condemnation isn't going to achieve anything. Giving people a hard time doesn't actually motivate them to give up genuinely harmful substances. It can actually make it more difficult. Talk to anyone who works in smoking cessation services and you'll hear the same message.

Original poster
babyonboard · 13/07/2005 08:08

Gosh this really turned into quite a debtae..
still have to say I don't feel remotely guilty, just like i want to punch the people who think it is their right to tell me what to do..
you wouldn't go up to an overweight person in mcdonalds and tell them not to eat that burger would you?

OP posts:
HappyDaddy · 13/07/2005 08:15

babyonboard, you should have pretended to be paralytic and puked on their tables.

Original poster
babyonboard · 13/07/2005 08:31

he heeee heee
to my dp across the croded bar 'i'll have a vodka coke honey, in fact, screw that, make it another double...and grab me a pack of fags while you're there...hic...'

OP posts:
Lizzylou · 13/07/2005 08:35

My friend is 5 months pregnant and her Cardiologist husband is practically begging her to have a drink in order to calm down! It is her first, he said there is nothing wrong with one or two drinks!
My other friend's Italian mom was so worried that she wouldn't drink at all during pregnancy, she used to beg her to have a glass or red wine a night in order to relax her!
Personally my favourite white wine gave me heartburn but I used to have a glass or two of red wine a week when I fancied........

beatie · 13/07/2005 08:39

When I was pregnant with DD in 2002, I was shocked (in a pleasant way) to pick up the NHS leaflet about alcohol and see that 10 units (not all at once) per week were considered OK.

I'm sure I did not drink that much per week anyway; 10 units seemed like quite a lot to me.

Now, pregnant again, in 2005, the advice has changed to NO alcohol during pregnancy.... in yet, there doesn't appear to be any research unveiled which to show drinking less than 10 units per week will cause FAS. I think the NHS is just taking the American stance and not trusting women to be able to moderate their alcohol intake.

Those who are going to drink heavily will continue to drink heavily - ragrdless of this advice and thos who would drink in moderation - a few units per week - now have to feel guilty about it - even though there is no research (as far as I know) to show that this is harmful to the fetus.

I've naturally drunk less this pregnancy because I was sick for longer and had no desire for alcohol. Now, I am like BOB and will drink shandies or spritzers. They go down very nicely in the summer.

What makes me laugh is those people who won't touch a drop of alcohol but will happily down 5 or 6 cans of diet coke a day - no nutritional value and full of dogy artificial sweetners.

beatie · 13/07/2005 08:43

Typos I haven't been drinking - honest.

dyzzidi · 13/07/2005 08:47

I would never consider drinking whilst pregnant. We are getting married in 7 weeks and the most I will do is hold a glass of champagne for the photos. It is my opinion about my baby that after having lost a baby I will do everything I can to help this one along. I have formed my own personal branch of pregnancy police and eat at least 5 portions of fruit & veg, don't smoke and don't drink, cut back caffiene etc.

I will admit I have been dying for an ice cold glass of sangria and would not judge anyone if they were to have a drink.

This should not be a critisism of opinions just a list of them! We all 'bend rules' to suit us I just find myslef in a place where drink can wait another 5 months.

dillydally · 13/07/2005 09:18

Nothing wrong in drinking a half of guinness every now and then in pregnancy
Lots of other things are much worse..smoking, hard narcotics, eating crap food probably is too.

Angeliz · 13/07/2005 09:44

Oh, had to look at this again this morning!

JoBrown, you are so up yourself it's laughable!
What did you do in pregnancy? Lock yourself in a padded cell?

Caligula · 13/07/2005 09:48

I'd like to point out here that the time at which alcohol is most likely to harm the foetus, is in the first 6 weeks of the pregancy... a time when most women don't even know they're pregnant.

There seems to be an awful lot of judgemental hysteria around this subject, with very little actual knowlege...

ebbie22 · 13/07/2005 09:50

I dont normally drink,pregnant or not but when i was pregnant with dd I drank half a pint of guiness every night as was told by ddad that it was full of iron,and I never had any problems with my iron levels until I stopped drinking it,bout 8 months gone...

My dd was 8lbs 7.5 ozs,so this time i am not drinking it BUT i feel dizzy most of the time and am sure that not drinking guiness has something to do with it....I think a little bit o drink is ok and each to there own,I dont drink but then never did much if at all before so dont feel I am missing out on anything.....

monkeytrousers · 13/07/2005 09:52

Sorry if I'm groundhogging but the French don't give up having a glass of wine with dinner when they're pregnant and there isn't an epidemic of alcaholic gallic babies, is there?

I ate no meat, and had maybe 3-4 glasses of wine a week and gave birth to a very healthy 10lb 4 oz baby!

monkeytrousers · 13/07/2005 09:53
ebbie22 · 13/07/2005 09:55

lol

dyzzidi · 13/07/2005 09:55

I agree that there is a sense of hysteria about it as I am one of those hysterical women

My feelings are that if something goes wrong I will be able to deal with it a bit easier knowing that I did everything I could to give my baby the best start. If I had been drinking regardless of the amount I am not sure if I would blame myself as i couldn't say I that the drinking definately did not contribute. Iknow it is a bit ridiculous but its the way I feel. As I have said before I am aware I am a bit OTT with this but it is my much tried for much longed for baby.

What other pregnant women do is their business.

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