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Original poster

did you drink during pregnancy

151 replies

dooley1 · 18/03/2006 18:04

Was chatting to a pregnant friend today and she said the current guidelines are no alcohol at all during pregnancy due to behaviuorial problems further down the line. When I was pregnant 2 years ago the guidelines were 1 or 2 units a week so I regularly had a glass of wine with my evening meal. Ds has no behaviourial problems but my friend seemed quite shocked. So quick Mumsnet poll to see where this evidence came from - if you did the same have your kids experienced any of these behaviourial problmes???

OP posts:
red37 · 18/03/2006 18:08

I had one or two glasses of white a week with last child, which I think is the guideline.
Yet I never drunk any with ds1 and he was diagnosed with ADHD.

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 18:16

It does make me wonder where they get these statistics from

OP posts:
red37 · 18/03/2006 18:20

Is the guideline now-no alcohol

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Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 18:22

yes - see \link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3651050.stm\here}

OP posts:
Blandmum · 18/03/2006 18:27

When I was PG 6 and 9 year ago the guidance was 1-2 drinks a week. Some weeks I didn't drink and I never went over the recomended limit. Both my kids are NT.

The sameple of people you will get in MN is likely to be skewed though.

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 18:46

Your experince sounds similar to mine MB

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 18/03/2006 18:48

Yes, when I felt like it, which wasn't often as I had bad nausea w/both girls and then acid reflux. But at the end of pregnancy w/DD1, I craved a pina colada, so I had it. In the last trimester, it got MEGA hot, and every now and again, I wanted a beer, so I had it. I also had some sherry at Xmas.

W/dd2, it was our anniversary when I was about 2 months along, so I had some white wine.

DD1 so far does not have behavioural problems.

tribpot · 18/03/2006 18:52

I was only pregnant last year and the guidelines then were 1-2 units a week. I used to have a few glasses of wine a week and so far ds is perfectly fine (in fact given his weight at birth a few more glasses might have been in order to stunt his growth - kidding).

On the other hand, my adopted niece and nephew are the product of a woman who drank extremely heavily during pregnancy. They have no behavioural problems that aren't equally attributible to a crappy home life with her once born (i.e. too drunk to remember to feed them regularly), and a fairly long spell in care.

I'm not saying that's justification to go out and get lashed whilst pregnant, but for myself I felt that moderation was acceptable. Equally I know people who've avoided alcohol completely for the first trimester and then eased off a little, and of course people who've avoided alcohol completely. It only really matters that you're happy with your own decision (and that your decision isn't to go out and get lashed all the time!)

GDG · 18/03/2006 18:54

I drank like I usually do! I'm not a big drinker though - so while pg, as normal, I'd have wine if I was out to dinner or at a wedding or something.

I rarely go out and get stinking drug even when not pg so it wasn't any different for me.

But yes, I drank while pg - no problems in any of my 3 Smile

Cristina7 · 18/03/2006 18:55

I drank very little because I didn't fancy alcohol anymore. In fact that has always been my first symptom of pg, going off alcohol.

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 19:22

thanks for the replies - it's really interesting to hear people's experiences. I also think if a glass of wine helps you de-stress a little it that that's probably better for the baby too!!

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 18/03/2006 19:25

A sip of cassis with DS1 and half a glass of champagne with DS2 - I'm not a big drinker when not pg though, so wasn't about to start a boozy lifestyle when pg!

Am bfeeding now (well, more accurately, I'm expressing at this very minute, but I do bfeed!) and have the occasional Baileys or glass of wine.

Seona1973 · 18/03/2006 19:47

Current guidelines as per the Food Standards Agency is:

Alcohol

You should drink no more than 1 or 2 units of alcohol, once or twice a week.

A unit is half a pint of standard strength beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.

Caffeine doesnt sound much better according to them either and I bet most people still drink/eat plenty of prducts containing it!! :

You should limit the amount of caffeine you have each day, but you don't need to cut it out completely. Caffeine occurs naturally in a range of foods, such as coffee, tea and chocolate, and it's also added to some soft drinks and 'energy' drinks.

It's important not to have more than 300mg a day. This is because high levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, or even miscarriage.

Each of these contains roughly 300mg of caffeine:

3 mugs of instant coffee (100mg each)
4 cups of instant coffee (75mg each)
3 cups of brewed coffee (100mg each)
6 cups of tea (50mg each)
8 cans of cola (up to 40mg each)
4 cans of 'energy' drink (up to 80mg each)
8 (50g) bars of plain chocolate (up to 50mg each). Caffeine in milk chocolate is about half that of plain chocolate

I have stopped drinking alcohol since I found out I was pregnant but had had a few drinks when I was pregnant but before I realised!! I drink tea and occasionally eat chocolate too.

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 19:47

I read that it doesn't matter if you drink when breastfeeding and it puts people off thinking they have to avoid the vino along with pate, prawns etc wehn breastfeeding

OP posts:
sunandmoon · 18/03/2006 19:51

I did enjoy a glass of wine every night while pregnant! Felt very good indeed... A warm bath and glass of wine, it was my wonderful 9 months!
Baby is very healthy..
By the way, I am French and if they were stopping pregnant women drinking in France... they wouldn't have many healthy baby over there... would they?

Boopert · 18/03/2006 19:54

I'm not a big drinker at the best of times and whenever i'm pg i go off it. Along with curry...bummer!
Does tea actually count if its like a childs version? (ie: milky and weak. More like hot milk thinking of it....Hmmm)

Piffle · 18/03/2006 19:56

Due to ds being a little bit of a surprise and that at the time myself and his dad were on tour in aband, we consumed to excess for the 1st 8 weeks of the pregnancy
To find I was expecting was a SHOCK and as I was also a smoker, I stopped both immediately and took up fruit and healthiness.
DS is actually a model child at 12, very clever
Now dd who we planned - ate properly and took vitamins and all that jazz, never smoked a single fag with her nor barely a drop of drink.
She was born with a complex genetic condition, which has caused her to have some delays, although she is a very bright and delightful child
I say if you take a mild and infrequent intake, then you can probably relax.

skerriesmum · 18/03/2006 19:56

I think it depends which country is providing the guidelines, in North America it is extremely frowned upon to drink at all when pregnant or breastfeeding. I'm not a big drinker but occasionally would have a glass of wine with dinner. I also learned to like the "near beers" in summer; Becks is very good!
When nursing I drank Guinness in the early days (for iron!) and wine sometimes too.
Had (and have) a wonderfully healthy ds.

WideWebWitch · 18/03/2006 19:58

I drank, very very moderately in both pregnancies (small glass of wine a few days a week) days and they're both fine.

happybebe · 18/03/2006 19:59

i drank with my son and with this second, mostly just the odd few but have also been drunk on occasion too, my son is fine and so far, so is the new one, everything in moderation :)

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 20:22

thanks for the replies. What does this mean though "By the way, I am French and if they were stopping pregnant women drinking in France... they wouldn't have many healthy baby over there... would they?"

OP posts:
monkeytrousers · 18/03/2006 20:35

I had a 'french' pregnancy - ie glass of wine with dinner.

monkeytrousers · 18/03/2006 20:36

..and everything's fine BTW!

Original poster
dooley1 · 18/03/2006 20:38

oh I see - in France it's the norm to have a glass of wine with evening meal? I guess all French kids must have attention defincit wotsits Grin!!!

OP posts:
sunandmoon · 18/03/2006 21:00

Wine in France is part of life and don't know anybody who is abusing it! I was introduce to wine when I was very young (a glass of wine with Sunday lunch)... so never anybody over there thought that it would hurt us and surely it didn't!!! And after a long day what is better than a good meal and a nice glass of wineGrin. SO why not to do it while pregnant. Of course I wouldn't recommend getting drunk or smoking while pregnant...