Drinking as a new parent

[emma911030]

I wasn't sure where to post this.. this is a little random but there we go.
So I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the moment I found out that I was pregnant as I just didn't want to touch it anymore.
My little boy is nearly 4 weeks old, I still have absolutely no interest in having anything remotely alcoholic which I know is absolutely fine. However every now and again when I go past the alcohol isle in the shop I think oh maybe I'll get just the one bottle of cider but not specifically cause I want it just cause I think I should cause of the fact I'm not pregnant anymore and just cause I can really. But then I don't think I should because I can't even begin to imagine having had just one sip of alcohol when I have my little man here to look after I'd feel guilty as hell that I couldn't drive if I needed to get him somewhere.
I just wondered how old was your little one before you drank any sort of alcohol again? Just for interest more than anything as I know there's no right or wrong answer and will drink when I feel like I'm comfortable to and not because I feel I should x

Don’t you have Uber? Or phones where you live then? Drink if you want, don’t drink if you don’t. I’m sure short men don’t care

Well thank you for your input @Myfoolishboatisleaning even if it was a little rude, it really answered my question 👍🏻

I had a drink as soon as I was off the pain medication that I was told not to drink on after my c section. Probably a week or so.

Big difference between having a single alcoholic drink and getting drunk.

You can have the odd drink, even when breastfeeding, so long as you are still able to care safely for your baby (or another adult is around and responsible). I don't remember how long I waited because having an occasional drink wasn't that important. I wonder if you think having a drink = getting drunk because you seem to be rather over thinking this. Apologies if I'm misunderstanding and it is just because you have been very deliberately avoiding all alcohol for months.

Both my babies cluster fed around the clock for the few months so I didn't drink as I was BFing. Once they began sleeping for longer stretches I might have a glass of wine in the early evening. Actually when I stopped BFing the first time I discovered I only was really able to drink two glasses before it affected me as my tolerance had gotten so low. So that's pretty much all I'll have to drink now anyway. I'm not sure it's something I thought about that much TBH?

I had a glass of wine with dinner most nights from straight after I had my son, I didn't get drunk and could still have driven if I'd needed to.

@MyFoolish We don’t have Uber in my town, so it’s not such an obvious choice.

I drank from when DD was a couple of weeks old. Not heavily but the odd glass of wine, etc. Since then I've realised how much more tired alcohol makes me due to disturbed sleep, so for that reason I plan not to drink after DD2 is born. Think it will make the general sleeplessness a bit better!🤞

I had a glass of sparkling wine at my birthday when dd was about 8 or 9 weeks old at family's insistence that it was ok. I was worried because I was breastfeeding. I waited until just after a feed. I've since learned not to be over anxious which is really easy to do in early months with your first. Like a pp said there is a difference between one drink and getting drunk.

Once son was about 12 weeks I have enjoyed a glass of wine ... or a small ( properly measured ) gin and tonic ... for me it’s my end of day little bit of adult time ...usually with dinner.

Husband doesn’t like the taste of alcohol so have someone that can drive in emergency.

But if you don’t particularly like it then don’t feel like you should have a hot bath instead of you have down time or something else that you enjoy x x

I have only drunk alcohol on a handful of occasions since my child was born 2.5 years ago. Most of those (few) times it’s only been half a glass. I can only think of one occasion when I had drunk too much to drive and that was on a very special occasion and there was a children’s hospital in walking distance.

I find that when I drink even a tiny bit it makes it so much harder to deal with sleep deprivation. Having had to make several trips to A&E with DC needing urgent treatment, I also feel that I always want to be able to drive. Waiting for a taxi would add an unacceptable delay in my opinion. On the very rare occasion when I am not with my DC I am even less inclined to want to drink because I want to be able to get back to them immediately if needed.

I’ve never been a heavy drinker and I’m very happy as I am at the moment. I imagine I’ll relax a bit over time, but for now being almost tee-total suits me nicely. I wouldn’t judge other parents at all for drinking (unless cosleeping) and certainly breastfeeding alone is not a reason not to drink any alcohol if you want to have some.

So, do what works for you!

Get this: I've had a kid and don't drive! It is possible you know

Agree with pp, have a drink, don't have a drink. Don't overthink it. The patriarchy like to stop women undertaking "unmotherly" persuits when they've given birth. Having s cider won't put you or your baby on danger so crack on it if you want to.

I drank in the weeks after my pregnancy and successfully breastfed.

I think people worry about this too much. Don't get plastered, sure, but otherwise...

Are you very young? Do you have high anxiety? Because the answer to this is no. And it's a bit strange that you even needed to ask. When you think about it, I hope you realise that of course it's ok.

I distinctly remember my first drink after DS was born - a pint when he was about three days old and we were sat in a pub garden with him. It was bliss! I had a single drink once or twice a week from then on. My NHS breastfeeding class said it's fine to drink while breastfeeding. As pp said, it was the sleep deprivation that was the major reason stopping me drinking more. He's now 8 months and I've had more than one drink maybe three or four times, and always paid for it - two glasses of wine gives me a headache now

I don't really get the 'but what if I need to drive?!' thing. DH is at home with DS in the day and I take our sole car to work, so he's carless - is that irresponsible? Surely not? Obviously getting drunk when you're in charge of the baby is different, but being able to drive isn't a necessity of being a parent!

Don’t take any notice of some of the slightly patronising posts on here op.

Firstly, congrats on your baby! I was exactly the same as you - didn’t touch a drop throughout my pregnancy and then found that it felt weirdly ‘wrong’ to be drinking the first few weeks we had dd. I had a glass of champagne at my dads when she was around 5 weeks old, then the odd glass of wine here and there (I was breastfeeding so didn’t have more than a small one).

It wasn’t rational but at the time I think I was afraid I’d drop her or something if I had more than one drink 🤣. The driving to hospital hong never occurred to me. She is our pfb though and I’m 34 so nothing to do with being young 🙄.

DD is now 20 weeks and I look forward to g&t once she’s gone to bed. Enjoy and don’t beat yourself up about it!

As soon as I didn’t think I’d fall asleep in the middle of a drink! That was probably about 4-6 weeks each time. Once the fog started to lift and I was managing to shower regularly again.

There’s nothing wrong with having a drink when you’re a parent (unless you just don’t want one). It was awhile before I had maybe more than 2 just because I was tired and I didn’t drink before bedtime because we co-sleep (so I’d have a few drinks with lunch or in the afternoon while prepping dinner). I wasn’t up downing shots til 11pm (unless we weren’t at home with our kids, but nights away didn’t come til much later). But even while EBF (my youngest has never taken a bottle), I never limited what I drank. I don’t typically drink to the point of falling over and passing out anyway.

If we had a true emergency and didn’t feel comfortable driving, we’d call an ambulance. Of course, if we had a true emergency, we’d call an ambulance anyway. Having had a few glasses of wine wouldn’t really matter.

I'm breastfeeding so I've avoided all alcohol until now, my LB is 11 months (still breastfed) but I have the odd drink now and then. I'm on holiday at the moment so I've been having a beer every other night once he's in bed.

I had the odd glass of wine but it made me sleepy because I was so exhausted, it helped me build up a bit of a tolerance again tho. I got “drunk” for the first time at a party when ds2 was about 6 months old and it was the worst hangover of my life, but then it went back to normal

I had a glass of champagne the night all mine were born. And I was breastfeeding.
DC3 is 10 weeks now and I’ve had a glass of wine on a few occasions and a g&t on a few other occasions. And still breastfeeding.

I had a lovely G&T about 2 hours after getting home from hospital

I had a glass of prosecco the night we got back from the hospital so 2 days after, was pretty envious of DH getting to have more of the bottle but I couldn't face more then and was worried about bf. Then maybe a glass or two a week until DS really slowed down with bf at about 9-10 months. Still felt really guilty about it though! He stopped completely at 14 months and so the last few months have been back to normal for me...it's bliss to enjoy a bottle of wine with DH guilt free again! I don't drive anyway and we live fairly near a hospital so a taxi wouldn't be expensive. Sometimes on a Friday afternoon I meet DH from work and sit out the front of a nearby pub and have a quick pint. It's with a view of a river and DS loves looking at the boats and things so I'm sure it's not causing him any harm! We're never drunk though, haven't been drunk for a couple of years now!

Glass of wine about 3 weeks pp. OH and I often share a bottle of wine over a weekend evening but I wouldn't drink if LO was sick or sleeping so poorly I know he's going to end up in bed with me.

I had 3 double jd's on saturday, my little one is 9 weeks old. However, my husband didnt have anything so would have been in control if needed, which it wasnt as baby slept through the night! Lol

I had 3 double jd's on saturday, my little one is 9 weeks old. However, my husband didnt have anything so would have been in control if needed, which it wasnt as baby slept through the night! Lol

Christ, am green with envy! I had three (small) glasses of red wine last night at a work event which is why I did the 2.30 and 5.30am wakings with my eight month old and DH did the 10.15 and 12.20 - and we consider that a mediumnight! Cherish your luck and maybe offer to make the teas at mums' groups so those less fortunate can sit down!