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Original poster

Am I being really bad?

22 replies

Thomcat · 14/09/2005 11:09

How awful am I on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a witch from hell, to have 1 cup of coffee most mornings and 1, sometimes 2 glasses of wine most evenings with dinner.

Am 28 weeks pregnant.

Am I being cruel and irresponsible.

I haven't had a cigarette since the day I found out I was pregnant and am eating well.
Should I try harder to give up my cup of coffee and glass of wine?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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novadandypowder · 14/09/2005 11:15

I think you're fine with the coffee - they say no more than 4 cups a day I think. However, the books all say that you shouldn't be having more than 1-2 units of alcohol a week I think, so it may be worth saving the wine for the weekend?

Not really my place to say/judge, I'm just going by what the books say.

tiredemma · 14/09/2005 11:17

i do not believe at all that one cup of coffee, and a glass of wine is tantamount to being cruel and irresponsible.

really, dont feel so bad about it.

i drank coffee through both pregnancies, and with ds2 i didnt know i was pregnant till 16 weeks and vividly remember being carried out of a family party just acouple of weeks before.

people take hard drugs through pregnancies- thats cruel and ireresponsible.

now on a scale of worrying unnescesary (sp)- i award you a massive 10!!!

flamesparrow · 14/09/2005 11:18

I would probably just stick to the one glass of wine of an evening - some doctors actually recommend that to help lower blood pressure during pregnancy.

Keep the coffee too - if your body is used to coffee each day, then you will get the headache from hell if you stop cold turkey

flamesparrow · 14/09/2005 11:19

I'm with Tiredemma that there is a lot worse you could be doing.

The only reason I'm not drinking alcohol is because pregnant me apparantly doesn't like it

Original poster
Thomcat · 14/09/2005 11:20

Okay, thanks.
I think you're right about the wine and will get in lots of tempting fruit juices to have with dinner instead.
Motherhood = guilt from day 1 on conception doesn't it!

OP posts:
flamesparrow · 14/09/2005 11:21

I'm craving fruit, so fruit juices sound sooooooooo good!

marthamoo · 14/09/2005 11:22

No you are not cruel and irresponsible, you daft bat - but personally, I would cut back on the wine a bit. Maybe just once or twice a week instead of every night? Or just a small glass every night? But then I was the Paranoid Pregnant Worry-Wart of the Century

Hazellnut · 14/09/2005 11:24

I read a report somewhere (one of those that has a sheet for the health professional and one for the woman on the street) that suggested that if the woman was drinking 10 units a week it wasn't anything to worry about... Wish I could remember where I read it ! One of my friends with her second pregnancy was told by the doctor 'if we were in the US I would be saying don't have any, if we were in france I would be saying have one a day, so do what you feel comfortable with'. She probably had similar amounts to what you are saying Thomcat and her LO is fine !

donnie · 14/09/2005 11:24

in early pregnancy I was so sick I had no wine at all! but later on- about your stage - I did quite like one or two glasses 3 times a week - there are no definitive guidelines as to alcohol intake as I have seen so many varying suggestions, ranging from zero to much higher! rest assured a witch you ain't!
ps stay off the fags though!

basketcase · 14/09/2005 11:24

Thomcat - if I were in your shoes I think I would make a decision one way or the other : either decide to carry on with the odd cup of coffee and glass of wine in the knowledge that it is in moderation, you are healthy and avoiding other (and worse) temptations. If you are not able to relax and will not enjoy your odd glass of wine, the maybe a decision to cut down to just a glass of wine at the weekend and perhaps switch to the half caff type coffee for mornings.
Whatever you decide, just do the one that makes you feel most happy and comfortable as I don?t think it is that sinful in the bigger picture.
I had one cup of "real" coffee in the morning and switched to decaff through the day and the occasional glass of wine but not daily as I am a hopeless worrier.

ScummyMummy · 14/09/2005 11:30

I think you've got a little way to go yet before the risk of feotal alcohol syndrome becomes a worry! You're doing just fine, tc. If you're worried cut down to 1 glass of wine but I think the benefits of enjoying life outweigh the miniscule risks of harm to the new baby. Really.

Mum2girls · 14/09/2005 11:31

Agree with scummymummy.

Original poster
Thomcat · 14/09/2005 11:31

LOL and thanks.

Now why didn't I think of drinking de-caff? What a muppet, will swich immediatley.
And while I'm buying the de-caff stock up on lots of soft drinks and tell D to stop pouring me a glass every night. Once he hands it to me it's very difficult to not drink it!

Thanks.

OP posts:
harpsichordcarrier · 14/09/2005 11:41

Sheila Kitzinger says up to 10 units of alcohol a week is fine and I think the Royal COllege of Obs and Gyn say the same.
trouble is that a home glass of wine tends to be a bit bigger than a unit...
I would try and relax and enjoy your pregnancy and be a bit kind to yourself. if a glass of wine helps you sleep.... we're not talking about a bottle of vodka now...

Kiwifruit · 14/09/2005 11:41

I would just stick with teh normal coffee if I were you Thomcat - 1 cup a day is way under the recommended maximum, and have read that the processes they use to de-caff the coffee are way worse than drinking the full-caff stuff.

RE the wine - I've been having the odd glass since the start of the 2nd trimester, but unfortunately gives me horrible heartburn . If you like having 2 glasses in the evening, what about using 1 glass of wine to make 2 wine spritzers with soda water?

Original poster
Thomcat · 14/09/2005 12:56

Oh good point abuit decaf, yes, i had to switch back to real suger from swwetners so guess it's the same sort of thing.

The heartburn does stand in the way of a glas of cold white, but finding that beaujalois slips down nicely
Either way, i am going to tell D to stop automatically pouring me a glass every night and try and drink a lot more water and fruit juices and save the wine mainly for weekends.

OP posts:
Kiwifruit · 14/09/2005 13:15

Thomcat - am thinking that maybe you shouldn't have told me about the red wine not giving you heartburn - could be dangerous!!! Still, only a few weeks to go (hopefully ) then I can enjoy heartburn free sauvignon blanc, with a bit of luck...

Original poster
Thomcat · 14/09/2005 13:27

oh and good luck

OP posts:
morningpaper · 14/09/2005 13:34

I tend to water down my (red) wine so it's 50/50 wine and water. It's continental! Becks alcohol free beer is pretty tasty too.

Personally I avoid coffee while pg because it makes me jumpy at the best of times but that's just the effect it has on me.

piglit · 14/09/2005 13:43

Thomcat

I'm 29 weeks pg and am having a glass or 2 of wine at night. I was beginning to worry that maybe I shouldn't but as far as I'm aware you need to drink quite a lot more that one or 2 a night for problems to occur. I have a very active 11 month old who takes forever to go to sleep and my treat of an evening is to sit with dh having a glass of wine and congratulating myself on getting through another day. I haven't dared ask anyone's opinion in case they think I'm a bad mummy or berate me so thank you so much for posting!

motherinferior · 14/09/2005 13:46

Oh, just go for it, honey. I didn't even know about coffee first time round, and drank about the same as you.

Enid · 14/09/2005 16:51

another vote for Becks alchohol free lager it is very good

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