Must dos and nono's.

[AltruisticEnigma]

What are the must do's and nono's when you are pregnant. This is from your own personal experience as well as general advice.

"Alcohol is a recreational drug!" Clearly it's up there with using crack during pregnancy then.

I think this thread is based on personal experiences and coping with pregnancy as much as medical advice. Medical advice states women can consume alcohol in moderation during pregnancy. Suggesting it's irresponsible for women to enjoy a glass of wine when pregnant is almost as bad as blaming a women for her child having a disability when you don't know what the condition is or what causes it.

My Must Do List:
Photos
Surround yourself with support
Treat yourself : massage, nice hair cut, dvd box set, long baths. Whatever floats your boat.

List to Avoid:
Pushing opinion on others/ listening too much to others.
Worrying
Drinking too much water before a scan ( you may pee when she presses down with the scan thing)

shimmy current NHS guidelines say that alcohol should be avoided during the first three months of pregnancy. Beyond three months, a safe level of alcohol has not been firmly established, though the guidance states there is no evidence of harm from drinking a maximum of 1-2 units once or twice a week.

It is a pregnant woman's choice whether to follow guidelines or not. And by not I mean completely abstaining from alcohol.

Shimmy 1) flaggelating yourself over one poxy can of fosters is ridiculous, unless its because you should have had something decent/nice, like a proper Belgium lager or something and 2) suggesting that drinking half a glass of wine will mean that every pg woman is condemning their foetus to serious illness is absolutely 100% inaccurate, judgemental and rude. Read the facts - there have been MANY threads on MN Preg forum alone in the 23+wks that I have been pg that discuss this in length.

DO keep any baby names you are considering to yourself

DO NOT tell anyone the baby names you are considering.

Light alcohol consumption after the first 16 weeks isn't an issue. New studies coming out of Denmark (iirc) are showing that.

The issue is that they don't know exactly what the dangerous level is -- how much you have to drink before harm can be measured. So NHS guidelines probably won't change until that's clear. NHS guidelines are designed to save the NHS money, so they will always err on the side of extreme caution.

Since about 24 weeks I've had half a can of lager with meals a few times a week. It will not harm the baby. If that kind of light alcohol consumption is as dangerous as some seem to think, then the human race wouldn't have survived this long. Not so long ago, alcohol addition was the only was to sterilize water...

OP, educate yourself on what 1 unit of alcohol really is (e.g. a glass of red wine frequently runs up into 2 unit territory), and if you want a treat every now and again, limit yourself to 1-2 units a week.

Don't go shopping on a really hot day and just assume you can spend 2 hours on your feet carrying bags like you would normally. I just tried this - v unwise.

Do:
Unplug all the phones when you get to your due date..

Get a long pillow, whihc you can put between your legs at night, to make sleep nicer.

Eat prawns.

Read the books you want - it'll be a long time after the birth until you can do this again.

Stay up late and watch telly. See above.

AS little as possible towards the end - because you'll soon be knackered.

Don't:
Feel bad about wearing your Pjs by the telly every night.

Go for long walks on the beach at 8 months pregnant and get stuck in the mud.

I'm fairly new to MN as 13 pg with DC1. Thanks everyone for some of the advice - didn't think about a photo diary, I will definitely do that now. And to enjoy the experience - I'm loving being pregnant and being around friends and family that are so pleased. So I would say try and surround yourself with supportive positive people that want to share in the good times and will comfort in the not so good times.

I think the best advice is to just make informed choices that you alone are happy with. Good luck with your prgenancy OP.

As for the can of fosters it was a few minutes of craving that I can't really explain. AS I PREVIOUSLY SAID I HAVE REGRETTED THIS but then you would know this had you actually read the post instead of skimming over it.

I do hope this wine drinker that you are all happy to defend so much has been drinking organic wine every weekend instead of the likes of Blossom Hill etc as the amount of pesticides in these types of wines is enough to affect her child's intelligence. And this takes place in later stages of pregnancy. I'll bet the Denmark study didn't include a pesticide check.

Shimmy get a grip. If you are getting a knickers in a twist over a can of bloody fosters you are going to find the next 18 years of your child's life very trying to say the least. If it makes you feel better I whilst 5 weeks pregnant I got very drunk on cocktails and wine (yes non organic wine!) so far my 12 week old seems non the worse for it. An uptight mother will cause more problems for her child in the long term than the odd drink during pregnancy.

Do: be glad when people take an interest in your pregnancy, even when they say the wrong thing. It means they'll be interested in your baby when it arrives!

Don't: take offence every time someone tries to make conversation about you/your bump. It is NICE that they are interested, so they got it wrong, but EVERYTHING you say to a pregnant woman can be wrong if their hormones are that way that day! so breath and be glad of the interest!

lol @ shimmy

shimmy there was a huge piece of research done recentley that showed NO links to AFS or other problems if the woman drank 9 units or less a wk.To 'damage' the baby women would need to be drinking 6/7 units a day.The research suggests t current guidelines of 1 to 2 units once or twice a wk are there because some women think 'moderate'drinking is having 6/7 units a day (t curse of t boozy brit stereotype) Alcohol advise in other EU countries if no way as strict. I have had a few bottles of cider,some pimms a few times...do what suits u,but be informed x

It was Danish research printed in the BJOG journal in June x

I had the occasional glass of red wine when I was pregnant with DD3, and that included Blossom Hill. DD3 is in reception, has excelled this year, has been doing year 1 work for the last half term, and was chosen for the headteacher's award for excellent progress. In comparison, I was teetotal with DD2, and she has Specific Language Impairment and is now being assessed for possible autistic spectrum disorder.
I'm 32 weeks with DD4, and since 13 weeks, have had the occasional small glass of wine with a meal.

Do focus on the end result

Don't get too fixated on having a particular birth experience

Don't panic over anything - even the dangerous stuff (listeria, salmonella) is so very unlikely that you're probably at more risk commuting to work each day (or working until the bitter end as that new study suggests)

The alcohol thing is a place where everyone has an opinion. Read the research (note, not the daily mail report of the research). There have been a number of large, well designed studies from multiple countries (including the UK) which as conclusively as is possible show that light drinking during pregnancy makes absolutely no difference and does not put your child at risk of FAS.

Eggs are another area of panic - but all UK chickens are vaccinated against salmonella, so you're as safe to even eat them runny if they're lion marked.

People panic over crazy things (I had a friend who was very worried about my bare feet getting cold.. in the summer) when you're pregnant.

Don't listen to anyone else, even on mumsnet as this thread clearly shows