Controversial!!! Have/do you drink alcohol in pregnancy?

[DanniiH]

Hi mummies.

Just wanting to get some opinions from real people not a regulatory body.

Personally I don't see the harm in having a glass of wine when pregnant but guidelines say to have none. I'm sure we've all heard people say my mum drank lots and I turned out fine and this is usually true I'm sure. With my son I drank a small glass of wine most nights, he is 3 and scarily bright so I've obviously caused him no harm. I'm pregnant again and whilst I won't drink every night I will have one if I fancy it.

Anyone else agree with this?
Anyone know of anyone where moderate drinking has caused harm to a child?

Your link educatingarti is the same as the paper I've linked to multiple times on this thread but no one seems to be acknowledging. It is indeed of interest and may change some women's views on drinking during pregnancy (it did so for me too).

I only brought up term abortion on this thread to illustrate the logical conclusion behind the statement that a fetus has no rights.....which everyone seemed to be in agreement with. SGB's case rests on bodily autonomy and complete respect of the woman's rights at the expense of any putative rights of the fetus. However, I think she is mixing this up with health advice that is given. No one is being obliged or compelled or forced to do anything wrt drinking. I don't think it helps to think of women's or fetal rights in the context of prenatal care.

I didn't say anything about it being different for disabled babies. So I would appreciate it if you refrained from putting words in my mouth.

My views on abortion have nothing to do with my views on drinking during pregnancy. And this thread is supposed to be addressing that.

I'm not sure that talking about "rights" is so helpful here. The op asked about what people thought about drinking in pregnancy. I'm assuming that the op ( and pretty much all the other posters on here) are talking about pregnancies where the child is wanted and loved and has parents that want to do the best for him/her.

In this case, the most recent evidence seems to be that even low levels of alcohol may cause problems for some babies ( especially with particular genetic markers). In this case, surely it is best to err on the side of caution and not drink at all? Why would you want to risk it?

You said exceptional circumstances which includes the baby having a disability. Ultimately that means putting a lesser value on the life of a baby wuth a disability. I think thats wrong it should be one rule for all.

Threads can go off on a tangent and then go back to the origional op or not. But there are no thread police we can discuss and go off in various directions if we want to. I was following on from the last few posts.

Actually, what people seem to be forgetting in all this 'waa, bwaa, you mustn't drink at all in pregnancy otherwise you are a selfish cow who doesn't deserve to have babies at all...' - lots and lots of women get pregnant unexpectedly and don't know that they are pregnant for the first month or so. So, logically, if half a white wine spritzer is such a terrible threat to the unborn (which of course it isn't. All that stuff about 'subtle' problems that we 'don't know about yet' is misogynist bullshit - we have no clue what causes a lot of things, we still can't read a gene chart so let's just say that anything which goes wrong must be the fault of the mother.) then women of childbearing age should be forbidden alcohol. Which would not be reasonable at all given that not all women have children or want them, not all women are fertile at all, and even those who do become mothers spend, on the whole, only a very small proportion of their lives being pregnant.

THe other thing about supporting abortion on demand to term is that it is the only logical position if you support freedom of choice. I pretty much despise the sort of people who say that abortion is 'acceptable' when the pregnancy is the result of rape, for instance. Because rape is not the foetus' fault, is it? Yet people think it's OK to terminate in that case, but not if the woman enjoyed or consented to the incident of PIV that caused the pregnancy. How is that anything other than woman-hating?

There are some seriously misguided and rude people on here.

And SGB you are talking about extremism here, and there is extremism in every single ethical matter, it is not all as black and white as you make out.

You gave your views on abortion and I commented on them. I was simply continuing the line the thread was currently taking. As far as I am aware mnet has no rules on how threads go and if they can go off on a tangent. As I said there are no thread police and you discussed the issue yourself.

Ask said re drinking the smell made ms feel sick do I didn't, OK think I may have had the odx half a lager in late pregnancy. Ultimately women need to take advice and make an informed decision. And I believe in bodily autonomy so a woman can drink our have an abortion (for whatever reason) if she so wishes.

Nowhere did I mention disability, this is why I said don't put words in my mouth. who are you to decide what I deem to be an exceptional circumstance?

And for the record I do not see disability as an exceptional circumstance. Someone with a disability is still a person - again, whole different thread.

And would you quit with the "thread police..."

You said its legal to terminate up to term in exceptional circumstances, that includes when the baby has a disability. It may not means your 'exceptional circumstances' but you didnt say that.

You think abortion to term is shocking, I think if you allow it for some babies, you should allow it for all or you are discriminating against the unborn disabled child.

And you were the one complaining about the thread going off the subject of the op yet you continued yge conversation yourself. If you don't like mention if 'thread police' stop acting like one.

These debates always get emotive but ultimately it comes down to individual choice. I won't do lots of things in pregnancy and I font think I could have an abortion but each woman has the right to make her Owen choices and I won't judge because I am not that woman.

See this is why threads like this do my head in, you always get a few people who can't have a debate without turning it into an argument and getting personal.

Ultimately if someone is going to drink in their pregnancy, then they are best to stick to just a couple of units once or twice a week. There are always going to be people who don't stick to that, just as there are always going to be people taking drugs, smoking, eating undercooked meat and other risky behaviours. Obviously no one can stop them and that is simply life.

5madthings, FWIW I actually argee with that you are saying - that if you agree with full term abortion for some things, you shouldn't discriminate against others. I personally believe that the abortion law is too high as it stands at 24 weeks, so as you can imagine I don't agree with full term termination. However, I do understand why the law stands as it does, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

I wasn't trying to make it personal, I was just answering some posts.

I don't think i could have an abortion but for those women that have a late term abortion I don't think its a decision any if them take lightly and so I would never judge.and I do think the current law is disabilist and that is wrong.

Yeah I know, sorry - hormones are making me a bitch! Yeah thats what I mean, I understand why it is allowed, and it must be a bloody awful decision to have to make so I would never judge either.

:)

I followed this read with interest. in response to the original question on alcohol - I am currently about 15 weeks and since I tested positive (3 weeks in) I have not touched any. I live in Germany now, where the current advice they give is none at all - they just don't know why it can affect one person with a small amount, and someone else can have more. They cite the latest research when they give you this advice here, and say, if you must, then a half glass every now and then - i.e. at a special occasion. Much less than once or twice a week. But I certainly don't judge others drinking - many of my friends and sister drank or are drinking small amounts in the pregnancies, they found it relaxed them, they also were healthy eaters and kept their sport up - all important factors. Although I have such bad morning sickness i eat what I can, and the idea of wine makes me feel a bit queasy. To be honest, you can get such good alcohol free beer in germany I make myself an alcohol free 'lager top/shandy' when I fancy a drink and am not praying to the porcelain god! I figure, it's now less than 6 months to go, and getting pregnant was really hard for me, I don't want to do anything, however really minor that may impact the little bean, even if that is just me stressing about it - and this stress has an impact.

Also on the toxiplasmosis, this is always tested as standard in Germany.

Alcohol increases the risks of heart attacks in the child in older age.

In my first pregnancy I had the odd alcohol free beer. We attended a wedding when I was about 5/6 months and I had a small glass of wine with lemonade with the meal and to toast the speeches and whatnot.

@DietPregnancyResearcher There is a special section of MN for surveys. I've reported your post so it can be moved there.

I attempted to have a glass of wine with my first at Christmas (eight years ago) couldn't stomach it.

guys this thread is 7 years old