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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Need help, loads of alcohol before I knew I was pregnant

21 replies

OctoberBabyGirl · 28/05/2013 15:32

I would drink 2-3 drinks a night during the week, between dinners and spending time with friends/clients. On the weekends, I would toss back a whole bottle of wine by myself in one night. At least once, I put back two bottles of wine in one night.

All of this happened in the two weeks between when I conceived and when I woke up, realized I was late, and took a pregnancy test. I was four weeks and a few days from my last period, so not terribly late into the pregnancy - about two weeks and few days or so.

Just wondering if anyone else has been through this. I'm not drinking at all now and have not had a drink since the pregnancy test, but I do worry that I might have caused more harm than what people are letting on.

OP posts:

AuntieBrenda · 28/05/2013 15:38

My friend had about three hen nights before we went on the main one to magaluf. Drank. Also imbibed serious energy drinks for the three days I was there. On the way home, we had a bit of an ordeal where the pilot 'lost control' of the plane for a bit and I have never been so frightened in my life - I think I physically went into shock I wax in such a state. Found out I was pg about two weeks later. Consultant said there was no need to worry.
DS is 2 now - clever, beautiful, wonderful.
Ask to see a consultant and talk it through with them.
Good luck OP x

AnythingNotEverything · 28/05/2013 15:38

Stop worrying- I'm sure everything is fine. Very few people stop drinking entirely when they're ttc, plus baby doesn't get much from you until implantation, which can be days and days after fertilisation.

The real damage to babies, through things like foetal alcohol syndrome, is caused my daily heavy drinking throughout pregnancy.

Talk to your midwife at your booking in app, but honestly, you're neither the first nor the last to do this.

GoodbyePorkPie · 28/05/2013 15:39

You'll find a LOT of people have similar stories, especially in a drinking culture such as ours.

My pregnancy was unplanned, and about a week after I (unknowingly) conceived I went on holiday to Italy and drank at least 1-2 bottles of wine each day . I now have a very active, healthy toddler. Most of my friends have similar stories!

Your baby isn't sharing a blood supply with you yet so you will be fine. I think this happens at around six weeks but I'm happy to be corrected.

AuntieBrenda · 28/05/2013 15:40

Will add that I did not drink again, I only was carrying on as normal as didn't know I was pg as I thought I couldn't get pg as was dx infertile

Original poster

OctoberBabyGirl · 28/05/2013 15:58

AuntieBrenda, if you do not mind me asking, how far along were you into the pregnancy before you found out? Was it straight away?

OP posts:

Snowflakepie · 28/05/2013 16:02

Oh yes, with both my DC. I maintain that's how they're here...

With DD I must have conceived over our wedding anniversary weekend. HUGE amounts to drink, plus like you I would happily share a bottle of wine with DH every evening and at weekends that could lead to spirits, 2nd bottles, the lot. As soon as I knew I was pg, I stopped completely in the first trimester and then only had one small white wine on a Friday night as my work was so stressful. Once I was on mat leave I didn't drink at all apart from a glass of champers at Christmas (38 weeks). DD is the brightest child I know and perfect in every way!

This pg (I am now 37 weeks) I conceived around the time we were away at my in laws and DH and BIL were competing in a triathlon. Lots and lots of booze to celebrate their good times and the end of the training for the summer. And here we are again. Once again I stopped drinking, this time I've had even less as I'm not in the same job. A few odd glasses at events through the 2nd trimester. Obviously I don't know for sure yet but all scans and tests are fine.

Like a pp I think the embryo is nourished by the egg sac to about 6 weeks, not your blood as such. Think of it as nature's way of protecting the embryo before the mother even knows. How you behave from now on is more important. By all means talk to your doctor if you are worried but it is very unlikely that any harm will have occurred. Good luck with your pg x

flatmum · 28/05/2013 16:07

Please don't worry!! We have all been there! I was so drunk during the 2 weeks between conception and pregnancy test on red wine that I was sick as a dog and had to be put in the shower by DP. Ironically, I was drowning my sorrows because a friend had just annouced she was pg that night and we had been trying for ages and getting really fed up. Result is a healthy, bright, clever 8 year old with no ill effects whatsoever. I worried a lot too.

I mentioned it to a doctor further on in the pg and he really put my mind at rest. He said FAS is cused by sustained and prolonged exposure to alcohol, and that any drinking in the first couple of weeks would probably have a negligible effect anyway as the placenta would be yet to form and hence no way for the alcohol to pass from the mothers bloodstream to the baby's. I think it forms about 7/8 weeks?

flatmum · 28/05/2013 16:08

cross posts - yes I was told the embryo is pretty self containde for the first 6 weeks or so

FoofFighter · 28/05/2013 16:30

I really wouldn't think you'd need to see a busy consultant about this matter really.

The foetus will not have gotten any of the alcohol as stated above.

Congratulations, enjoy your pregnancy and don't worry any more :)

tazmo · 28/05/2013 21:37

Hi I was drinking really bad pre conception of dd3. 10th wedding anniversary, dh birthday, ds birthday, other 40th parties and just generally stressed with work on other nights. Conceived dd3 after drinking about 10 units a night - not saying its right - but stopped drinking as soon as I knew. She is 100% healthy! DNW!

I hate to say it but if things are going to happen, they will despite drinking. A colleague At work, drank nothing, smoked nothing,normal BMW etc. she had a child with congenital heart defect, had low amniotic fluid and baby did not survive past 25 weeks. It's a lotto and not just dependent on alcohol consumption. I mentioned my drinking to midwife and she said there were few pgs that she knew of which didn't involve alcohol. The important thing is to keep alcohol to a minimum once u find out!!

Poppetspinkpants · 28/05/2013 22:18

If it wasn't for the 2003 Letchworth Beer Festival DD1 probably wouldn't be here.

Simian0 · 28/05/2013 22:31

It will be fine. I drank pretty heavily for the first few weeks before I realised I was pregnant. I was 6 weeks when I found out. Cut it right out at first - then bizarrely went off it entirely, except for the odd glass of champagne (?!) during later pregnancy.

Now sitting with perfectly healthy 4 week old baby girl.

It will likely have done baby no harm don't worry. Just avoid heavy drinking from now on. Hopefully, like me, you'll just lose your taste for it as it makes it much easier.

Good luck.

Original poster

OctoberBabyGirl · 28/05/2013 22:40

Thank you! I was pretty sure that I was not the first mum that this happened to and that surely someone else drank like I did up until she found out she was pregnant. I was just wondering what those stories were like, if the babies were okay or not. I know every woman and every pregnancy is different, but it is just comforting to know what is out there and that I am not alone!

My friends and I used to drink a lot together, and it is not like anyone was concerned that we could individually drink a whole bottle (or two) of wine on our own, in one sitting. It was just so unfortunate that this happened right at the beginning of the pregnancy, in those first two weeks after conception.

OP posts:

Original poster

OctoberBabyGirl · 29/05/2013 22:45

So, no one thinks I need to worry? We are talking loads of alcohol (two adult size bottles of wine) at four weeks from my last period, probably two weeks and a few days from when we conceived, from what I can tell.

OP posts:

NigelYerABawbag · 29/05/2013 22:50

Weren't you asking these exact very detailed questions a while ago, and wasn't the advice then that you need to get some RL help for your anxiety over this?

I hope you find the answers you are looking for :)

FoofFighter · 30/05/2013 11:21

tbh I dont think 2 bottles of wine is a huge amount anyway

No I don't honestly think you need to worry. maybe the fact you still are despite us trying to reassure is pointing more to the fact that you need reassurance from your MW? Would you believe it from a MW?

Nigel, I remember that poster and I don't think this is them.

flatmum · 30/05/2013 13:49

My honest and considered opinion as someone who has had 3 pregnancies - so this is the same thing I would say to my younger sister for example who is ttc - is NO, you don't need to worry.

You also need to try and relax a bit and and put things in proportion. pregnancies aren't as fragile as the guidelines might have us believe. these are statistical risks and most are associated with prolonged exposure at particular points in the pregnancy (i.e not at the beginning before the placenta has formed). Things will get hairier than this with the whole baby/child-raising thing and you need to stop freaking out and obsessing over one incident.

I say this with the utmost understanding as someone who, in their first pregnancy:

Paid £120 for a private blood test for toxoplasmosis as I had helped my mother clear her garage out in teh 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant and as I saw some cats down there and was convinced I would have been automatically infected.

Had a major freak out at 5 months as someone gave me a Brie sandwich in France to eat which I later found out was unpasteurised. I was about to head to the airport and the hospital until somebody pointed out that it would only be a problem if that particular piece of cheese was infected with something nasty, and my immune system wasnt able to process it - not that it was an automatic deadly infection.

How many weeks are you? Have you had any scans yet? Maybe these would reassure you. Have you spoken to your midwife about it - they will have come across this question 1000s of times I would have thought. Can you imagine how many babies are the result of pregnancies involving alcohol at the beginning before the woman realised she was pregnant? If it was that rsiky our schools would be stuffed full of children with FAS. They aren't.

As long as you stopped drinking when you found out I really don't think you need to continue to worry about this.

GoodbyePorkPie · 30/05/2013 13:57

OP it's already been said on this thread that you wouldn't have been sharing a blood supply with the baby at that time.

HappyJoyful · 30/05/2013 13:59

* We are talking loads of alcohol (two adult size bottles of wine)*

Sorry I had to smile, what are adult size bottles of wine ? I didn't know they did kids ones ?!

To add to something to help reassure you, I know someone who didn't know she was pregnant until 7 months (had been told she couldn't conceive because of fibroids) and drank, smoke and lived off caffeine and energy drinks. 'Baby' is happy, healthy 3 year old.

Your anxiety is likely to be doing more harm.

Original poster

OctoberBabyGirl · 30/05/2013 20:37

Flatmum, I can feel my cheeks turning red as I type this....but I also went to a private lab to have a toxoplasmosis test done! I love to garden, sometimes without gloves, and was eating very risky foods before I found out I was pregnant (like raw oysters and smoked pork, which can carry toxo). It came back normal....

This is my first pregnancy, and when I went in for a scan today, I was told to not worry and to relax.

HappyJoyful - :-) hopefully there is no such thing as a child sized bottle of wine!! I guess my point was that some bottles of wine (like those lovely Italian chiantis!) are smaller than others, and the ones that I went for were the regular, big ones.

My best to you all! Hope to see you on another, happier thread :-)

OP posts:

flatmum · 30/05/2013 20:55

Lol lol lol lol!!!

I have so been there! You are just like me and all I can say is, it's normal to be like this in a first much-wanted pregnancy which im sensing yours is, like mine. Especially for a certain personality type like us! : ) : ). People used to laugh at me for having an excel spreadsheet of all the things I needed for the baby and what time he'd fed and from which boob etc. but if it gets you through it's fine! Having a baby really is great to stop you obsessing over details because you won't have the time or energy! It's all good though, but please don't get too stressed about this one issue which really doesn't warrant so much anxiety. You need room in your head to worry about other things!

By my third pregnancy I ate whatever I liked and didn't even know what week I was in.

You obviously care about your baby and are doing the right thing by not drinking and being healthy in an established pregnancy, you have nothing to worry or feel guilty about from what you have described here. Good luck and try and rest and relax!

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