I'm 40. I've just had a boozy holiday with a 'light period' throughout. Just POAS :-(

[ColdComfort1974]

I di

I was suspicious on the 12th. Negative test. Heavy 'Spotting' for 10 days. I've never been regular. Think I'm 3.5 weeks post conception :-(

Stupid phone - sorry for brevity - crying

Sorry have to be quick. Just wanted to say that if it's only the boozy holiday that's making you cry, please don't worry one little bit. If the pregnancy continues there will be no damage from the alcohol at this stage.

I'm really sorry, I'm not totally sure from your posts what has happened but don't want to leave it unanswered. Have you had a positive test this morning? And that isn't good news? Or is it that the heavy spotting is worrying you? Lots of sympathy whatever has happened and . Can we help you talk it through?

I wish I could believe that - this says otherwise and send fairly scholarly embryo.asu.edu/pages/developmental-timeline-alcohol-induced-birth-defects

Think the umbilical cord doesn't link up until 5 weeks so seriously, don't worry about the booze.

worry about being knackered for the next 10 years!

You will find many people on here who weren't aware they were pregnant until a couple of months in and carried on drinking. I have a good few friends myself who this applies to.
Every single person I know in this situation went on to have healthy babies.

Are you ok?

Sorry - in a bit of a state. I could love a baby - but at 40 with a bottle of wine a night between weeks 2 and 3.5 post conception it's got no chance of being a healthy baby, surely? I took a digital negative test the day before I flew out and started spotting 2 days later. Thought all was well - I've been positively menopausal since 37 and we had given up trying actively - now I have a pickled embryo :-( sorry in a terrible state.

Many many people who go on to have healthy babies are drinking at this early stage and have no idea.

My DS was conceived a couple of weeks before a really boozy period - Christmas, New Year, my birthday and sisters birthday all within 8 days so more or less constant drinking and partying when I was unknowingly about 4-5 weeks.

I panicked too but have a very healthy 2 year old now.

Oh ok, I understand more now. When I got pregnant with my first, I didn't find out til I was 8 weeks. I'd been out for cocktails and on holiday to France and had loads of drink and forbidden foods. When I spoke to my mw about it she said it's so, so common and really nothing to worry about. I know tons of people who really drank heavily on holidays etc in the early stages with no negative outcome. You even hear about people who don't know they're pregnant until months in - even until they go into labour! And they haven't modified their lifestyle at all. Speak to your midwife but this early on, it's really not going to have hurt the baby and it happens all the time.

If it's just the alcohol you're upset about - stop worrying. It will all be fine. And congratulations.

Like any potentially harmful substance, it's never a cut and dry case of 'if you do X, it will cause a problem'. Various factors come in to play, primarily length and quantity. A few weeks of drinking early on isn't the best thing, but not likely to do anything. Many, many women don't know they're pregnant until the point you found out and drink heavily before then, and have healthy babies. FAS is not the result of short-term drinking, but prolonged exposure to alcohol.

I would get yourself a Gp appointment and talk it through. Start taking folic acid today if you are not already. Don't beat yourself up, lots of people have been in the same situation. You haven't done anything wrong.

Sorry to ask again I can't find it in your posts but have you had a positive test ?

Op , I got pregnant with dd when I was 18 . I didn't find out until I was 7wks pg . In that time I drank A LOT ! Including a night where I got absolutely hammered on tequila .

My dd is absolutely perfect she's 9 now and still fit and healthy .

It's got every chance of being healthy.

I assume this is a wanted baby? If so you need to consider options if it's not healthy. Talk to your gp and midwife. Stop drinking now and eat healthily to give it a chance.

I know someone who drank the equivalent to a bottle of wine a night for that same period of gestation - all inclusive holiday with cocktails every day. Baby absolutely fine.

I was told December 2012 it would take 2-3 years of treatment to have a baby ( unknown to all was already pg ) so of course I had the booziest soft cheese and pâté fest of a Christmas there ever was ( thought to myself if I can't have a baby I might as well get drunk!). DS is perfect, I cried and cried when I found out too. My consultant and midwife reassured me no harm done x

I had a "last blowout" week in New York with all the wine and all the cocktails. Every night. We'd just started trying and I didn't think we could possibly get lucky in our first month. VERY strong BFP on the day we got back, now 35 weeks and although I can't say for certain that baby is fine, everything looks perfect with him so far. X

I thought the embyro wasn't connected to mum's blood supply until a few weeks in? So you should be fine. Don't quote me on that though.

Good luck!

Please don't panic. It's not ideal but absolutely tons of people become pregnant whilst heavily drinking during the first few weeks and all is fine. The baby needs very little in terms of nutrients at that point and it takes a lot for development to be harmed.

I drank literally non stop before I found out I was pregnant with dd. I was a bit of a wild child barmaid and up to all sorts. She is 11 now and has had no problems whatsoever.

Start on the folic acid and healthy eating and I'm sure all will be fine.

Thank you for the positive stories. I have a very clear positive test here. My LMP was 12th July. Negative test 12th August. Unprotected sex 26th July. That means I was drinking from the moment of implantation for 10 days - ouzo, red, silly blue cocktails :-( technically I'm 5 +4 - god how Atrocious.

I've had a look at the article you linked to. All the scary things they're talking about that could happen are from the third week on, so the odds are very much in your favour. They're also things that would be picked up on a 12-week scan.

It also says that drinking in the first two weeks could prevent implantation, and that obviously didn't happen.

Hi brokenSleep - my 10 day so called 'holiday' coincides with 3 weeks post conception :-(

The 'light period' and negative will mean the egg hadn't properly implanted yet, so most likely no harm done. Implantation doesn't happen straight away and even after that several days it's just burrowing into the womb lining.

I conceived sometime between the end of winter term (I work in a school: party weekend!) and new year's day. I have a high risk condition. My consultant wasn't bothered and I am 37 weeks with a perfectly healthy pregnancy.

It has NOT got "no chance" unless you read and believe Daily Mail scare stories! So avoid Dr Google. The vast majority of women who have a false period pregnancy (there are a lot) carry on drinking or smoking or eating pate and have normal babies. Yes there are a small proportion for whom sadly it doesn't work out: but at this particular stage, what would most likely happen is very sadly the pregnancy would miscarry if any damage had been done ... it would be continued drinking after this which would affect body/brain development.
Most likely all will be well. Try not to worry.

Until 8-10 weeks its hormones that help the baby grow and develop hence you have lots of them in your body and feel sick.

Morning sickness usually stops as the placenta takes over and that's usually at approximately 10weeks gestation. From my understanding up until the placenta is properly implanted and working (10weeks ) not much can cross over to the baby.

You will find lots of drugs are safe in the first / third trimester but not the second. I think this is because risk of damage to the baby is higher in the second trimester not the first or third.

coldcomfort I completely understand why you are worried. However, This study makes the point that

Frequency of use [of alcohol] over 9 months of pregnancy also is a necessary condition to produce a child with FASD. Abel (1998) suggested that for FAS to occur, there must be frequent, heavy drinking over the course of the pregnancy and not just a few isolated episodes. Without regular occurrences of heavy drinking (e.g., weekly), then a diagnosable condition within the FASD spectrum is not likely to occur.

Study also points out mothers with FAS affected children commonly underreport the frequency and level of antenatal drinking. It also suggests that problematic drinkers are more at risk from nutritional deficiencies which can cause developmental problems.

I think provided you stop drinking now and makes sure your nutrition is adequate (sure you would!) you are very unlikely to have a pickled embryo.