Worries regarding alcohol in pregnancy

[zippyswife]

This is dc3. When pg with dc2 advice was that there was no problem with low consumption of alcohol. I still didn't drink much in that pregnancy maybe on half a dozen occasions 1 or 2 drinks max.

When I found out I was pregnant this time I was on holiday I continued to have a very small glass of cider 2% alcohol most nights for the following week. Thinking that the alcohol content was so low and it was a small amount. Then since then I've probably had 4/5 occasions where I've drunk a glass (sometimes a large glass) of red wine with s meal.

My attention has now been drawn to guidelines that state no alcohol should be consumed in pregnancy. Do I am beside myself with worry.

I'm struggling to gain perspective on this. Can I get your opinions.

I should add I'm 18 weeks pg now.

I don't drink at all and wouldn't through pregnancy but that's just me. I would speak to your gp if your worried. Other ladies on here will be able to advise u better

There's no need for you to be beside yourself with worry (but maybe have a chat with your midwife or GP about being a bit anxious about things), it'll all be fine.

I know what you mean about lacking perspective, I got in a bit of a flap when pregnant because DM had put sherry in a trifle - but I look back and realise I was bonkers!

What's done is done, you can't do anything about that. But also, like you said yourself, guidelines change all the time; think of all those babies born when the guidelines said 1-2 drinks a week is ok, I very much doubt they're all damaged somehow.

As far as I'm aware there is still no evidence that light drinking has any harmful effect on baby; it's just that the guidelines have changed because there's no evidence that it doesn't do any harm either. So, as long as everything's going ok with your pregnancy I wouldn't worry, but maybe dont have any more drinks from now if you want to be super cautious.

Thank you. I'll speak to midwife- I have an appointment on Monday. I didn't even look at new guidelines I was always told by midwives in previous pregnancies was fine. Feel so guilty.

Im in the same sitiation in that in my last pregnancy the advice was no mote than 2 units a week (or something like that) and noe its zero. As far as i know the advice changed to not at all because they can't say for certain that a small amount of alcohol won't affect baby.

The advice is there to guide women with the information available so they can make informed choices. Personally I have had the odd glass of wine at events here and there in both my pregnancies (37 weeks atm). If I was you I wouldn't be worried.

As far as I'm aware the guidelines changed because of concerns that people aren't able to estimate accurately the number of units they drink, and also because of how some people would interpret 1-2 units once or twice a week to drink what you want. So they are saying no alcohol because that's less open to interpretation. Also I think it's something around political agendas and controlling women's bodies, but that's by the by.
Anyway, no evidence has ever been found that suggests the amount of alcohol you've consumed will harm your baby, as you found with your previous pregnancy.

Highly recommend this book- Expecting Better
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_10?k=expecting+better&sprefix=expecting+
It debunks some pregnancy "rule" myths using hard evidence and doesn't condescend in the way some pregnancy guides do.
I spoke to my midwife re the change to nhs guidelines and she told me the change was because some women don't understand what a unit is so advising 1-2 units, once or twice a week meant nothing to some women who drank more heavily. She confirmed there's no new evidence to suggest light drinking in pregnancy is harmful (as does the book I recommended above).

Thank you. I'll take a look at that book. That's made me feel better! X

I don't think the amount you have been drinking is likely to cause any significant harm, however, a large glass of wine might contain more than the old recommendation of 1-2units. I know a large glass of wine by my standards would be 2-3 units.
I wouldn't worry about what alcohol you have drunk to date but I would reassess what you drink for the rest of the pregnancy. I personally don't drink any alcohol whilst pregnant but some people think that total abstinence is OTT.

I'm 20 weeks and have probably had 4 drinks in this pregnancy.

But I've only had prosecco because the guidelines were 1-2 units once or twice a week and 1 glass of prosecco is 125ml and 1.8 units and only served like that.

So by only having 1 glass I know exactly how much I'm drinking

My sis is a paediatric registrar and she has said the odd drink every now and again doesn't do any harm problem is as a PP said it's where people don't know how much they are drinking or interpret it differently.

1 drink a night most nights a week is most definitely not ok for example

But what's done is done - just watch what you drink from now on

As PPs have said, the truth is that nobody knows conclusively whether a moderate amount has an impact, hence the guidance from the NHS/Department for Health to avoid it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this change in guidance was simply because erring on the side of caution is the best approach when people generally don't know what a unit is.

Interestingly, if you look at the clinical guidance from NICE (the guidance they give to clinicians on what to advise their patients), updated in Dec 2014, it says that women should avoid alcohol if possible in the 1st tri because of miscarriage risks. It then says that "If women choose to drink alcohol during pregnancy they should be advised to drink no more than 1 to 2 UK units once or twice a week" - so that's similar to previous guidance. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg62/resources/guidance-antenatal-care-pdf

I'm nearly 30 weeks and have mainly abstained. But I did have a very small glass of red wine on my birthday at 12 weeks, have also had sips of my husband's drinks, and have had tiny glasses of wine (about 50ml) on occasional weekends.

Ultimately the guidance is there to help you make a sensible choice. But I wouldn't fret too much. And as PP have said, discuss with your MW if you're really worried.

Enjoy your pregnancy

Heavy or binge drinking is what is bad in pregnancy as the liver cannot keep up and some of the alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde crosses the placenta and the baby can only process small amounts of this. Low level drinking is fine. As pp has said, the guidelines have changed as people's interpretation of 1-2 units once or twice a week varies so wildly, and some women may find it hard to stop at one, even when pregnant. A lot of places in Europe still have the guidance of a little alcohol occasionally is fine, don't worry.

Another vote here for Emily Oster's expecting better, it is a really good read and helped me know which guidelines to really stick too, and which were open to interpretation!

Just another reminder that while an interesting book Emily zoster is an economist, not a medical professional, and her view should not supersede that of health workers and agencies.

OP you will be fine but the advice is to stop drinking once you know you're pregnant in the first tri.

I have read somewhere that the advise to pregnant women used to be to drink a pint of Guinness a day!

I'm a medical professional (have a pharmacy masters degree) and couldn't fault Emily Zoster's presentation of evidence. Importantly, the book doesn't tell you what to do, just provides options based on research. Everyone's different and will make up their own mind about what they feel comfortable with. Advice varies from country to country and on a local level from midwife to midwife. We're all adults capable of taking responsibility for our own choices- providing we equip ourselves with information about the potential impact of our actions.

beehappybee you're right; at one stage Women in Ireland got Guinness on prescription when pregnant!

I like the book, I just worry that it's dropped as a be-all end-all source of data on risks in pregnancy. even if the guidelines seem strict I'd rather listen to NHS or WHO than an economist.

The ONLY reason the advice is 'zero alcohol' is because some women with alcohol problems didn't understand what 'only 1-2 units a week' actually meant. So they have changed it to zero because no one can misunderstand the word 'zero'.

So says my GP DSis and my midwife SIL.

I think it's fair enough to say that we all have a different approach to deciding what is and isn't acceptable behaviour in pregnancy. I don't think anyone is saying that Expecting Better is a be all and end all info source (I'm pretty sure the author doesn't make this claim), just that the research it presents can be considered (along with other advice/recommendations) to make an informed choice. I just don't believe that we need to be blindly 'told what to do' in every instance.

From what I've read, alcohol increases the risk of MC during the first trimester. You're past that now.

After that, the risk of foetal abnormalities is increased, but most of the research relates to women with borderline alcohol disorders (or actual alcoholics).

The in between is a bit of a grey area. I don't think you'll have done any lasting harm, for what it's worth. And if you stop now, there's a very good chance it will have made no difference at all.

If the cider you drank was 2% that means a litre of it would be 2 units. So you were likely within previously advised guidelines.

A 250ml glass of 12% wine is 3 units.

They really have not much idea how much alcohol is OK, but there is no evidence that a couple of units a week does any harm and from what you say you have had less than that.

Although guidelines have changed since your last pregnancy the evidence has not. Don't worry.

Well I saw the midwife today. She didn't really set my mind at ease. She said I wouldn't know if it would have had any effect until they have developmental checks by the health visitor at eg 2 years old .

The rational side of me says that I haven't consumed anything excessive and that the amount I've had would not have had an effect on the baby. But I'm a worrier by nature so I'll continue to worry and won't drink anything else now for the remainder of the pregnsncy.

Thanks all for your views!

She has to say that though. Don't worry.

I wouldnt discuss it with her any more zippy unless you want SS intervention.
Honestly how can we say, but what you have described does not sound like a huge amount to me.
I really wouldnt worry. And dont discuss it with MW/HV any more.