Alcohol during pregnancy

[louiserachael]

I haven't had any alcohol during this pregnancy but I have been told you can have 1-2 units per week ! This sounds a lot to me! Has anyone had the occasional glass of bubbly at special occasions?

1-2 units a week is not a lot at all actually, it's a couple of stubby beers a week. I have just got back from holiday in France wheRe I discovered Panache (basically shandy, less than 1% alcohol per can) and was drinking those pool-side rather than what would have usually been loads of beer!

A glass of champagne on our wedding anniversary, about two shandys and a few sips of lager but nothing else - I'm looking forward to having a drink once this is over!

MrsChopper - do some research before you come out with sweeping statements like that. There is no evidence that a very occasional drink harms developing foetuses.

Have a read of the last thread on this issue which was only about a week which had loads of links and scientific evidence. I can't be bothered to go through it again.

This is a really interesting blog post about the cultural imperatives behind pregnancy advice: www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14653/7-things-ive-learned-from-being-pregnant-in-4-countries.html

I have done my research and actually nothing I have said on here is untrue. Again, each to their own

Could you link to some of that research Mrs Chopper? Because coming on threads like this and posting the absolute tosh you have written is very ill advised and unnecessary.

DSIS is an obstetrician. She sees FAS - in alcoholic mothers who are necking bottles of vodka each week. She says the occasional glass of wine is absolutely fine.

No problem

And another

Not sure exactly what part of my posts is 'absolute tosh' but there you go! I did at no point say that drinking will cause all babies to develop anything sinister. But it does pose a risk, hence zero alcohol intake being advised nowadays. I recommended OP look up FASD ( this being the umbrella term for numerous abnormalities caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy) and FAS (which is the most severe form of these abnormalities). It is completely preventable by giving alcohol a miss.

Yes you did! You said: "But every time you have a drink it will affect foetal development and increase the risk of FASD."

Not might or could, but will.

That's scaremongering

I didn't bother with any.

But I prefer the taste of a lemonade to alcohol and since you can't drink enough to feel anything I didn't really see the point

I drink to get drunk so never touched a drop in pregnancy.

If you read the first link I shared, it says

^What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and how much do we know about it today?

A: Alcohol is poisonous to the developing fetus throughout the entire nine months of gestation.^

Before it goes into more detail.

This coming from a woman who is leading research into drinking throughout pregnancy and the effect it has on foetal development. IMO that shows it does affect your baby every time you have a drink and drinking alcohol is the only cause for FASD.

All these posts seems very sensible and measured so far. smile Anything discussing alcohol and pregnancy tend to go the same way as breastfeeding/formula feeding and Brexit threads

I came on to say this too. I'm normally a very occasional drinker - like, maybe 5x per year. If I wanted a glass of champagne at a celebration during this pregnancy, I had one.

Obviously the more you drink the greater the risks. Sure, lots of women have the odd drink and their babies are absolutely fine and that's great. I personally did not drink because I didn't want my baby affected by poisonous alcohol. But everyone has to make that choice for themselves, hence I said each to their own.

For some more awareness scaremongering This is an extract from the second link I shared:

When a pregnant woman drinks, the alcohol goes across the placenta to the foetus via the bloodstream,” says Dr Raja Mukherjee who works for Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. “The foetus’ liver isn’t fully formed, so it relies on the mother's liver to metabolise (break down) the alcohol. When the alcohol passes from the mother into the foetus' body it lacks oxygen and the nutrients needed for its brain and organs to grow properly . “White matter in the brain, which is responsible for speeding up the processing of information, is sensitive to alcohol,” says Dr Mukherjee. “So when a mother drinks, it affects the development of her baby’s white matter.”

Oh look I can play this game too!

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/18/drinking-moderation-pregnancy-baby-development

Good for you, JigglyTuff OP should have plenty information to make her own mind up then!

No
Baby is too precious. I couldn't take the risk x

I don't care what anyone else does but for me I wouldn't give alcohol to a newborn so definitely wouldn't give it to an unborn.

Okay ladies we are all entitled to our own opinions and we all have different pregnancies let's not argue ! I'm just going to see how I feel when the time comes whether or not to have a few sips of bubbly to toast the bride and groom I doubt that anyone is planning on binge drinking during pregnancy thank you for all your advice x x

I have 4DC and the guidance was different for 3 of my pregnancies (youngest turns 2 shortly, oldest is 9).

I didn't drink in 1st trimester, had occasional drink thereafter (which was within guidelines for DC1, although I was probably strictest with her). All of my DC are absolutely fine.

No one is going to test the risks of drinking so will advise zero to be safe.

IIRC, I was advised to avoid peanuts when expecting DC1, whilst their consumption was encouraged in other countries.

I think I had a few small glasses very early on, around 6 weeks so wasn't sure I was pregnant.

I then had a glass on Xmas day with both of them, DS was born on the 26th and DD was then born the 6th January.

Oysterbabe, taking your comment to its logical conclusion, the only things pregnant women should consume are breast or formula milk. What else would you give a newborn?! Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't put Coke in a baby's bottle either but presumably you're happy for a pregnant woman to drink it....

Coke, as well as most foods, enters your blood as sugar, alcohol enters it as ethanol, which is poisonous. Luckily my liver has plenty of experience in breaking it down, my baby's liver does not.

I absolutely agree! 👌🏼