Controversial did anyone drink in pregnancy??

[Lmj25]

Not saying I would was just wondering did anyone?

I drank sambucca shots the day before I got BFP. Not proud of it. I nursed a couple of glasses of red wine in the early weeks to put people off the scent (I only had a few sips). I had one cold half pint of lager (the only thing I craved during pregnancy) to celebrate a healthy 20-week scan and then I had a couple of glasses of champers at my best friends wedding at 39 weeks. May have been an odd glass here or there in addition.

Yes, occasionally. Maybe 1/2 pint beer or a small glass of wine no more than once a week, but usually less often. Only in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters though; I was far too sick for the first 18 weeks to drink anything!

Snorey I don’t believe you avoided unnecessary car journeys!
I could understand a heavily pregnant woman avoiding a long car journey for their comfort/not wanting to be far from home but anything else seems over the top.
Are you seriously saying you would have avoided going to the local shops in the car and walked if you couldn’t be bothered when pregnant to avoid unnecessary travel ? Or took the public transport to the pictures instead of driving and so on.
I mean I could only understand that point of view if you still avoided any unnecessary car journeys when your babies were infants.
What would be the difference to a pregnant women being in an accident to a new born (god forbid). Newborns and small children are some of the most vulnerable passengers.
But does that mean you would avoid all unnecessary car journeys (I.e everything other than commuting to work and nursery drop offs etc) until your dc are about six or seven?

What would be the difference to a pregnant women being in an accident to a new born (god forbid). Newborns and small children are some of the most vulnerable passengers
I agree so invested in the best car seat I could find, back seat of the solid car (didn't use our small car for the kids when little). A pregnant woman is in the front of the car.
Unnecessary journeys I did indeed avoid. Unnecessary is the key word isn't it.

Celebrating a scan with a glass of beer. Fantastic.

Snorey that sounds exhausting.
You sound very anxious if you would have gone as far as making yourself walk when pregnant and you couldn’t be bothered, just to avoid a short car journey, and the same for the years afterwards whilst your dc are small.
I think your risk aversion sounds extreme to be honest. But I suppose we are all different.

Are you saying that deciding to not drink while pregnant, to not smoke and to avoid those foods pregnant women are advised to avoid makes me risk averse??
The walking rather than driving thing is a moot point to be honest (I actually didn't say I did that). I avoided unnecessary car journeys. That doesn't mean I walked everywhere- it means I used on line shopping, sent dh, avoided driving holidays.

I think your views altogether are extreme.
You wouldn’t put your dc in a small car.
You would make your dh go to the supermarket instead of you, for something you want, just because you didn’t want to drive pregnant or put your dc in the car.
Will you avoid letting your dc have a bike when old enough? Incase they fall off?

My children both are old enough and both do have bikes and swim and climb etc etc.

Was I wrong then London? Should I have been drinking during my pregnancies? Would I and my kids have been better for it?

Snorey being super anxious is not great for DC. You pass it on to them. Pretty much anything which helps a mother relax must be good, surely. A glass of wine in the evening helped me relax and I also found it seemed to help while breastfeeding - not sure whether the effect on the DC was direct or indirect but either way they seemed to settle better than if I was tense. With six children under seven at one point I needed all the help I could get and I can't detect the slightest health defect that has resulted from drinking a glass a night throughout most of my pregnancies.

To be clear, a glass a night is not considered light drinking during pregnancy. It’s 3x the upper limit of the current recommendations.

Thanks Anti for clarifying that- I totally agree.

I do not need wine to relax. I don't need wine at all actually and barely drink now. Relaxation for me during pregnancy came from swimming, reading, watching TV etc. I am also not in the least a stressed person. Perhaps, actually, I'm less stressed than others as I don't need to drink to calm down!

Apologies Anati

My kids, by the way, are utterly confident, go-getting individuals who don't appear to have been adversely affected by the lack of wine during my pregnancy funnily enough

I think there's a bit of class issues when it comes to drinking in pregnancy.

Lots of the answers on here are 'yes, wine, weddings', and that seems socially acceptable.

If the answers were 'yes, pint of Stella, Jungle night', the acceptance would bomb.
Though the amount of alcohol involved is the same.

Personally I'm in the Stella camp, and didn't really bother drinking in pregnancy as you can't get pissed, so I didn't really see the point in having 1.

Also having an 8 month bump and ordering a pint of lager will get you glares, whereas ordering a glass of wine won't. Annoying.

Was I wrong then London? Should I have been drinking during my pregnancies? Would I and my kids have been better for it?

Of course you weren't wrong - as you well know. You made the right decision for you.

It's the fact that you also think your approach is the only acceptable one, and anything less makes other women sub-standard mothers, that's the issue here.

Do you really care so much about random-women-you'll-never-meet's children, and their outcomes? Really?

A drink a night is clearly well outside the guidelines, but that's not what most women doing an educated risk assessment are doing.

Not drinking and smoking is one thing (and sensible) but I do find changing driving habits just because one is pregnant very bloody odd.

Do you really care so much about random-women-you'll-never-meet's children, and their outcomes? Really?

I'm a teacher so it goes with the job. In my 20 years I've come across more than one student with symptoms of FAS.

Baked I avoided unnecessary journeys. That's all. I still drove to work every day because that's not unnecessary. To be honest, little of the driving I do is unnecessary anyway.

Of course you weren't wrong - as you well know. You made the right decision for you

You see I would argue it was the right decision for a pregnant woman. Any pregnant woman.

i do find changing driving habits just because one is pregnant very bloody odd.

Recommendations are to have at least a few inches clearance between the bump and the wheel (which takes some fiddling if you’re blessed with a huge bump and short limbs like lucky old me) and to angle the wheel up to the sternum if it isn’t already (the impact of wheel/airbag is directed at the chest)
Also to have the belt low over the hips rather than above the bump. Other than that I’ve not changed anything driving wise. Which is vital for me because I already have Spd so badly I can’t walk very far :(

I had 9lbs + babies both times and I'm 5'4'' so you can imagine...

In my 20 years I've come across more than one student with symptoms of FAS.

Brought on by mothers drinking the odd glass of wine here and there?

Would be interested to see the research.

A glass a night is pretty light in the overall scheme of things and the guidelines alter with the wind. A glass a night is absolutely not heavy drinking! If you're not in the slightest bit tipsy but are stone cold sober throughout your pregnancy I fail to see how it can do the slightest bit of harm. Common sense is my friend rather than vacillating 'guidelines'.