Wine and pregnancy

[Dolly415]

I know its a huge issue for some, I'm not particularly a drinker, but lately been craving sparkling bubbly. Ive been given a 4% sparkling rose, should I totally avoid or is it relatively safe? Everyone I speak to says its fine as its low, and many people I know drink fee and far between stronger wines and their babies were fine. Im about 13/14 weeks and very tempted to have a glass in the Sun with friends but wont if its a defo no no, and there are many mixed reviews on the topic online.

Thank you in advance

My friend had her first two kids in Italy and was told to have a small glass of red wine each week by her doctor. She then moved over here and had her second two kids and people were horrified by the suggestion of her drinking in pregnancy.

In France when I was pregnant I was offered a glass of cava and said 'no thanks I'm pregnant' and the response was 'so?'.

Moderation is the key and sadly in this country we have a reputation for not being able to moderate!

Why drink it if you are justifying it's so low alcohol? Just have a lemonade. Is the difference worth the risk?

It wouldn't be for me.

Personally i think your child should come first from the very beginning and if that means not taking risks by drinking alcohol so be it.

Look up "foetal alcohol syndrome" then make your mind up

There are some really nice no alcohol wines and proseccos in the supermarket. I know lots of people will have 1 glass when pregnant but I personally didn't want to. I found the non alcoholic stuff did the trick! It's worth a try if you aren't sure. X

In my last 2 pregnancies I've had the odd small glass on an occasion like my birthday and stuck to one glass. I wouldn't touch it in early pregnancy, I've not had any so far in this one but I will be around 30 weeks on my birthday and I will have a small prosecco at my birthday meal. I would stay away from spirits completely, but the odd glass of low alcoholic wine I wouldn't feel guilty about x

I agree with most, I think if you have the odd glass on occasion that's fine. I do think there are more non alcoholic alternatives than ever. Great selection of beers and sparkling drinks. Gin and tonic with all the trimmings minus the gin... You might not even notice it's non alcoholic if you get a good tonic! I also like drinking flavoured sparkling water in a wine glass

I seriously cant believe some of the comments on this post my mum drank and smoked throughout pregnancy and was fine. WTF well that's lucky for yous, I don't understand why you would do anything that could cause harm?? both my babies were born at 31 weeks due to pre eclampsia God knows what could of happened if I drank or smoked throughout my pregnancy. It is not advised for a reason and if you consider smoking and drinking throughout pregnancy you shouldn't be getting pregnant!

Before pregnancy I drank a lot but as soon as I found out I stopped. It's my choice to have a drink but it's not my baby's choice and also why risk it? I couldn't live with myself if I'd caused a problem with my unborn baby due to just having a glass of wine! This subject irritates me so much!

Id say the vast majority of our mums dranks through the pregnancies of us. Ask them. Same with the eating of certain things...It's a new thing to be a concern.

The alcohol thing, really all they know is if you drink during first trimester or get drunk or binge then it Could be harmful but they have no idea what the line is. I'm pretty confident it's not 1 glass of wine once a week.
They just have to cover themselves to say 0 is best because they can't quantify it.

Tried the waitrose 0 alcohol wine called 'eins, zwei, zero'. It's horrible! Unless you like really sweet wine...

Similarly the Sainsbury's nosecco

Will keep trying till I find something I like!

I had this last night as a friend picked it up for me. Nicest one I've had. 2g per 100ml less that most the others and actually tastes kind of Sav Blanc! Plus discovered Amazon do it by the case. Got a few family functions coming up and a hen do so I'm stocking up! 🤣

I don't miss the alcohol as such but on a warm evening nothing gets cold quite like a glass of white wine!

Eisberg Alcohol Free Sauvignon Blanc Wine 75 cl (Case of 6) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016A8AIUC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OoT4Cb6MGNYRX?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

2g per 100ml less sugar that should read!

It's a risk for something non essential, get yourself something fancy and alcohol free. I knew if something happened to my baby, even if it wasn't alcohol related I would wonder if it was and would never forgive myself taking that risk.

If you're looking for a nice 0% fizz, Bees Knees is hands down the best - all others are far too sweet.

I also really rate Stowford Press ciders, which are less than 0.5%

This said, I'm still enjoying a small (125ml) glass of champagne or chilled white, every few weeks. Department of health recommends no more than 1-2 units 1-2 times a week, so that's fine. And, sorry, but the alcohol removed wines are just not the same. Unless I'm at an event where lots of people are drinking and I want to partake even if only by appearances, I'd rather have fizzy water.

So many people state 'I drank and my child never had any problems'. As a teacher, we spot signs of feral alcohol and smoking related issues everyday. Intelligence, behaviour, additional needs etc.

Personally, I wouldn't risk it. Some choose to have a half glass of wine etc and that's their choice, but stating that 'my kid is fine and I drank throughout my pregnancy' is not good advice at all!

The book ‘Expecting better’ by Emily Oster dedicates a whole chapter to the subject of alcohol during pregnancy that is well worth buying. In fact, the whole book is well worth reading as she looks at studies from all over the world on lots of topics concerning pregnancy advice!!

Risk is personal choice and I don’t think scaring someone about FAS is hugely helpful. The entire pregnancy is filled with risk. If you need to take medicine because you’re ill, there’s a risk. If you eat out at a restaurant, there’s a risk. If you travel abroad, there’s a risk. Just do your research and make the decision you are comfortable with. Some people will take the risk and be fine and some won’t. It’s your body, your baby and your decision.

So many people state 'I drank and my child never had any problems'. As a teacher, we spot signs of feral alcohol and smoking related issues everyday. Intelligence, behaviour, additional needs etc. there is no way you can tell if someone's intelligence is related to the couple of glasses of wine a pregnant person had. That is the most ridiculous statement I think I have ever read in my life.

If you was out with a friend and your friend said no I don't fancy a drink I'll just have a coke, would you then buy your friend a vodka and coke? That's a fully grown adult who can make the decision to say no, so why give your unborn baby a drink?

Oh my god. No, that's the most ridiculous thing I've read now.

Pregnancy is full of risk-benefit decisions that are up to the mother to make. Driving a car is potentially risky (car crash could kill you both) and living in a city exposes the baby to pollution - but we don't ban pregnant women from cities or driving cars as it would be impractical. I was in the unfortunate position of having to take a teratogen (lithium) in pregnancy due to mental health issues. I made that call as the risk of bipolar relapse would have been 90% whereas risk of heart defect would have been at most 4%. Luckily the baby was born in a good condition and I stayed well. My point is, these decisions are not straight forward and science doesn't always give an answer.

I chose to have occasional glasses of wine (175ml) at special occasions because at the end of the day it's part of my personal culture and makes me feel happy. I really believe the phrase "happy mum, happy baby" is true, and I don't think that "always putting baby first" will necessarily make you a good mum. On the other hand I completely respect women who choose not to drink, as long as they respect my choice to have the odd glass in pregnancy.

The current guidelines are not 1-2 units a week - it’s zero.

I miss wine but think it’s not worth it. Kopparberg alcohol free cider is delicious especially in the sun with lots of ice!

The problem is there is a lack of research into what is actually safe which is why they say none.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is awful but is caused by persistent alcohol use throughout pregnancy not the odd glass of wine. In 10 years of teaching I have only come across one student with FAS. I would be interested to know how @Roo3125 knows how much each of the parents of the students drank through pregnancy...

As @Maddis136 says, risk is a very personal choice. With my first I rode my horse most days up until 20 weeks which I am sure many people would judge me for but was my choice.

There is a big difference between the occasional glass of wine and regular drinking.

A glass of 4% wine represents zero risk to your baby. You don't get FAS from a single glass of weak wine.