Alcohol in pregnancy

[imiss]

I know the NHS advice is zero, and if this is in any way harmful to the baby I wouldn't contemplate - but from what I understand a little alcohol in pregnancy isn't harmful as long as it's very occasional and nothing excessive.. if anyone can confirm this!? I have just found out that Gordon's do a very low alcohol g&t drink and I'm very tempted for a couple of weddings/hen do's that I have coming up. I'm really missing a drink this pregnancy, and so far haven't touched a drop but it would be lovely if I could have one (or two!) of these..

Apparently to work out units it's percentage times volume divided by a thousand.. so 0.5 * 250 / 1000 = 0.125 units per drink.. surely this is so low that it's harmless? For reference you'd need to drink about 25 of these to be the equivalent of a 5.2% pint. Any advice?

As a midwife. The reason the advice in pregnancy in no alcohol is because we cannot ethically test how much alcohol is safe and so it’s impossible to state a safe amount. Saying in moderation would be interpreted differently by different people and so we couldn’t say that either.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is seen in babies whose mothers drank to excess on a regular basis throughout pregnancy. Women who have small amounts, as many women do, are not at risk of this.

Personally after doing my own research I chose not to drink not only while pregnant but while ttc.

It's not only fasd, it's various other conditions, mc, premature birth...

www.babycentre.co.uk/x536390/is-it-safe-to-drink-alcohol-during-pregnancy

www.businesstelegraph.co.uk/not-even-one-glass-of-wine-a-week-is-safe-during-pregnancy-study-finds/

Just a couple of links perhaps of interest.

I agree the uk is pretty lax on this despite the supposed Nhs stance of 0.

Having had 2 mc before dd and the first pregnancy I wasn't ttc (was on the pill) and had been drinking as normal (never a heavy drinker)

I just felt it wasn't worth the risk and even if it wasn't definitely known to be the reason were I to have another mc and I'd had a drink I'd never have forgiven myself.

Both of my sons (now adults) are not quite NT.

The eldest has ADHD.

The youngest has dyspraxia and extremely mild ASD.

With the eldest I drank absolutely nothing.

With the youngest I didn't realise I was pregnant and got drunk (1-2 bottles of wine) at 5, 8 and 12 weeks.

We do have a lot of ADHD and mild ASD in the family but I'll never know for certain that I didn't cause my youngest's problems.

I would agree that a small drink once or twice a week will do no harm.

However, if I had my time again I would drink nothing to avoid the guilt if anything is wrong.

evidence thay there is no amount of alcohol that is guaranteed to be save for an unborn baby is not the same as even small amounts of alcohol can potentially cause foetal alcohol syndrome. The conflation of those statements is rather sloppy thinking.

There is no evidence as to the amount of alcohol which may be "safe" in pregnancy because no study to determine that could ever be run ethically. That does not, however, amount to evidence that that ANY amount of alcohol can cause FASD.

There is strong evidence to suggest that small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy, for example a small glass of wine no more than once a week after the first trimester, does not cause any damage to the foetus.

guaranteed to be SAFE

NHS rules on no alcohol in pregnancy are aimed at stupid people who would think nothing of drinking 2/3 bottles of wine a week.

It's not aimed at stupid people, it's aimed at people who struggle to limit or regulate their alcohol consumption. That is not an issue that is linked to intellect.

I will echo that Emily Oster is an economist, she has looked at high level data but she is not a scientest or a doctor, so while she has observed that over populations women who drink a few alcoholic drinks don't tend to have babies born with FAS, that's really not the same as conclusive evidence that a few drinks is safe - especially for you as an individual as your body chemistry is unique.

Its upto u if u want to drink or not,i wouldnt but lots of others do and that amount would not harm your baby x

Any risk is too much risk imo. I can easily live without it for nine months (plus however long I breastfeed). My nephew (10 weeks old) has so far ingested alcohol on a near daily basis since conception as my SIL refused to give up wine - decided not to follow her example...

That bloody China study get pasted on every alcohol in pregnancy thread I’ve seen. It was a study of children WITH FAS. There is nothing at all in the study to suggest that one glass of wine per week is harmful. FAS appears in a subset of womens babies who drink very heavily (not all) and no one yet understands why this is. Regarding ASD, I read a lot of large studies and meta analysis on maternal alcohol consumption and ASD whilst pregnant and if I remember correctly they found that there was no link. If lots of cases of FAS are misdiagnosed as ASD surely data would be showing a link? And no, you don’t need to avoid alcohol whilst breastfeeding!

The China study also only had 40 participants. There are so many variables with this, particularly that everyone will fib about their alcohol consumption when asked by a doctor or researcher. A good rule of thumb doctors use is to double the amount of reported intake. I imagine when pregnancy is thrown into the mix this is even more the case. There are other variables too - what would the average home life be of a child who's mother abused alcohol during her pregnancy? What might their early development have been like? I'm not suggesting that the research is irrelevant but it's nowhere near strong enough to draw clinical conclusions from it.

The Bristol study is interesting but uses retrospective data.

AFAIK there has never been a study which has linked FAS or poor outcomes with low alcohol intake (i.e. 2 units a week), and additionally no evidence that links FAS with "just one drink". Although there is some evidence low alcohol intake in the first trimester can increase the risk of miscarriage.

Happy to be corrected by anyone suggesting this if there is evidence?

The current guidelines are cautious for good reason. Lack of evidence does not necessary mean it is safe, and as we metabolise alcohol differently what might be safe for most women would not be safe for all women. I.e. the effect of a 175ml glass of wine for a for a 180cm 70kg woman who has eaten well would be starkly different to a 140cm 45kg woman who has not eaten that day.

How you apply this is up to you. Lots of women (including a pregnant friend of mine who is a doctor) are happy to drink the odd glass. Many would prefer to just to not worry about it and so abstain. I've had a rare very small glass (under 100ml) maybe 3 times with dinner, and I had about 70ml of champagne on Christmas Day when I was 10wks after lots of food. I feel safe with this. I have also frequently drank 0.5% beers or wines and considered this alcohol free, and this is what these drinks are legally listed as. I judge that 0.5% with food is just not going to hit my bloodstream.

It’s a personal choice. For me, the amount of rubbish ingredients low or no alcohol wine and beer is not a great thing to put in your body either. Not that it would harm a baby but it’s not benefiting either of you and most taste horrible.
I’ve had the odd glass of wine with this pregnancy as I feel ok with the risks. Some people feel ok about the risks of living off a diet of cakes and biscuits while pregnant, I do not. It’s personal choice.

All through pregnancy you’ll be asked to weigh risk v gain and as such there is no right answer. Any medication you take, even paracetamol you will not be told it’s 100% safe. Lots of foods carry risk, even salad. Being in polluted areas is a risk. Being near a smoker is a risk. Handling animals is a risk.

Just do whatever you feel comfortable with and have researched and ignore any judgey judies.

My daughter has FASD. Her Birth Mum only had a couple of drinks once a week throughout her pregnancy. My DD will live with the impact her whole life. Please don't drink when pregnant.

I've been craving beer for some reason yet I never ever drink it I've never liked beer I craved this week and bought a bottle of shandy 0.5% and it's actually hit the craving and been lovely.
Have the G&T op you will be fine just obviously don't take the piss with it and have one every hour like you might on a night out I'm sure you'll be okay

Anything from the nhs is aimed at the lowest possible denominator. It will be absolutely fine.

@Surfingtheweb did you not read my post? I have already been 9 months without a drink in my last pregnancy, i am a mum already. I dont need my mothering ability questioned by some numpty on the internet because im considering having an 0.5% alchohol drink, what a ridiculous conclusion to draw.

Thank you everyone else for your opinion. After a google the poster above was right, a banana has the same level of alcohol as does a glass of orange juice so im going to buy the drink and enjoy it at the hens and weddings i have lined up.

0.5% is almost alcohol free. I really Wouldn't worry about them. and they taste lovely. I've drank them throughout my pregnancy.

Enjoy your super low alcohol drinks! I used to enjoy the odd 0.5% cider that they sell in Tesco.

Over the course of 9 months I had maybe 3 glasses of very expensive champagne on special occasions (Christmas, New Yeaes and a family celebration). I enjoyed every expensive drop!

@EightWellies Whilst i sympathize that your daughter is suffering the consequences of someone else's actions, someone having a 'couple of drinks' is very different to what i have suggested, which is one or two 0.5% alcohol drinks. I did say in my first post i would need to drink around 25 of the drink i have suggested for it to have the same ABV as 1 glass of wine or pint, so not the same. I wouldn't even consider a couple of real G&T's or glasses of wine.

Hi try reading expecting better by Emily Oster. I'm on chapter 3 at the moment and it's amazing. She debunks a lot of myths and presents the facts in a easy to read way. She is an economics professor and did a lot of research during her pregnancy as the Drs and midwives could say not to do something but they never presented any real evidence to support the claims.

I agree @imiss. My post was really aimed at some of the other contributors to the thread.