Alcohol when pregnant

[pigglepot]

I know the official guidance is that zero alcohol is the safest option but there hasn't been research on small amount of alcohol in pregnancy and apparently 80% of women drink something whilst pregnant.

I'm not looking for judgment here but in both of my pregnancies I've drunk a very small amount- like one small glass of wine per week sipped or a few sips on husbands glass.

What do others do and how much- be honest!

I also took other precautions, eg took the guidance seriously about not buying a new settee, I was worried about Veeting my bikini line, the chemicals being so close to the baby and I couldn't see any research at all into that so I avoided it. Whereas women have drunk small amounts through pregnancy for ever. In my mind, I took a risk-based approach.

I've had a few sips into my second trimester, the women south of Europe have small glasses of wine too.

I have a friend who won't even cook with wine, which I think is ridiculous.

I've had one glass of wine and lots of sips. If we weren't in a pandemic I'd be taking communion 1-3 times a week and wouldn't have stopped due to pregnancy. Maybe I should, but I don't think it would have occurred to me to stop. It is only because I feel "guilty"/"uneasy" not taking communion whilst pregnant that I even clocked it TBH (communion is a big part of my faith and spirituality, and I'm aware this is probably not a consideration for many people).

2 small glasses of wine a week. I'm not sure I understand the "its not worth the risk" approach. Presumably you could also say that about taking any car journey that wasn't strictly necessary.

I gave up alcohol completely 3 months before ttc and still haven't touched a drop now even though ds is now a toddler. Can't picture myself ever drinking again to be honest, or at least not in another 20 years but I don't judge others and love seeing my friends relax with a drink. I happily buy DP beer.

I had the odd glass during my 2nd and third trimester in all my pregnancies (3)

Didn't drink a drop. Didn't want to take any unnecessary risk for the sake of alcohol.

@NaturalStudy

2 small glasses of wine a week. I'm not sure I understand the "its not worth the risk" approach. Presumably you could also say that about taking any car journey that wasn't strictly necessary.

That's a silly comparison. You cannot compare the two.

I didn't find out I was pregnant with Dd2 until I was 5 months.
I had alcohol most weekends went on several holidays drinking every night.
I did tell my consultant when I discovered I was pregnant. He told me to forget about things I couldn't change.
I did have a brandy n coke at 7 months to help me sleep ( doctor told dh to give me it.

I did the same as you following the medical guidance at the time.

I had a glass of champagne on special occasions during my pregnancies. Was always with food. I think it's personal choice and I don't judge either way. I personally didn't feel uncomfortable doing it or feel like I was risking anything but everyone is different.

Personally I've worked with children with Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASDs) and my sense is why risk it. It's not just the amount of alcohol you drink but also genetic variations that can make your baby more vulnerable than the average child. Something we have no way of knowing if we are more at risk or not.

When I looked into it I found a good way to compare the risk. The risk of a car crash bringing your newborn is similar to the potential risks of alcohol consumption on you unborn child. Would you not strap baby in because it's a celebration bringing them home and forget the risk?

@ThatsNotTheTeaHunty Why do you think you cannot compare the two? Both potentially carry risk and neither are necessary.

I did have a brandy n coke at 7 months to help me sleep ( doctor told dh to give me it.

Wtf?

Cannot believe this - doctor recommending it 🤨 / you doing it.

I didn't drink in my pregnancies. I just wasn't interested.

I only others who had an occasional glass in later pregnancy which I think is fine, just not for me. I b/f for a long time with each, then was pregnant again quite quickly after I stopped, so in total there was a good 6.5 years of hardly any alcohol.

@GummyBear91 💯 this!

I’d recommend reading Expecting Better for a good appraisal of facts, evidence and guidelines.
Personally, I wouldn’t drink in the first trimester at all, having had miscarriage means I need to feel that I’m not taking unnecessary risks. Otherwise I wouldn’t seek out alcohol but might have a few sips at a wedding or some other occasion.

Being a bit older, many of my friends had their babies when there was different guidance to the zero alcohol policy currently in place, and were allowed (and did have) a glass of wine a week.

Didn’t have a drop in 1st pregnancy, had a few glasses of wine in the later stages of 2nd pregnancy. Ironically dc2 is a much healthier child than dc1 but if I’d had my time again I would have abstained completely I think. I read something about it possibly affecting babies sleep cycle in the womb, even in small amounts.

Sips here and there from DH’s glass and a couple of very small glasses with food at home with food.

None. It's a small sacrifice to make for your baby's health.

Alcohol during breastfeeding is totally different however and I would defend anyone’s decision to have a drink. I hate the myths around this. You would have to be nearly dead from alcohol poisoning before your breastmilk was even a little bit alcoholic. If you can hold the baby you can feed the baby.

Out of Curiosity, would everyone here who wouldn't drink alcohol during pregnancy eat food that was cooked with wine/had wine as part of its recipe?

I didn't drink in the first trimester once I found out I was pregnant (which was very early on), and after that I probably had 1 glass of wine a week with dinner

I’ve never understood this. It’s 40 weeks out of your entire life. No idea why anyone would choose to have a drink during that relatively short space of time when your body is growing another human.

I drank in the first few weeks before I knew I was pregnant but haven't dropped from the second I found out. Same as @GummyBear91 I have worked with a number of children with FAS and I just wouldn't take the risk when it's not necessary. It's just really not worth it for the odd drink to me.