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!

*deals with it

It's interesting that people are so particularly concerned with alcohol. I mean, caffeine, excessive sugar, hair dye, cleaning products... all sorts of things have the potential to be harmful but it's rare that all these things would be completely abstained from.

It's up to you. I stopped drinking and cut out caffeine in all my pregnancies and when ttc/breastfeeding too. I'm a risk-averse and not a big drinker anyway, so wasn't a big decision.

I’m someone who really enjoys a glass of wine after a long day / with dinner / at the weekends, and I thought I would really struggle not drinking in pregnancy. I used to read these threads all the time while TTC! So I was amazed by how easy I have found it. Other than the first couple of weeks after my BFP, when I was really missing my Friday wine, I’ve not really missed drinking at all. I’ve also noticed that I sleep better and my anxiety is less. I don’t judge anyone for choosing to drink occasionally but I know that if I had one I’d just want another and having got this far (31 weeks) I don’t see the point now. There’s also a weird sense of pride that I want to prove to myself I can go all the way without a drink! I also cut caffeine right back to one coffee a day

I'm not going to comment on this thread further as I don't want to get lynched by the MN mob for saying the "wrong" thing

Well you've only commented 4 times on the whole thread so .... 🧐

I just wish pregnancy and miscarriage was funded in the same way other medical questions are. When I had an mmc I was amazed how little research and information there was and it's the same with this. It seems that a lot of women drink a very small amount so I can't imagine it would be too difficult to do some research on possible effects on the baby as we aren't asking women to do anything they aren't already doing.

I think you are pretty behind on research that has been done in this area. Many studies on drinking in pregnancy have been done.

What can't be established is if there is a safe maximum level of alcohol, it's just not possible to run trials to ascertain this, naturally enough.

Regarding miscarriage (and I've had one), it's not that no research is done. It's that sadly, research can't say why in a specific case, a m/c has occurred. It's hard, but it really is, mostly, just one of those things, and nothing the woman would have done or not, would make a difference.

@EarringsandLipstick you’re incorrect on miscarriage here. I’ve had losses too and it’s not always ‘just one of those things’. This rhetoric that medical professionals peddle in this country is hugely unhelpful. Unless it’s a chromosomal abnormality, which it is in about half of cases, the other half can be treated.

Tommy’s says ‘Miscarriage has long suffered from an attitude amongst the medical profession that some pregnancies are 'not meant to be' and therefore not worth spending time on. We refuse to accept this. It's not good enough. We know that half of all early miscarriages, for example, are not due to chromosomal abnormalities, but have underlying causes that we can cure.’

You should have a read on Tommy’s about miscarriage research:

www.tommys.org/research/research-topics/miscarriage-research-0

[quote Cafeaulait27]@EarringsandLipstick you’re incorrect on miscarriage here. I’ve had losses too and it’s not always ‘just one of those things’. This rhetoric that medical professionals peddle in this country is hugely unhelpful. Unless it’s a chromosomal abnormality, which it is in about half of cases, the other half can be treated.

Tommy’s says ‘Miscarriage has long suffered from an attitude amongst the medical profession that some pregnancies are 'not meant to be' and therefore not worth spending time on. We refuse to accept this. It's not good enough. We know that half of all early miscarriages, for example, are not due to chromosomal abnormalities, but have underlying causes that we can cure.’

You should have a read on Tommy’s about miscarriage research:

www.tommys.org/research/research-topics/miscarriage-research-0[/quote]
I'm puzzled. If someone has an early miscarriage, nothing can be done in that instance. The vast majority of woman will then go on to have a successful pregnancy, thankfully (therefore no intervention required).

Sadly, some won't, hence the opportunity for investigative into underlying causes.

Your post says that about half are due to chromosomal issues - which can't be known - but typically, this falls into the 'one of those things' category. If there are underlying causes, they can only be investigated subsequent to the initial m/c.

There is a lot of research happening into causes of m/c as the link you provided demonstrates, and in my case, in Ireland, I'm aware of particular research projects on the issue.

My point to the other poster was that of course it's possible to carry out research on m/c, and indeed investigate links between alcohol consumption & potential issues; just not in a controlled clinical project, ethically (as you can't ask anyone to do something that would potentially cause harm).

@EarringsandLipstick of course nothing can be done once I miscarriage starts. That’s not what I’m saying at all.

I’m getting the information from the Tommy’s website. Half are chromosomal, half are not. This means half of issues that cause miscarriage can be treated.

There is research being done, but as the Tommy’s website says, not nearly enough is being done, which is why they are doing a lot of it (they are a charity).

You said ‘mostly it’s just one of those things’ which is incorrect - half of the time it’s due to something that can be treated. 50% that could potentially be saved is a big number. ‘It’s just one of those things’ is the kind of language we should be moving away from.

Previous 2 DC I maybe had 5-8 glasses wine entire pregnancy. This time round as I’m older and DH older and more concerned about the quality of both our egg & sperm I’ve drunk far less. I had 2 drinks at Christmas, 1 New Year and will be having a glass of wine on my birthday at 32 weeks- then that’s it.
I think 1 glass very occasionally is truly fine.

To add also: when baby arrives I will be breastfeeding and very much enjoying my wine then. When breastfeeding the maximum percentage of alcohol you drink that could get into milk is 2-4%. Thats fractional. Its so so tiny! It’s estimated even normal fruit juice can contain 1% alcohol so that shows are little thus really is.
So I have enjoyed wine when breastfeeding with my other DC and will be this time too.
Obviously I won’t be getting smashed as it’s the falling asleep while holding or next to baby when drunk that’s the risk factor here - not the actual alcohol consumed getting into breast milk.

I give up @Cafeaulait27 🙂 I don't think you're getting my points, at all, but probably no point in me making them at third time!

I stopped drinking alcohol completely during my pregnancy. I knew I couldn’t enjoy it as I would have been too anxious that it would have been harmful to the baby. I did drink tea and cola light daily but in much less amounts then I used to do before I was pregnant.

First pregnancy maybe a small glass now and again, more often later in pregnancy.

Next followed two mc. In fact the week before my first mc I had had two glasses of wine on different evenings.

My last pregnancy - 2 glasses the whole time and the occasion sip. The 2 glasses were over Christmas when I was 8 months.

Having had mc - as per another poster - even though alcohol isn't directly linked - why do something that can be avoided and thus reduce the risk of something going wrong?

I didn't drink any alcohol on my three pregnancies.

I am pregnant right now (with my first) and am currently drinking 1-2 x 125ml of fine wine or champagne once or twice a week from weeks 14 - 34 weeks only.

• I say fine wine or champagne because I find it ensures it is limited to a small measure (restaurants don’t free pour anything expensive) and because it means I savour the taste with food rather than drinking tor the sake of it.
• The choice of timing was based on my research on developmental stages in pregnancy.

It’s important to do your own research and do what is right for you. There’s no point drinking if it will make you feel stressed and anxious.

I have noticed a lot of really aggressive posts on mumsnet (and others) from other mums shaming people for admitting they have drank alcohol. It’s better we all talk honestly and openly about this rather than shaming people into guilt and silence.

My mother certainly had a glass or two of wine each night when she was pregnant with me and had four healthy children, all between 34 and 47 by now. As did all my siblings.. who perhaps had slightly more (though I wouldn’t advise that) on occasion and all had healthy children.

Modern guidance has put really unhelpful restrictions on women (telling them to cut it out completely if pregnant or even trying for a baby) despite the absence of any scientific evidence on the affects of light drinking.

It’s just another way to police women’s bodies which society loves to do so very much.

Really appreciate the honesty in this thread and happy to answer any more questions if you have any

Whilst we’re at it, I’ll add that I’m also having caffeine but keeping that below or around the 200mg per day mark.

I don't drink because I go right off it in pregnancy and it's not worth it to have like half a glass, I'd rather just not have it.

But I don't think it's a terrible poison that'll damage your baby in tiny amounts - there are some health benefits and like others have said we consume other things ie caffeine in moderate amounts. There have even been studies showing mothers who drink a small amount of wine have higher IQ babies.

@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!

Absolutely not. I chose to have a child, being a mother means to put that child above myself.

I had had wine before I knew I was pregnant . I then stopped . I did have a glass on our wedding anniversary but I was 7 months by then

Now - I am NOT A DOCTOR - but when I was worrying I had been drinking wine before I knew I was pregnant my lovely doctor said - that probably will not matter and it didn't but ( she had studied Foetal alcohol syndrome & said from her work for the most part foetal alcohol syndrome is a mixture of continuous heavy drinking throughout pregnancy and the lack of proper nutrition / eating which often goes along with that. The odd glass of wine on a very infrequent basis is not the same thing at all especially in the later months ) But all must make their own choice.

Wasn’t worth the risk (however small it might be) for me. Cut all alcohol and caffeine from the minute we started TTC in Jan 2020. Breastfed until 4months then had to stop for a variety of reasons so didn’t touch any during that time either. DS is now 6m old. Still haven’t had alcohol. Had my first coffee last week 🙈🤣

@SmidgenofaPigeon and @EastLondonArtist - totally agree with your responses. It's the exact same that I have taken and for me, I believe that it's a responsible approach. I'm not drinking for the sake of drinking but enjoying the odd glass of good wine!

@KM38 wow I couldn't of survived without coffee during the newborn stage, good on you for waiting the. 6 months haha

@AhaShakeHeartbreak12 🤣🤣 it was actually my biggest craving when pregnant 🙈 I used to all but shove DH out the way to make his coffee for him just so I could smell it 🤣 knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it to a sensible amount if I started drinking it while pregnant or BF so just had none 😅😅 didn’t enjoy my first coffee last week at all 🙈 definitely gone off it!

None at all. Not worth even the tiny risk to me. But I also didn't touch deli meats, soft cheese, soft ice cream etc so to some I was overcautious