Can I have a very small glass of champagne on Xmas day while pregnant?

[Lilybow]

I'm 18 weeks and my husband is very adamant that I don't have anything, not even a sip. I'd really like 50-100ml glass of champagne just on Xmas day during pregnancy. I know probably no point as it's such a small glass and my husband would probably make me feel guilty.

Is anyone else having a small drink and pregnant?

You should, yes. You also should nip this in the bud right now. I understand that it's his baby and he's looking out for him/her, BUT.... he cannot and should not be dictating what you do with your body. Especially when it comes to relatively small things that don't actually make a difference either way. Because it's a slippery slope from here....

I know 2 women who did not get pain relief in child birth because their partners basically wouldn't allow it. One because she had said she didn't want it in advance and he decided being flexible once she was begging after 18 hours of labour was not an option (why the F* the midwife didn't step in, I have no idea) and one whose DP made many concerned noises and "researched" so that she felt she couldn't even consider it.

What about breastfeeding? Is he going to make that decision for you to?

I know that you're thinking I'm being ridiculous and it's just a silly little glass of champagne but I think the nicest man in the world can easily get to the point where he accidentally thinks he gets to dictate. Don't go there.

The issue doesn't seem to be whether or not you feel it's safe to have 1 glass of champagne to celebrate on Christmas - it's that you & your husband have a difference of opinion about it.
That's what you need to focus on resolving because you're unlikely to be able enjoy that glass if your husband will make you feel guilty about it.
It is a difficult one because it's both of yours child but still ultimately your body & in my opinion that takes precedence (your body, your choice - more important in bigger decisions than this one but still relevant), though others would disagree.
My husband was very cautious when I first got pregnant & whilst it was lovely for him to be so excited & involved - Googling what I couldn't have & then trying to tell me maybe I should only drink water for 9 months to be safe was not helpful 🙄 & suggesting he did the same to be supportive didn't work because he's not interested in tea/coffee/alcohol so it wasn't a sacrifice for him!
I got terrible nausea in my first trimester though and he really changed his tune because I could barely eat anything and was so miserable that he was just desperate to help me feel better & that really changed his perspective along with a dose of reality from my mum about how the majority of babies are born totally fine & many that aren't are due to something totally out of our control.
Not sure if there's someone in his family who might support you & give him some perspective?
How far your husband might take it in terms of making you feel guilty - would he blame you if something did happen?
Unfortunately it may come down to whether it's worth the risk of his attitude but I agree with pp that if he's this intense now with something quite minor it could be even worse in the future so definitely worth some discussion to try and get on the same page, even if that's just working out who fairly gets to make these decisions that affect you far more than him.

I would and did have small drinks in all my pregnancies. No issues.

Yes

I had a small glass of wine each week during second trimester, think the advice was slightly different 20 years ago.

And when my friend had her son late 1980s she was encouraged to drink stout by the midwife !! (Something to do with the iron )

Not sure if it's been suggested already but could you use less champagne and put some sparkling water in it? Less alcohol, still fizzy and you'll get the taste of the champagne still. Appreciate this kind of negates it being a good champagne though and may offend wine experts!

I will be having a snowball and a glass of red wine. I'm 15 weeks and haven't had a drop so far. I will make sure I've eaten (well I'll eat none stop all day tbf) and I will sip them so my body has longer to process it. I won't be made to feel bad, I have half killed myself making sure everyone has a lovely Christmas and will be hosting so I deserve them two little glasses on Christmas Day 💓 enjoy!

I plan on having one small glass tomorrow also.... However, since we've arrived at the inlaws my FIL is adamant that I mustn't have so much as a sip of wine while pregnant... Not sure how this one will play out....!!

No you can't.

Of course you can. And your husband can do one. He's not pregnant.

You'll be fine! Better to have a relaxed mentality than being an unnecessarily uptight parent!

One glass of wine once a week is fine, when you’re breast feeding it will make you and baby settle quicker on those difficult days.

Yes! You can make it a slightly larger glass if drink a glass of water first to dilute the alcohol content Enjoy!

I never drank in my pregnancies as soon as I knew I was pregnant but that was just my personal decision. I'm sure women have the odd glass and everything is fine. It's just that for me one glass wouldn't be enough as I enjoy being drunk.

I was 20 weeks pregnant with both of my children on Christmas Day. I had a lovely glass of champagne both times and it was fine. Relax and enjoy!

Yes. Reduced risk after 12 weeks and small amounts are unlikely to do anything anyway.

But when pregnant I tend to find alcohol just makes me tired and gives me a headache.

I can't believe how strictly some people interpret the rules.

Read the book Expecting Better by Emily Oster; it lays out all the scientific research on this. A glass of wine every now and again is completely harmless. They just can't set a "rule" on how much is too much as you can't get pregnant women repeatedly blazing drunk for the sake of research. So for that reason authorities have to trot out the "no alcohol ever" line.

I'm a bit of a wine enthusiast and had a small glass every couple of weeks when pregnant - and was practically encouraged to do so by the obstetrician!

I had gestational diabetes at Christmas. Midwife told me to avoid the mince pies and Christmas pudding, and if I wanted a treat, have a small gin or vodka with diet tonic. Wine and champagne are too high in sugar apparently, if you're diabetic.

I've been 37 weeks pregnant at Christmas twice. Both times I had a glass of champers on Xmas day.

Kids are now 4 and 2 and happy and healthy.

One of my nicest memories of Christmas when I was pregnant with DS was having a glass of extremely good champagne on Christmas Eve with friends in their chalet in the Swiss alps and enjoying the fact that I was toasty warm at minus seventeen.

@SW1amp

Yes of course you can!

French women won’t be agonising over whether to have some champagne!

On a more serious note, I had my 20 week scan on my birthday a few years ago
I was under the care of an amazing fetal medicine consultant who scanned me and spotted the date/my DOB
When the scan was done, she said that all was well and therefore that plus my birthday meant I should go and have a glass of champagne to celebrate

She wouldn’t have said that if there was any risk from drinking it

Utter bollocks. We even have a symbol on the wine here to reinforce the message that you shouldn't drink. French women are told not to drink during pregnancy, at all. I didn't and most of my friends didn't. You'd no more drink alcohol in France when pregnant than eat paté or an unpasturized cheese. Enough with the false info.

You can have more than one small glass of champagne if you want to! I wouldn't drink a whole bottle in one sitting, but the odd glass now and then is fine.

@lesenfantsdelesperance the reason the advice is no alcohol is because there is no ethical way to test what amount IS safe.

They can ethically look at outcomes for women they KNOW drank heavily during their pregnancy.

The very small amount of alcohol in a glass of champagne is fine.

By the by, our NCT teacher told us to have 2 glasses of champagne in labour lol.

@Viviennemary

No you can't.

Why's that?

After reading expecting better, I had one small glass of wine/prosecco a week throughout both my pregnancies from the second trimester onwards.

I would strongly recommend reading it and then you can make your own decision based on facts rather than anecdotal evidence. And show it to your husband too.

Her book cribsheet is also excellent too!