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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Did anyone drink alcohol through pregnancy?

99 replies

KacyB · 07/02/2008 23:24

Hi,

I am just wondering how common it is for women to drink during pregnancy.

I used to drink quite a bit, but stopped the minute I found out I was pregnant. I would rather not drink at all, that's my personal choice.

I was chatting to a couple of friends today, one of who happens to be PG and she said she's still drinking 1-2 glasses of wine a day...

I didn't say anything other than I've made a personal choice not to drink at all during my PG... I mean, I know it's not a guarantee everything will be OK, but it makes me feel better...

The more I think about what she said, the more shocked I am about it... I am thinking maybe I should say I disagree?

OP posts:

dontwanttogetoutofbed · 07/02/2008 23:26

your decision is always the safest way.
i drank 1-2 glasses of wine a week. when i was in italy they thought it was strange to turn down a glass of wine just because i was pregnant....

3Ddonut · 07/02/2008 23:28

It sounds as though she's misunderstood the advice, which is no more than one or two glasses a week either she's said it wrong, you've misheard her or she's misunderstood, maybe you should get back into conversation with her and mention the advice, although I believe current advice is none at all, so as not to be judgemental, each to their own. Maybe she doesn't understand the consequences of drinking whilst pg?

Original poster

KacyB · 07/02/2008 23:32

No, I didn't hear her incorrectly... She drinks a lot - as I used to.

I'd say 2 glasses is probably cutting down, but I'm not sure it's enough...

I certainly DON'T want to be judgemental, and don't want to be some sort of scare monger, but not sure if I should / can let it go....

OP posts:

Dalrymps · 07/02/2008 23:32

I didn't drink at all, I just didn't want to feel that if anything went wrong it could have been my fault iyswim, plus the way i see it i wouldn't give my baby alcohol now so why do it when he was in my womb? congratulations on your pregnancy by the way

3Ddonut · 07/02/2008 23:40

That's what I thought too Dalrymps, I used to drink a lot and the second I knew I was pg, I was just so turned off it, I didn't want it at all, I did have the occassional glass of wine with a special meal or whatever, but that was it.

I think it sounds as though your friend has made her decision and it's sad, she sounds as though she has a problem.

ThePFJ · 07/02/2008 23:43

I hate to be scary, but I would say 2 glasses of wine a day.. (If shes not sipping them really slowly for hours and hours) would mean the baby will be pretty much constantly tipsy half the time. It takes babies alot longer to process alcohol. But mothers who drink alot are bound to pass a little resillience on to their LO.
If I were you KacyB I'd mention your concern to your friend. If you love her get it off your chest and be honest to her. Thats what friends who care for eachother are for.
After that, its her choice. At least you spoke your piece and you can leave her to get on with things her way.
Well done for cutting down on the booze. I really REALLY struggled not to drink. Still am and sometimes I have to sneak a glass of wine.

Thats my twopence worth. Hope it helped a little. xxx

expatinscotland · 07/02/2008 23:47

I was a complete waster when I fell pregnant.

But about ten minutes after I conceived I was barfing all day. I instantly went off fags and booze. And by second trimester, I developed heart burn that became acid reflux and an oesophageal ulcer.

I did have a pina colada when I was about 36 weeks after craving one for ages.

With DD2, I wasn't drinking so much, mainly because of having a toddler to look after, but again, I was sick all day from the get go.

twelveyeargap · 07/02/2008 23:57

3-4 glasses of wine a week. My two children were born unharmed and I don't believe this next will won't be, just because the "rules" have changed.

madamez · 08/02/2008 00:10

A generation or two bakc, PG women were advised to drink either red wine or Guinness on a regular basis. Many, many women drink alcohol in the first few weeks of a pregnancy because they don't know they are pregnant (and let's not forget that drinking alcohol is how some of us get pregnant in the first place). A lot of the current stuff about not letting PG women drink alcohol is more about controlling women's behaviour than about any actual health risks. I drank in pregnancy and my DS is not only healthy but I'm told he's advanced for his age. Even seriously alcoholic women sometimes give birth to healthy babies, so though there is apparently some risk of alcohol-related problems, drinking doesn't inevitably mean your baby will be damaged (though mainlining a couple of bottles of vodka a day is not advisable).

mom2latinoboys · 08/02/2008 01:07

They recommend none because they can't precisely say how much alcohol is safe, and when it's most hazardous to drink it. And again every woman's tolerance is different.

It's got nothing to do with controlling women during pregnancy. It has more to do with preventing the mental and physcial affects alcohol has on a baby.

So much with motherhood has to do with common sense and doing what feels right. If it feels wrong don't do it, and if it feels ok go ahead and have drink.

Chunkamatic · 08/02/2008 08:20

Mom2latino is right... the current advice of not drinking at all is because it is difficult to quantify exactley how much is 'safe' to drink. Realistically no pregnant women are ever going to agree to medical trials to test how much is too much, are they?

FWIW I have hardly had a drink whilst being pg, even though i was a righht lush before!! I have seen it as a good point in my life to change my attitude towards drink, as my focus is now about my baby rather than my social life and i'm delighted about that. However, I have a friend (who is a GP) that claims she drank a glass of wine every day for both her pregnancies and has two very healthy boys.
Every woman is different and makes different choices. Unless she is a very close friend I would leave her to it.

Piccalilli2 · 08/02/2008 09:28

I have 2-3 smallish glasses of wine a week, usually on a Friday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday, with food. I did give up almost entirely apart from half a glass of champagne on dh's birthday til the end of the first trimester. It has to be a personal choice at the end of the day, the official advice is fairly contradictory (eg they changed it to 'no alcohol at all' fairly recently but not because the medical evidence had actually changed).

lollipopmother · 08/02/2008 09:30

I gave up drinking a month before we started trying, and I gave up smoking as well and I'm glad I did. The only slip up I had was on Xmas day when I drank half a bottle of Champagne and of course, sods law, a couple of days later I found out I was pregnant, but there's nothing you can do about these things, I know I shan't have another drop of alcohol now until I've finished breast feeding and I hopefully will never have another cigarette.

A drink every now and again isn't going to harm the baby, I believe that smoking will do although my mother got a bit tipsy and told me she smoked the entire time she was pregnant but then stopped when I was born - it hadn't actually occured to her until she said it that she had been really irresponsible!

I know a little girl who was born from an alcoholic mother and she had every single sign of fetal alcohol syndrome, she had a hole in her heart, serious organ faliure and many other issues, it's a miracle she is still alive and that's only down to her adoptive parents doing such a good job of taking care of her. This doesn't happen because of one or two glasses a day, but even so, I wouldn't take the risk.

piggyp · 08/02/2008 09:31

Personally I haven't wanted to drink - just haven't fancied it and I used to be a G&T + glass of wine every day girl . I've had sips of DH's stella when I needed that 'ahhhh' fatcor and the odd glass of wine at Christmas - although I generally didn't finish them.
2 glasses a day does seem alot - if they are big glasses and strong wine she may be over the recomended limit even for non-pg women! I'd be tempted to bring it up in conversation again just in case she is confused but then I think you'll have to leave her to it! You'll have to plan a cunning way of doing it;
"Gosh I felt so sick just at the thought of wine when I was pg!"
"What did your mw say about drinking limits, I wonder if it's changed since my day?"
"Here's an article from the internet about drinking when pg - read it!"

needmorecoffee · 08/02/2008 09:32

I did with number 1 (she's 16) because in those days it was fine to drink. Numbers 2, 3 and 4 I didn't because then it wasn't allowed. Number 1 is fine but no's 2, 3 and 4 are all SN. sigh.

CountessDracula · 08/02/2008 09:37

I didn't drink anything for about 4 months (went right off it) and after that I reckon 4 small glasses a week.

I think 2 a day is rather a lot tbh

Mymeems · 08/02/2008 09:39

I didn't drink as a rule when I was pg, but really craved lager and lime Once in a while I had a reeeaallly weak shandy, and I did have a couple of small glasses of wine when we were on holiday in Venice. TBH, the thought of alcohol and hangovers equated with the morning sickness I'd had, so my head just wasn't into it anyway.

lollipopmother · 08/02/2008 09:44

I've just seen this on the internet, it's only the first thing I came across but I expect it's right.

Recommendations: Studies suggest that drinking a large amount of alcohol at any one time may be more dangerous to the fetus than drinking small amounts more frequently. The fetus is most vulnerable to various types of injuries depending on the stage of development in which alcohol is encountered. A safe amount of drinking during pregnancy has not been determined, and all major authorities agree that women should not drink at all during pregnancy. Unfortunately, women sometimes wait until a pregnancy is confirmed before they stop drinking. By then, the embryo/fetus has gone through several weeks of critical development, a period during which exposure to alcohol can be very damaging. Therefore, the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse urges women who are pregnant or anticipating a pregnancy to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages.

kindersurprise · 08/02/2008 09:44

iirc, in my pregancy book (bought in 2001) it recommends limiting yourself to 2-3 units a day.

The recommendations have changed though. I think 2 a day might be a bit much, depends on the size of the measure. Small glass or large?

I did not often drink during pregnancy.

A friend was recently refused a glass of prosecco in a restaurant, the waiter told her "We do not serve underage children or pregnant women alcohol"

magHOOVERlia74 · 08/02/2008 09:47

I have 5 children and didn't stop drinking with any of them, probably drunk 2-3 glasses a week at most although not every week.
When pg with dd1 the doctors tried so hard to get me to drink guiness, awful stuff!!

pelafina · 08/02/2008 09:54

Message withdrawn

mumzyof2 · 08/02/2008 10:02

at the little girl with foetal alcohol syndrome. Dont you have to drink about 10-20 units a day to get that? Thats a hell of a lot.
I drank with my ds1, I maybe had a small glass of wine every other night, probably less. And hes ok, bit hyper though
With this baby, I drank a bit at the beginning, maybe a glass of wine a night , but now, nothing, apart from a teeny little Baileys in the last few months. In places like France and Italy, its weird NOT to drink when you're pg.

LadyOfWaffle · 08/02/2008 10:12

I drank a little (I mean a little, few sips here and there from DHs) but this time round I am not drinking any. I love beer, so I bought alchohol free - it's not hard. I don't drink wine really anyway, but when I went to a dinner party, I bought a bottle of alchohol free. Oh, saying that I did have a half glass of bucks fizz New Years (but got my comeuppence as the cork flew off at my head!)

LadyOfWaffle · 08/02/2008 10:15

lollipopmother · 08/02/2008 10:25

I feel a bit gutted that I drank the Champagne, I shouldn't have been so silly, but on the plus side I didn't feel remotely tiddly and my mother not only had a whole bottle of wine but the other half of the Champagne and she wasn't even that bad, so I'm hoping it was actually just Appletize in there!

As for the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - this woman was a massive drunk, she even drank a whole bottle of gin whilst in labour and had another one stashed for if it took longer!

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