Drank alcohol when unknowingly 10 weeks pregnant...so worried!

[dune2003]

I'm currently 20 weeks p/g and only found out when I was 11.5 weeks.

I drank over the Christmas period which would have been around 4 weeks p/g or 2 weeks past conception. I'm not overly concerned by that as was so early in the pregnancy and read many women do the same when unknowingly pregnant.

I luckily did 'dry January', however, I consumed 2 large glasses of wine when 10 weeks pregnant and have been worried sick ever since. I've read that consuming alcohol within the second half of the first trimester is the most dangerous.

I told the MW who didn't overly reassure me. I've gone down a rabbit hole of alcohol consumption in pregnancy, which has just added to my worry. I've not touched a drop since finding out, and don't intend to going forward.

Has anyone be in a similar situation or any advice to ease my worrying please?

Thanks in advance!

You’ll be fine.

alcohol in pregnancy is an issue when it is consumed regularly / in great quantities. A couple of glasses as a one off won’t make any difference.

It will be fine, nothing to worry about.

Yup me. We weren’t trying, at 40 wasn’t in the plan. Holidays, weekends, weddings- it was fine. Actually saw a GP for reassurance.

DD is 8 - all was and is well.

Absolutely fine. They say no alcohol because they don't have an exact measure of the factors involved in FAS. Some people binge drink and have perfectly healthy babies. Some drink a lot, but less than the one that had a healthy baby and had a baby with FAS.

Many midwives I've spoken to say they had the odd small glass. Honestly, as a one off, couple of glasses will be fine.

Of course you'll be fine! People used to drink throughout their pregnancies in the past. When I was pregnant, I wasn't told I shouldn't drink at all, just not to drink loads.

People used to be advised to drink Guinness for iron during pregnant. My mother drank occasionally though both of hers. I had a massive night out with severe hangover before realising I was 5 weeks gone with my second. I worried too. But it all worked out fine. Stressing will cause more damage than the alcohol. If the scans have been fine it’ll all be fine. But stop stressing!

The anxiety over it is probably worse than the drink. Relax and enjoy your pregnancy.

I drank a shed load of gin when I was unknowingly pregnant and in the second half of the first trimester...she's now 31 and fine....and tee total for 2 years.

2 large glasses is nothing in the scheme of things. Alcohol is a major problem in pregnancy for those who drink in excess, think 5-10 units a day. It isn't easy to set a limit so zero is safest. But I assure you that when our mothers were pregnant with us (that is gen X) a couple of gin tonics a night was normal.

You will be just fine. Make sure you eat a healthy diet and take your folic acid.

I know a LOT of people with FASD through work. None of their mothers drank 2 glasses of wine, once. They all drank excessively, repeatedly.

You'll be fine. I got very drunk (Xmas parties) before I knew I was pregnant and expressed my fears to a lovely midwife who told me that the body has a way of protecting the baby before you know you're pregnant. A lovely thing to say, which meant I spent the rest of my pregnancy at ease. My daughter is now a happy, healthy 27 year old.

Worrying results from studies on alcohol in pregnancy are based on women taking serious levels of drink. (Alcoholics)

Alcohol isn't nutritious and we don't know how much/little is safe because this would be a difficult study to do.

(It would be very wrong to ask groups of pregnant women to drink differing levels until we find harm is done.)

It is better avoided just to be sure...but take comfort OP- Your risk -if there is any- is very small. Anecdotally (but from long history) a mother's occasional drink doesn't seem to lead to foetal alcohol syndrome or anything else.

(For very good reasons Medics and midwives always expect patients to underestimate their levels of drinking- so will be assuming you had much more than reported.)

I had quite a big night out at around the same time... much more than 2 glasses of wine!

My child is school aged now and absolutely fine.

My Mum was told to drink guiness when expecting me. I drank a bit when expecting and got drunk on homemade strawberry wine once - daughter is now late 20's, high achieving academically and career wise, happy and beautiful. Please don't stress over it.

You’ll be fine! Some people have cryptic pregnancies and don’t know until the baby is born, that they were expecting! Hugs though, I know what it’s like to worry x

You’ll be fine. There is NO evidence that small amounts of alcohol have any negative effects, throughout pregnancy. Don’t google, and do what you can to manage anxiety as that’s much worse for you. MW is never going to say “it’s definitely all fine” are they? As there are so many variables in pregnancy generally

Alcohol in pregnancy is complicated, but only because they won’t do any trials on it for ethical reasons. That’s why ‘there’s no known safe quantity of alcohol in pregnancy’.

If you read American sites, they are all convinced just one drink can cause FAS. This is frankly bollocks.

The anecdotal evidence which exists (as outlined by several posters here already!) is that basically unless you are an alcoholic, drinking daily etc… your child won’t get FAS.

So those two glasses of wine are fine. Most women I know had the odd small glass of wine or half of beer in the third trimester if they really fancied one.

Most of us who are now 20W drank over Christmas and NY. Personally I found out I’m pregnant on the first of Jan. The odds of having an effect from the alcohol, if it happened once or twice are low.
Remember, most people who are now 30…our moms drank and smoke throughout the pregnancy, back then It wasn’t banned. Obviously we shouldn’t be drinking but I don’t think you need to beat yourself up over it.

Thank you all for your replies, which have reassured me tremendously!

When I was being wheeled to theatre for an emergency C-section many years ago I frantically told the midwife that I had been drinking until I realised I was pregnant. She smiled and said “Everyone says that.” DC was absolutely fine.