Date night tonight - would one drink be ok?

[Motherof1and2dogs]

Just curious to see what answers I get for this one.
So I am having a very rare date night with the husband due to having a toddler and the lack of babysitting help/ support we get. Currently 32 weeks pregnant, yes very uncomfortable and very big at this stage but really looking forward to our meal! We have so much to celebrate and we haven’t really had the chance to :(

Would having one alcoholic drink be ok to have with my meal, but something like a cocktail? I would kill for a frozen strawberry daiquiri.

I don't think one drink is a problem. But I personally would feel uncomfortable and unable to enjoy it if I felt people were judging me for ordering alcohol in a public venue. I recently had an alcohol free beer in a bar whilst heavily pregnant, and a woman at a nearby table spent the whole time glaring at me and whispering to her friend, who joined her in the disapproving looks. On that occasion I didn't care because I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong, and I was almost willing them to come over and say something so I could tell them their judgment was unwarranted, but if I'd been having a real beer, it would have sucked the joy out of it.

I’m sure you’d be fine, but I wouldn’t if I were you.

You’ll be fine, but I’d probably order a mocktail to avoid judgy comments in the restaurant. There is no safe level of alcohol if you’re pregnant or not. If you want one, have one.

Foetal alcohol syndrome requires a long and sustained pattern of drinking

Are you a medical professional with experience in this area?

@TaraRhu exactly this, I didn’t end up having any at all due to the comments and made me think what others in the restaurant would think of me for having a drink so I decided not to have one. I dread to think of the daggers I could have got. I ended up having a mocktail which was still enjoyable, but bring on that Prosecco when baby is born! Probably get judged for that as well 😆 think I’ve learnt my lesson to not ask on mums net, I wasn’t expecting so much negativity

@Motherof1and2dogs yes as I'm sure you know!

"I savoured my blue WKD"

I would absolutely. One drink during the pregnancy? Enjoy!

You weren’t expecting so much negativity asking if you can have a glass of alcohol while pregnant, on a forum full of parents/pregnant women? Where you will of been told during your booking appointment no amount of alcohol is a safe amount so don’t drink at all?

….Okay.

@HariboFantastics it’s more the fact that some people were just utterly disgusted for me just asking, I mean there are women out there that do drugs still while pregnant, it not like I was planning on getting out of my face, just a nice social drink with some food. Also the fact that my mum and Nan and older generation have said alcohol was allowed back in the day and they are all fine and we are all fine etc just made me wonder if 1 would be ok, but you get so much hate for asking a question on here it’s unbelievable and I have learnt my lesson to never use Mumsnet again and just go with my own choice. Shame you can’t delete posts on here

And just to clarify, I really did only mean one drink and not 2 or 3 or 4, and I was thinking a cocktail as they are full of crushed ice so very watered down, but I didn’t end up having one anyway

One drink during pregnancy isnt going to cause FASD

It’s fine, Guinness was actually suggested to pregnant women! The reason why they say zero alcohol is because the old message of 1-2 units once or twice a week was being misinterpreted- a large glass of wine is 4 units typically! saying no alcohol is clearer plus it’s not actually clear why some persistent drinkers in pregnancy have seriously children whereas others do not, far better to not take chances. The real danger zone is earlier in pregnancy like so many things. All that said, frozen non alcoholic strawberry daiquiri tastes the same, i regularly drink them when driving

There is a degree of total hysteria in the idea having one drink, once is going to cause your baby damage.

Children born with issues as a result of alcohol consumption will have mothers that are regular, heavy drinkers.

There is a huge gap between these two scenarios, and fear-mongering that a single strawberry daiquiri is going to permanently damage the baby is just scientifically nonsense.

Pease can one of the many people saying she can't have a drink, link to research that suggests a single drink of alcohol in laye pregnancy could harm the foetus. And explain how.

Believe me I am dry myself - well aware of the dangers of clocohol consumption in general.

BUT I Al also keen on women being allowed to behave like rational beings, not subject to ridiculously strict, irrational and purposeless restrictions.

I do not believe there any evidence to suggest one drink cold do harm. But if someone can show me some I would be eager to peruse it. And I mean the actual research, not just an official guideline. They are genuinely written by men, in the belief that women are hysterical and can't control themselves and if allowed one drink in pregnancy will drink 30......

I imagine 1 drink won't harm your baby but I would also ask why you think drinking alcohol is necessary just because its a "date night"?

@RenoDakota

yes advice was 1-2 units once or twice a week but women didn’t understand units or chose to ignore. That said women choose to ignore now. Risk mitigation is a good thing, getting to the point where it’s so draconian that women think they are harming babies from a single drink is ridiculous, there’s alcohol in many things including many fruits, yogurt, anything fermented basically and bread!

Indeed this

Cocktails are worse because they taste like juice but have lots of alcohol in. They have a higher percentage than wine.

I had the odd glass of champagne during both my pregnancies.

Would you pour a drink into your baby’s bottle? Same thing more or less

I looked into the research for most of the pregnancy related restrictions when I was pregnant with my eldest (I'm a scientist).

There are far far more women that are alcoholics in this country than children that are born with FAS. A third of all pregnancies are unplanned and so many women are unknowingly drinking in their first trimester. A single cocktail in your third trimester when the placenta is fully developed will not harm the baby. I'd be more concerned about other people's reactions TBH, as can be seen on here, people can be very judgemental.

I had the odd drink (which was allowed when I was pregnant). It was fine. One cocktail will be ok.

What a weird comment

OP, when I was at your stage of pregnancy and couldn't sleep, my GP's advice was to have a whisky at bedtime!

One drink will be fine.