Is one large glass of wine every other night whilst pg ok, or not?

[AuntieSocial]

and if your friend was drinking this much, would you say something, or not?

Weird thread - 4 units of alcohol is ok and anyone who says otherwise is a misogynist...

Last year the government brought in rules saying NO ALCOHOL AT ALL, which had no scientific basis, but were because they thought women were too stupid to discriminate between a bottle of gin a day and a civilised glassful.

I had a glass of wine every night with dinner throughout. That is what French recommend and no one is saying all their babies are stunted/brain damaged etc.

Agree about mysogyny. How dare pregnant women have any pleasure. We should remember at all time we are only vessels!

Every other night, a large glass, does seem like quite alot to me.
That is normal drinking not pregnancy drinking.
Not my normal drinking. But some peoples.
How much does she drink normally ?

No, it's not a joke starlight, it's a reference to Madamez' post and the general gist of this thread.

The only thing I would say is that if the baby does have any problems, she will probably beat herself up mercilessly for having drunk alcohol .

There is research to suggest that low/moderate levels of alcohol are damaging to babies. There seems to be a school of thought that if a mother isn't drinking enough to cause FAS then she can't be doing any harm at all. I'm not sure I agree with that argument. OP - I would be concerned about the amounts your friend is drinking too.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/619840.stm

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article592139.ece

Saymyname - Thanks for those, unfortunately those are journalistic reports on research not the actual research - so very difficult to assess the robustness.
Interesting that they contradict each other though - one saying babies do not startle and the other saying they continue to when they shouldn't ...or am I reading them wrong?

I didn't say they were the actual research. I said there is research out there to suggest it's harmful.

Personally, I can't see what's so hard about not having a drink for a while, so I wouldn't take the risk whether imaginary, perceived or proven.

I agree with Aggie. One hell of a leap to link startling in the womb to the "fidgetiness characteristic of ADHD" isn't it. As someone who jumps 6ft out of their seat at any sudden or loud noise am now starting to get paranoid...Seriously though - AFAIK the RCOG have not considered it necessary to modify their guidelines (i.e. no evidence of harm from 1-2 drinks once or twice a week) on the basis of the research quoted. I'm sure there's "research out there" showing most things are harmful (or potentially so) if you look hard enough. Not to mention the numerous environmental toxins we are no doubt unwittingly exposed to every second of the day. Right, back into my pregnancy perspex bubble...

Fair point Nataliesmum, I'm just pointing out that although a number of people on this thread have said that there is absolutely no research that suggests moderate drinking could have a harmful effect, that isn't the case.

Whether you choose to ignore or rubbish the research is entirely your perogative, but to say that it does not exist is incorrect.

Sorry my last post sounded a bit flippant. I guess my point is, we are frequently bombarded with research, some of which is reliable and conclusive and some of which is highly dubious. The RCOG guidelines I mentioned are at least based on a comparative weighing up of the strength of evidence on either side (They'll probably chnage next week...)

Not.

Sounds a bit much to me. Wasn't there a study that showed the baby jumping in shock everytime alcohol is absorbed through the placenta? Will have a look..

The accepted wisdom is that a moderate intake of around two units per week during pregnancy will not affect the unborn child.

But scientists now believe that even one glass of wine a week during pregnancy can make the foetus "jump" in the womb and slow its development.

Independent December 2005.

I got a bit carried away with the wine on holiday when pregnant with DS#1. My friend told me I'd be giving birth to a pink elephant...which annoyed me a little at the time. Only you know your friend and how she will react. I expect she knows the risks but possibly, like I was, letting things slip a bit.

On the subject of alcohol as a pain killer - I did have a glass of red wine when DD was on the way. I thought it would help with the contractions. It did for a while - but then I threw it all up again in the car on the way to the hospital. DH was not impressed.

Hi everyone, have to say the advice that women shouldn't drink at all completely gets up my nose. There isn't any scientific basis for it, but NICE and the DoH just think it's an easier message to communicate, because of course, the majority of women who seek out and listen to such advice can't be trusted to differentiate between a moderate amount and bucketloads of wine (as opposed to people who want to drink and drive, who clearly 'can be trusted' to count their units - which is the greater risk!?).
It's incredibly patronising and completely reinforces those ridiculous notions that pregnant womens' bodies are public property.
As far as I can see, it's far more dangerous for these authorities to promote health advice they know to be without scientific basis, because it risks undermining their credibility when giving advice on matters where the health concerns are better-established (folic acid, food risks etc). In fact, the NICE advice is that women shouldn't drink at all, but if they do, they shouldn't drink in the first three months, when the risk is greatest, but can have 1-2 units a week after then. Now, which half of that message is most important, but is the bit we don't actually hear?
right, I'll put down the megaphone now...

I am pg and just don't drink any alcohol

I can't say for sure that it will not affect my unborn baby, so I choose not to take the risk

one large glass every other night not ok in my book

No it's not. If you need hard evidence infront of your face , rather than stopping on the basis it may harm your baby you have a serious problem IMO.

I agree with you mamag and ladyofwaffle... yeah, there's no hard evidence that it DOES harm, I guess (I thought I had read previously that there was evidence for this, but I was wrong - the research had only suggested that small amounts may harm the unborn baby). Anyway, even though there is no "proof"... there is also no "proof" that it DOESN'T harm the unborn baby. I say - to each their own... if you feel like risking it with your own unborn child - that's your business I guess. I just would not personally drink during pregnancy at all.
I don't think that going without alcohol for a year or two is really that much of a "sacrifice". I never crave wine or beer or any sort of alcohol, so I guess I don't have that problem anyway. Just not worth it.

I think with all these things, the issue isn't the size of the risk. It is that FAS can be a truly devastating condition, and is completely avoidable. Why risk it for a glass of wine?

well said lou031205. I guess there are just some people who feel like they really need a drink once in a while, even in pregnancy. Maybe I wouldn't know how that feels because I don't feel like I NEED it at all or even really want it... I used to have drinks (not a lot) pre pregnancy, but it was dead easy not to have any whatsoever during pregnancy.

Please see
linked on fallacy of logic such as no proof it does not exist, therefore it does exist