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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

What is worse to drink during pregnancy - a small glass of wine a few times a week or a couple of diet cokes a day?

25 replies

pgwithnumber3 · 05/12/2008 13:55

Just wondering as I feel guilty having a small glass of wine whilst pregnant but wouldn't particularly worry about having a diet coke. After reading on MN about how bad diet drinks are for you and your unborn, I wonder what is worse, a small amount of alcohol or artificial sweetener?

OP posts:

MsG · 05/12/2008 13:58

I wouldn't worry too much about either. I've decided not to drink during pregnancy but many people have the odd glass of wine and it's fine. Diet coke's not good for you but I don't know of any evidence that it can harm your baby.

If you think back to when our mothers had us, lots of women were drinking and smoking even as well through pregnancy! I'm not saying don't be careful but I think we can get too worried sometimes - I know I do.

SquiffyHock · 05/12/2008 14:01

I have had a small amount of wine with all three of my pregancies - I don't drink coke so I can't really comment. There are lots of things that I won't let my children eat (cheese strings, plastic ham, chewing gum) but other people do and their kids are fine. In the same way I will allow the odd McDonalds and fruit shoot.
You can only listen to all the advice given to you then make up your own mind.

Original poster

pgwithnumber3 · 05/12/2008 14:07

The thing is it that I can count on one hand the amount of times I have drunk coke (diet) during this pregnancy but have had around 3 glasses of wine a week. This has eaten away at me recently as I probably start worrying come the end of my pregnancy that I may have done some harm to the baby, even though I am sensible and know the chances of that are minute. The reason I ask the question re the diet coke is that no-one would turn a hair if they saw you drinking a soft drink but I would be less inclined to have a sip of wine in public iyswim?

OP posts:

storkycake · 05/12/2008 14:14

Fizzy pop is evil stuff.

I really don't think 3 glasses of wine a week will do any harm. Maybe 3 a day and you'd be wondering about risks, but not weekly...unless it's pint glasses you're drinking in which case your liver could well be pate

Original poster

pgwithnumber3 · 05/12/2008 14:21

storky, I have the smallest wine glasses in the world! I measured out and it is 125 ml of wine in a glass. Just 1 unit I think.

OP posts:

SquiffyHock · 05/12/2008 14:33

I would say I drank that much with DS and DD - I can't face it with this pregnancy so DH has decided that this one will have a drink problem as it's not getting any now

brettgirl2 · 05/12/2008 18:10

I think that you need to stop feeling guilty every time you breathe. You have to have enormous amounts of artificial sweetener for it to be harmful. Likewise 2 glasses of wine a week are not going to lead to FAS.

Why not start worying about carbon monoxide, exhaust fumes, cleaning fluid, radiation from a laptop, radio waves, travelling in a car, food additives. Or maybe just chill out a bit???

littleboyblue · 05/12/2008 18:14

I wouldn't worry about either.

Madigan · 05/12/2008 18:30

I would not worry either.
My consultant told me that I could drink 2-3 units per week no problem. Now I have only just discovered that 125ml is 1.5 units (which is very hard to believe, don't you think??). Anyway, I probably have about 2 x 125ml glasses a week and really enjoy them and refuse to worry about it.
Nor would I worry about diet coke.
Nor do I worry about drinking my wine in public ... I dare someone to challenge me!!

lljkk · 05/12/2008 18:39

Trying to have any kind of life and be pregnant, is definitely a risky thing -- better to not do it at all. Better to hide under the duvet for 9 months, just in case you make a seemingly minor decision and it turns out to be proclaimed 'wrong'.

Madigan · 05/12/2008 18:44

Indeed. I am absolutely fed up with all the rules and regulations surrounding pregnancy - am sure a lot of it is nonsense. How come my mother's generation gave birth to healthy children???? My mother in law drank and smoked throughout, and DH is a complete brainbox. My mother ate pate non stop because she was told it was good for her, and I seem to be fine
Obviously heavy drinking and (any) smoking are bad things- and food poisoning is to be avoided if possible - but really, most things in moderation are not going to be a problem in my humble opinion.
Must admit that I have been much more relaxed (and therefore happy) with this second pregnancy - I drink a small amount of wine, I eat prawns, I do not cook my eggs until they are completely solid. These small things make me happy. And happy mama makes for happy baby.

ladylush · 05/12/2008 18:45

Only problem with diet coke (or coke) is the caffeine. Caffeine is linked to m/c (apparently even in quite small amounts). I am a diet coke addict, so when I was pg I got the caffeine free one which tastes bloody awful but satisfied my craving. I still miscarried Mind you, having had 4 m/c I am overly cautious.

expatinscotland · 05/12/2008 18:48

problem with diet coke is that nasty aspartame.

i had a few small glasses of wine or beer whenever the need struck me in this pregnancy, which admittedly wasn't often as was sick a lot and then had heartburn.

didn't have much whilst pregnant with the girls, however, mainly because i was nauseated a lot.

don't see a problem with the odd glass of wine or beer.

Lotster · 05/12/2008 19:02

I feel quite bad now... I know the point of the thread is the booze really but I'm more worried about the Diet Coke!

Usually the only fizzy thing I drink is water, or an occasional lime and soda but in both PG's the only thing that could settle my morning sickness for some reason was DC (and crisps).

Knowing it's crapola I went and got the little mixer sized cans from Tesco and had those to reduce the amount I drank (150ml as opposed to 330ml normal cans), and tried to drink fizzy water and lime instead where I could.

I said booze-wise I wouldn't be as precious this PG as last and have a glass or two if I fancied but I actually feel quite headachey when I do have a glass so not bothering much.

Recent research says 1-2 units a week are fine apparently?

Lotster · 05/12/2008 19:07

here

brettgirl2 · 05/12/2008 19:23

You don't have to cut caffeine out - but just watch the amount you have. At my booking appointment the pg midwife was supping from a cup of tea. My mother professes to have drunk nothing but coffee(!) through both of her pregnancies, she never had any miscarriages and had two healthy children. I think that one of the problems with mumsnet is that people compare worries and they start to multiply. If you are really worried about miscarriage the most important thing to avoid is travelling in a car. lljkk - get back under that duvet NOW!!!!

Lotster · 05/12/2008 19:28

That's another thing Brettgirl2, last PG (once the DC fetish ended) I was all virtous herbal teas and rooibos etc.

This time I just really want a builders, and have it! Also obsessed with Earl Grey, tried the de-caff but it's rubbish.

so what's too many cups do you know? don't think I have more than 3 a day...

brettgirl2 · 05/12/2008 19:32

Well, I think they say that you shouldn't have more than 300mg per day and a cup of tea has 50. I wouldn't go as far as drinking 6 though - that seems like quite a lot to me!

Original poster

pgwithnumber3 · 05/12/2008 19:36

It is strange what your body wants and doesn't want during pregnancy. It is only during this pregnancy that I have been able to drink tea (couldn't drink it at all during first 2 pgs) and have the odd glass of wine. I haven't had heartburn either with this pg but suffered dreadfully with other 2. I think that has a lot to do with it,

If I have a diet coke I feel terrible afterwards, really really gassy and it repeats on me all day until I have slept it off. So my body accepts caffeine from tea but not diet coke!

OP posts:

Lotster · 05/12/2008 19:55

ok thanks!

storkycake · 05/12/2008 20:04

The carbonated drinks (even water) are said to leech calcium out of your bones.

Eat n drink what you like, whatever makes you happy.

Apparently the amount of alcohol needed to put the baby at risk of FAS is vast.

Lotster · 05/12/2008 20:33

Oh yuk!

I once heard soda water "eats" cellulite though(!)

brettgirl2 · 05/12/2008 20:38

Haha, well that is obviously true!!!! Soda water is foul though, I'll stick with the cellulite.

My attitude really is that if it was important to avoid/moderate I would have been told by GP or midwife, otherwise it is OK. I generally try to positively choose food because it is good for me and lo.

heverhoney1 · 05/12/2008 21:57

I own a deep fat fryer (rarely if ever used due to the advent of yummie low fat oven chip) so I decided to clean it out to store away. I had nowhere to put the fat so the bottle withthe cheapest thing I could find in it was soda water. I poured soda water into a jug then fat into empty bottle. So not to waste the water I poured a little into the pan to rinse it out. It came up bright and clean as new!! Lord knows what is in that stuff but if they say it "Eats" cellulute I would believe them!! It certainly did for the fat in my pan!!!

Lotster · 06/12/2008 15:43

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