Am I drinking too much?

[fiziwizzle]

I hope this isn't too contentious. I have taken most of the pregnancy advice with a pinch of salt as I reason, I'm not ill, I'm pregnant (re exercising etc) and also, women have been doing this for thousands of years without avoiding soft cheese/pate/shellfish. So I'm eating nuts, soft boiled eggs and pate and I'm also having a few drinks a week.

I know that a glass of wine (175ml) contains 2 units and so does a pint of beer, and I have either a glass of wine or a pint of beer on 3 - 4 occasions per week. This is more than my MW recommended (1 to 2 units, once to twice per week) but I reason, if 2 units are OK on one day, why are they not OK on the next?

My drink is always with a meal, and on the odd occasion I have had two glasses of wine over a long meal (a few hours).

I think (I hope!) that I'm being sensible here, not sticking rigidly to guidelines but using my common sense. I'm 15+3 and this is my first, so I have no past experience to guide me. I just sometimes lie awake and worry that I may be harming the baby - even though, in my view, the advice about abstaining in pregnancy is scaremongering, and the body is designed to protect the baby above all else.

I suppose I'm asking for someone to put my mind at rest.... Or I may be in for a telling off!

Of course eligible to join the thread Renee! Just not able to have a reasoned debate based on fact with me. But then I can have those debates elsewhere and leave the emotion on this thread where, perhaps, it belongs, as the OP did ask for everyone's opinions, not just mine.

I do get very tired of foetus worshippers - peole who fuss about every aspect of a pregnant woman's behavioru in case she might have found out a way to enjoy herself or indeed might not want to continue her pregnancy in the first place (much of the more demented stuff comes from people allied with the anti-choice movement in the first place). It;s a particular mindset that is all about controlling women, the people who make the loudest fucking row about pregnant women's behaviour are invariably the least interested in doing anything that might benefit actual existing children, or indeed those foetuses and their mums who would benefit from better-funded maternity care

@fiziwizzle wondering if everything was safe and healthy with your baby ? If you continued to have a few wines or so a week ? :)

@thetruthisoutthere89 yes I did continue to have a few glasses of wine each week. My daughter is now nearly 12, at senior school and doing very well indeed - she is extremely intelligent and talented in all sorts of ways

Can't comment on the amount of alcohol...

but you write 'I just sometimes lie awake and worry that I may be harming the baby'...

From that sentence alone - is it worth it, whether there is some guidance for or against.... if that is how you feel.. I'm sure its possible to live without or cut down even further.

Although I wouldn’t do it myself, I found the section on alcohol in ‘Expecting Better’ very interesting. Apparently more recent studies show that drinking a smaller amount in one go means the alcohol is processed by the liver before ever making it to the placenta.
However even by those standards it seems like you’re drinking too much.

I can’t be too judgy myself, at the start of my pregnancy I craved sushi and brie (I made sure to cook the brie thoroughly on a pizza, only ate it on day of purchase and bought a brand I felt safe with).
But whereas a lot of food rules are there to avoid the small chance of food poisoning, alcohol restrictions are there to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome.
Foods on the unsafe list are usually there as a precaution, but alcohol is a poison at the end of the day. One that’s fine for an adult but can affect a baby quite badly.

Like others have said, I can’t reassure you as I personally think you’re drinking too much. I’d discuss this with your midwife if you can.

Hi Op, I'm late to the party but I had to comment as I was someone who missed drinking in pregnancy and I did drink, not as much/regularly as you suggest but there were some occasions I definitely had too much.
It was 2017 and a year of moving house and hen dos/ weddings for me and I had 2 large glasses of wine in a beer garden on one occasion when we got our moving in date, a cocktail on a hen do, a glass of prosecco at a wedding and half a beer most weeks. I even got one or two comments as people (in laws) thought I was drinking too much 🙈
I'm now of the persuasion that 1 or 2 units once a week is fine, but not more than that. I look back now and feel a bit ashamed of what I drank. My DD is absolutely fine, very bright. But if I had my chance again I'd go for alcohol free beers and wines. They have come a long way even in the last few years.
My favorites are: brewdog punk af or hazy af beer, and erdinger alcohol free.
Eisberg alcohol free wine is nice, and Belle and co proscesso is lovely.
I'm sure your baby will be fine and wish you luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

Yes, I think this is too much. Remember your liver is under more pressure when pregnant as it has to work for you and your baby and it needs multiple 'days off' to recover and rebuild between drinking. If you want to continue drinking I'd cut down and make sure you give yourself a good break between drinks.

Remember liver issues in pregnancy can be VERY serious in pregnancy and harm both you and your baby. Also alcohol drinks have got a lot stronger in the last few decades!