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470885 tn?1326329037

Ok....be honest - alcohol during pregnancy

With DS, I stopped drinking once I found out I was pregnant (we weren't trying, so I didn't find out until I was 7 weeks).  This time, I had a drink or two when I was in the 2WW, but haven't had anything since getting my BFP.

A friend of mine is also pregnant and said that she has the occasional glass of wine, etc., that she doesn't think there's a problem with it.  While I know that, especially when you're further along in the pregnancy, the odd glass of wine isn't going to "hurt" - my GP even told me that - I just don't feel comfortable having any alcohol while I'm pregnant.  I figure....it's a small sacrifice to pay for my little one :-)

What do you think?
18 Responses
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796065 tn?1260888895
I didnt read all the replies yet. I wanted to put my two cents in. I too have had a drink BEFORE i found out I was pregnant. I was maybe 4-5 weeks then. I had no idea and i had a couple drinks. Had I known prior, I wouldnt have drinken anything. I have heard  that occasional wine is okay to drink here and there. I LOVE wine, but Im far to afraid to consume anything. I feel if I get a little "relaxed" so will my baby. So i wont bother until Im dont breastfeeding probably. Everyone is different and I cant blame or badmouth anyone for making their own choices with themselves and their pregnancy because at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, they deal with it and not I.. Like the old saying goes "What you eat wont make me sh*t"... lol
Helpful - 0
1026926 tn?1292113815
There is no proof that a small amt of alcohol causes FAS. Usually the woman that has a baby with FAS drank regularly throughout her pregnancy. I have a heart condition that is aggravated during pregnancy often causing severe palpatations and high blood pressure. My doctors reccommended I have a glass of red wine 3-4 days a week in the evening with my pregnancies and it really helped. When I questioned my specialist about it he said you have to consume alot more than a glass of alcohol to cause negative effects. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I do not feel it causes problems. It is not like handing a glass of wine to your baby, as NicMom if you research it (which there has been new research coming out about the benefits of small amts of wine during pregnancy) and it is only a small amt that gets to baby. Here is part of a new study done on Wine During Pregnancy"

While it has long been accepted that consuming large amounts of alcohol during a pregnancy can be extremely harmful to the unborn baby, recent research is showing that consuming a small amount of wine during pregnancy does not seem to be harmful, and in some cases, might even be beneficial.  It seems that there is a lot of conflicting information out there, and it leaves pregnant women wondering: is wine safe to drink during their pregnancy?

A recent UK study looked at cognitive and behavioral issues in 3-year-old children and interviewed their mothers as to alcohol usage during the pregnancy.  As expected, the children of those who drank heavily showed the biggest behavioral problems and lapses in cognitive ability.  What was surprising however was that those mothers who consumed small amounts of wine during pregnancy had children who performed better than those who had abstained altogether.

For the purposes of the study, a small amount, or light drinking was classified as no more than two small drinks (4 oz. of wine, or 10 oz. of weak beer) on one occasion, and no more than two occasions occurring per week.  The study found no difference in effects between women who drank these small amounts somewhat regularly, and those who drank once or twice during the course of their pregnancy.


There are many, many studies proving you have to drink a substantial amt during pregnancy to cause ill effects to your baby. Hope this helps. And as I said before we will all have different opinions on this.
Helpful - 0
652671 tn?1353712165
I don't think a single serving of alcohol once in a while is a big deal ... from everything i've read and been told, alcohol in small doses increases blood flow all over your body- including the blood supply to the baby. And also, i agree with nicmom, the percentage that actually makes it to the baby is infinitesimal. I am about 14 weeks pregnant and I haven't had any alcohol since i got pregnant, but i never really had a tolerance for the stuff much anyway ... I guess it's up to the mother. there are terrible meds that cause way more and harsher damage to the baby than alcohol ... for instance, anti seizure meds and anti depressants ...
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349463 tn?1333571576
My dr and all the L&D nurses told me at the end of my pregnancy to drink a glass of wine in the evening. I don't think there was anything wrong with it. I had a small glass on a few occasions.

Do the research if you drink a small glass of wine the baby isn't drinking that same glass of wine. It's a very small percentage that is passed along to the baby. Later in pregnancy it can even help to calm BH contractions. I don't think it's any worse than having a cup of coffee.
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Avatar universal
actually maybe it should be illegal.  Would an occasional drinker look down on someone who got drunk while pregnant?  

Some women get a little tipsy on one glass of wine, a baby probably is too. Thats kind of illegal.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I think if you drank during your 2ww there is nothing you could do about it and doctors will reassure you that it didn't affect your baby.  I do not judge those who drink RED WINE while pregnant my SIL did like 2 glasses her entire 9 months, it just isn't for me...I wanted this child I'm pretty sure I can go without drinking for 9 months!  I crave Margaritas often but i know it isn't worth it.  Some doctors say that drinking RED WINE mostly and the occasional beer won't hurt is okay and some say it isn't.  I see it as if my doctor told me taking crystal meth was okay for the baby and i was offered to try it while I was pregnant would i? (not that i would try it if i wasn't pregnant but maybe you catch my drift).  I think occasional is the part of it I cannot stand, what is occasionally to me night not be occasional to them.  & some pregnant women take it out of hand like they are in denial.  

Also you have to be 21 to drink in the US and you are basically giving your baby alcohol! What goes into your system also goes into his or hers.

This is such a personal subject and everyone has their own opinions.  
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200198 tn?1259887597
I think drinking during pregnancy is not right at all. I have worked with children who have fetal alchol syndrome. You wouldn't let a newborn sip on a glass of wine you shouldn't do it when your pregnant. It goes right into your blood stream and gets to your baby. If you drank befor you found out I think that its ok it has happened to alot of people including me....but I wouldn't do it throughout pregnancy.
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184674 tn?1360860493
Lol!
I'm the same way if I don't get my coffee. :-)
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1012334 tn?1283702979
I feel that "a drink" once in a while is fine during pregnancy. I have been pregnant 4 times during my first pregnancy I have several drinks before I found out I was pregnant (I was on birth control and not expecting to get pregnant)and my baby was fine. in my second and third pregnancies I did not have any alcohol at all during any of thepregnancy again babies were fine. during my 4th pregnancy I had a drink twice and had my biggest baby so far. I personally think that a drink once in a while is ok, but i typically don't do it my self as i don't feel that I need alcohol during pregnancy and I am usually sick the whole time anyway. I have a coworker that is from england and she said her doctor told her to have a glass of red wine once a week for the health benefits during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, she has 4 healthy children. i think you also need to know yourself and if one drink would be all that you would haveor if you feel you would need to drink more.
Helpful - 0
1039620 tn?1272594004
I have to agree with some of these other ladies that being pregnant is not the same as being sick. I do NOT agree with drinking alcohol while pregnant, but the occasional drink before you found out of the glass of wine on New Years Eve seems to be fine.

Oh, and by the way, AHP84, had a subway sub last night, with DELI meat and it was delicious! :) I drink 2 cups of coffee a day, perfectly okay with my OB, and have a piece of chocolate or something else sugary every now and again. I agree that these need to be done in moderation, but to cut them out completely, especially my coffee, would make Victoria a royal B%itch! :)
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184674 tn?1360860493
I think alcohol consumption during pregnancy is fine in minimal amounts...the "odd drink" on occasion or however you want to call it...but as for me personally, I will not drink an alcoholic beverage while pregnant. I just don't feel comfortable doing so; however, I sometimes do take one sip of my husband's beer when he has one (which is about once a week), but that's it.
But basically, I agree with smkmekg, that it really seems like almost all things we do as activities or eat/drink while pregnant is some sort of "risk." You just have to consider how high you can escalate that risk and use good discretion.
I know a person who *constantly* argues with me over the fact that I drink a cup of coffee every day--God forbid I consume ANY caffiene while I'm pregnant (including a bite-sized bar of chocolate). This person is also bothered over the fact that I enjoy drinking Sprite while I'm pregnant, because it is carbonated and has lots of sugar. Yet, this is the same person that offered me homemade brownies two days ago??? Another person felt they needed to say something when they saw me eating--*gasp*--an apple turnover pastry, because "that's not food that's healthy for the baby."
Seriously...I'm all for sacrificing things like eating swordfish (one of my favorites) and giving up things like alcohol that could pose a serious health risk if continued regularly, but good grief...I'm not going to sit around and do nothing with my life for nine months and be paranoid about every little thing I put in my mouth.
I feel like I use enough logical and safe discretion with what I decide to do and consume while I'm pregnant. I drink one cup of coffee in the morning, I live with a stupid cat in my house (but I refuse to touch the litter box even when I'm not pregnant--that's my husband's job), I enjoy a hot bath about once a week, I ride my horse when I can (only walking, though), I still participate in my taekwondo classes (but I don't spar anymore), I take one sip/mouthful of my husband's beer when he has one, I drink Sprite about four days a week, I've taken a Motrin when I didn't have Tylenol available, and I make my son turkey/cheese sandwiches (deli meat) and lick my fingers after placing the turkey on the bread.
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1001811 tn?1259861489
I lost a friendship over this. My husband and I miscarried at 20 weeks in May. We were moving out of the city and had a going away party. A close friend of mine was there and was just over 20 weeks (we got preg at same time - which was very exciting) and she decided to have a beer in my home at my party after I miscarried. I asked her if tha beer was for her and sure enough it was. The rest of the guests, which included my husbands co-workers and boss were looking at her strangely. Long story short, she sent me an email that I embarrassed her and that I am jealous of her "gift" meaning her baby - and from that day forward we have not spoken. I have read that both drinking minimally is fine, but why??? I have also read that there are no studies to prove the affects of alcohol. Would you feel your baby a bottle fo wine at 2 weeks old??? Its pretty much the same thing in utero since the alcohol also goes into the babies blood stream. To each their own, but I think you get my opinion. Super touchy subject though!
Helpful - 0
363110 tn?1340920419
Personally I'm ok w/the occasional glass of wine after the first trimester. That being said, I only had wine a couple times this pregnancy because A) I get horrible heart burn, and B) it's not something I feel I need.
Helpful - 0
280369 tn?1316702041
I will be honest, I had the occasional drink during both of my pregnancies. Actually, with my second, it was recommended to drink a glass of red wine whenever I was experiencing a lot of contractions, to help calm things down. Some people may think it's crazy, but my kids are just fine. My first son is very smart for 18 months! I maybe had a fews drinks during both pregnancies, hardly any because the taste of wine would make me sick anyway and the smell of beer made me want to vomit. We cannot avoid everything and obviously we must have discretion on what we eat, drink, and do during pregnancy, as well as when we are not pregnant.  I would never deliberately put my child in danger. You would have to be an alcoholic for your unborn baby to really be affected by it. The occasional drink, I believe, is fine. Eating sweets, processed foods, and taking meds during pregnancy cannot be good for you or your child, so where do we draw the line?  I think if we all look very closely, we all do things that aren't good for our bodies and babies without even realizing it. Moderation is key. I think it's a personal decision and how you feel about though.
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676912 tn?1332812551
Sorry but I disagree...I had a glass of wine once in a blue moon while I was pregnant. I had maybe 3 or 4 the whole time, and it was on certain occasions, like New Years. Women have been having babies for a LONG time. We used to have babies at home, without doctors around. YES they did have issues back then, but still...how did anyone ever survive and live to have children of there own before doctors? I mean, look at ALL the things they tell you not to do, take, eat, and drink...and I mean take it from every OB/GYN in the world. If you did...you'd never do anything, you'd never take any medication, you'd never eat, and you'd never drink anything. There's SO MANY!!! I know a woman who smoked with her second pregnancy and not her first. Her first born had deformities, and her second was perfect. (I don't condone smoking while pregnant and stopped when I found out I was (like Limonada I wasn't trying and didn't find out until 5 weeks)) Just because of this post I googled "what not to do when pregnant" Smoking, caffeine, DELI MEAT, hot tubs, hot baths, soft cheese, cleaning litter box, sushi, raw meat, aspirin, some fish, some herbal remedies...these are just a few things on the many sites I found of "not to do/eat". We're not sick, we're pregnant. Some things they say not to do or eat make it sound like we have a disease! IDK...that's just my opinion, sorry if I offend anyone or upset you.
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290867 tn?1333569278
Im with joy and heatherlynn!! NO NO!! Alcohol is not good in pregnancy! Im sure most babies with a mother who has a wine occasionally come out ok, but if I were to have one drink and my baby had a problem I would blame myself forever!!! Whats the point in risking it!
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Avatar universal
i'm with joy. alcohol is absolutely an NO NO NO. if even the smallest amount of alcohol can cause fas why risk it? why risk the possibility of something happening to the baby? even if that risk is "small" for the occasional drink there is STILL that risk. even if there was a .00000001% chance of something happening to my boys i did NOT drink a drop of alcohol from the moment i found out i was pregnant until well after i stopped breast feeding.

my mom was also a smoker when she got pregnant with me but THANK GOD my grandma stepped in and told her to knock it off. she quit smoking during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding me. of course she started up after that.
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Avatar universal
This is one topic that makes my blood boil. I don't care what any medical professional says- a pregnant woman should not consume alcohol whatsoever while pregnant. If it isn't something you'd give to your infant/child it shouldn't be going into your body while pregnant.

When my mom was pregnant with me, it was "okay" to smoke. Now she's dead from cancer and I'm at a higher risk for many health issues because she smoked like a train while pregnant with me.

It's not worth it.
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