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How often would you enjoy a glass of wine or a beer?

post #1 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 
I'm feeling a bit guilty because I had a beer yesterday at a Labor Day picnic & I'm having one right now. I haven't had beer in SO long but we brought some g/f beer to the picnic & now there are two six packs in the fridge.
I wouldn't have more than one at a time (in a day) and I wouldn't have one daily for a prolonged period of time, but I wonder what's acceptable?

Or wine - I love me a smallish glass of Cabernet. We had a bottle here that my sister had brought for dinner one night (she brought two and we only drank one) and I opened it and had a small glass for a few consecutive nights in a row.

A friend asked if I wasn't worried about fetal alcohol syndrome (or damaging the baby in general) and honestly, I'm not - at least not the way I've been occasionally enjoying it.

I think back to hundreds of years ago when people drank wine/mead/beer/etc like we drink water (or soda ) today and think the concern these days is a bit overrated. I am thinking this thread could attract attention and end up locked if any strong opinions are expressed - and that's not what I want to see happen. Just wondering what everyone else thinks is "safe" here.
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post #2 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:20pm
I have sips of my DP's beer most days.. or even a small glass once in a while.. never a full beer, but im a super cheap drunk That said, I was discussing Thanksgiving plans with my midwife (whom we will likely have dinner with) and I told her I was planning on drinking home-made raspberry wine & or beer and she said she( as a friend) was okay with it as long as im okay with her getting wasted she says at this point & beyond there isn't really any harm a small amount of alcohol can do..That said, she doesn't recccomend it.. IYKWIM.. as a care provider she has to say no amount of alcohol is safe..

but I think its okay..
post #3 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:25pm
IIRC, it's fairly common for OBs and midwives in many other parts of the world to recommend a woman have a single serving of wine or beer as often as daily (I've heard a variety of things on this.) The north american tendency to be slightly paranoid about lawsuits seems to be the prevailing cause of the attitude that no alcohol is okay, even though it would be relatively easy to look at the stats for other parts of the world and make recommendations based on those. I believe the incidence of FASD is extremely low in Europe.

Personally, I do not drink in the general course of things. I have nothing against it, I just only ever want alcohol maybe once or twice a year, if that. Usually if I've gone all out cooking a huge meal and want to pair wines with it. Because of this, I personally don't drink while pregnant, but I don't particularly care if women occasionally have a glass of wine or beer. I think it's actually probably a good idea in the last few weeks, to help the uterus prepare.

Although a Guinness is sounding very good with all these contractions I've been having today!
post #4 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:27pm
I think a beer here and there is fine... I think there is way too much hype about the unsafe aspects of alcohol in pregnancy. I'm not saying I condone getting hammered at all in pregnancy, I don't.... but a beer here and there in the 3rd tri, it's all good.
post #5 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:52pm
My midwife put it this way...since it would be unethical to do a double blind study where pregnant women were made to drink a whole bunch and see what happens to babies, there isn't a good way of getting a realistic safe amount, so that's why they say 'none at all', and while she sees how having a little here and there isn't a problem, she still has to tow the company line. Plus there is that over-riding theme in North America that people can't be trusted to moderate themselves. When I was in nursing school I had an instructor tell me that if someone gave you an estimate of how much they drank, you should double it. But, I also worked with a female doctor who said when she was pregnant she would have a glass of wine before she went out for dinner so she wouldn't get the 'hairy eyeball'.

Personally I steer clear in the first 2 trimesters (save a swig of DH's beer from time to time), but in the 3rd tri I don't see the harm in the odd drink. That being said I am a cheap date at the best of times and a sherry glass full of wine is enough to put me to sleep, so I figure that's plenty for me at one sitting. DH brought home wine last week as I was stressed and tired, so I've been enjoying a taste in the evenings and it's nice. I intend to have a full glass at Thanksgiving, I'll be 36 weeks preggo with a stomach full of Turkey, so I see no reason to feel guilty about it!
post #6 of 42
9/7/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitches View Post
I intend to have a full glass at Thanksgiving, I'll be 36 weeks preggo with a stomach full of Turkey, so I see no reason to feel guilty about it!

post #7 of 42
9/7/10 at 8:15pm
I also think it's overhyped. I am not comfortable drinking in the first two semesters, personally. But in moderation, I don't see the problem. I know it's common around the world. I'm not much of a drinker, so maybe half glass of wine is all I've ever had during pregnancy.
post #8 of 42
9/7/10 at 8:30pm

I have been craving a glass of wine, or maybe something even a little harder all day! If I was somewhere where it was available, I'd have it in a heartbeat. That being said, I'm usually too frugal to buy alcohol. Dh has Crohn's, so, as a rule, he really shouldn't drink it. So that just leaves me to drink it. I'm not about to finish a bottle myself, even over several days. I'll also have that full glass on Thanksgiving - another thing to look forward to.
post #9 of 42
9/7/10 at 8:32pm
When I'm not pregnant I enjoy a few glasses of beer or wine a week. And I feel like I spend the whole pregnancy craving a beer. I'll have a sip or two of DH's but he'll only crack one open a few times a month if that. I'm just not comfortable having a drink while pregnant, at. all.
Although I see the usefulness of a glass of wine during labor.
I just read an article on this a few months ago on the dangers of even very moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy and it scared the rest of my "justifications" right out of me.
post #10 of 42
9/7/10 at 9:22pm
Ditto to all the above. I abstain totally during the first 20 weeks, then have the occasional 1/2 glass of beer. I haven't had wine at all this pregnancy, mostly because I haven't been craving it, but intend to have some at Thanksgiving. Mmmm - maybe I'll have some beer tonight!
post #11 of 42
9/7/10 at 10:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitches View Post
My midwife put it this way...since it would be unethical to do a double blind study where pregnant women were made to drink a whole bunch and see what happens to babies, there isn't a good way of getting a realistic safe amount, so that's why they say 'none at all', and while she sees how having a little here and there isn't a problem, she still has to tow the company line.
Your mw said it exactly the way I would explain it to a pregnant mama. There are actually quite a few potentially beneficial medications that we tell women to steer clear of for the same reasons. It is also interesting that Dr. Brewer- of Brewer diet fame- felt so strongly about protein and its importance in pregnancy, he refused to adequately study what reduced protein could potentially mean. Its actually one of the main reasons why his research was never taken seriously by the medical community.

Anyway, that said, I do have an occasional (like maybe once every 2-3 weeks) half glass of red wine mixed with juice- I love me some sangria! It helps with when my stress levels get through the roof- which reducing stress does the babe a lot more good than the harm that might come from the occasional exposure to a small amount of alcohol.
post #12 of 42
9/7/10 at 10:49pm
I have a drink occasionally. We're going out tomorrow night for our anniversary, and I'm sure I'll have something, just not sure what yet. I was pregnant in my 3rd trimester with DS when I got married, and enjoyed myself a gin and tonic that day!

I bought myself some wine coolers earlier this summer that I would mix with sparkling water (either sangria or margarita flavor) and have with dinner when we'd eat out on the deck. I also enjoy a beer occasionally or a glass of wine, but no more than one a day. As far as how often, it depends on what's going on socially in my life, or if DH is in the mood for a beer and doesn't want to drink alone. Honestly, I can't usually finish a whole beer or glass of wine because my tummy is so weird in pregnancy, or I have heartburn and drinking alcohol aggravates it. I'm probably more liberal than most, but I've also had no babies with FAS. I think, as someone else said, Americans tend to get hyped up irrationally about a lot of things that the rest of the world considers safe.
post #13 of 42
9/7/10 at 11:30pm
I have an occasional glass of wine. I'm not in the least bit worried about it. I've had maybe 8 glasses of wine this entire pregnancy and you could probably put that down to 5-6 since some of them were baby glasses... Under 4 oz.
post #14 of 42
9/8/10 at 8:58am
I definitely have a glass of wine or a beer here or there without feeling guilty. I even order in public!

I was recently reading a study that was comparing Australian pregnant women. It compared those that had 1-2 glasses of beer/wine PER DAY for their 1st trimester, with those that abstained. The study showed those who drank had better behaved children at 10 or something. That wasn't the interesting part of the study for me though, what was interesting was that in Australia, the medical establishment condones drinking moderately, even in the first trimester. The study also pointed out that while just about everyone feels that a glass or two is safe, no one knows where the line between 2 glasses and 10 a day that leads to FAS, so therefore, the differing recs throughout the world.
post #15 of 42
9/8/10 at 9:19am
My first pregnancy I stayed away... this one I have had an occasional glass... usually once a week or so, a few weeks more. Never more than a glass a day though, or more than 2-3 consecutive days.
post #16 of 42
9/8/10 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 
I had a glass of wine here & there in my first two trimesters - even had a beer once.

Last night I don't think I even drank half of my beer and DP finished it. I didn't have enough food in my belly & started to feel it, and it didn't feel right. However, a glass of wine/beer with food in my belly would be a different story.
post #17 of 42
9/8/10 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
Oh! And when I went to the distributor to pick up the case of beer on Monday, I commented that the brand of GF beer I was getting was really good & he looked at me sideways and said "Is this for you?" I said, "No, no.." but I wonder what he would have said if I'd said yes?
post #18 of 42
9/8/10 at 11:55am
I haven't had any alcohol this pregnancy save a sip or two of DH's beer. Last pregnancy I craved red wine in the first tri! Didn't give in.

That said, I'm already planning on having a small-ish glass at a friend's b'day dinner on Thursday, and I'll definitely have some on Thanksgiving, although I don't know if I'll still be pregnant or nursing a newborn!
post #19 of 42
9/8/10 at 9:55pm
I agree, a tad is nothing to worry about. Now, I don't drink beer and I don't LOVE wine, so I tend to abstain while pregnant, but MAN I have wanted a good drink lately But I think that's more from the stress of the past two crazy sciatica months. I just got a chocolate milkshake instead today, finally Once baby is older, I'll make it a mudslide
post #20 of 42
9/8/10 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 
Ugh. I could really use a glass of wine right now. It's just sucky ending to a good day and I'm emotional.
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