"Drinking in pregnancy" poll - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[watchedpot]

I really enjoyed this slightly dated article on the things we should/should not do during pregnancy & the lack of research behind many of them. Here we frown on pregnant women enjoying a glass of beer, other places they gasp in shock when a preggo eats raw salad greens...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/may/29/health.medicineandhealth

AFM, I won't be drinking during this pregnancy mainly because the midwife I am working with does not accept women who drink at all during pregnancy. I haven't asked her about this (seems kind of harsh to me, especially given that the research does indicate it's large amounts that are problematic), but I could take it or leave it so it's not a big deal to me. Last pregnancy I enjoyed a beer every now and then, and after my water broke with no sign of labor for 3 days my midwives did recommend a shot of castor oil along with a shot of vodka (blech) that seemed to do the trick.

[Anyitara]

You can always pick up some nori and make your own sushi, too!  Yum yum! 
Be careful of which kinds for mercury: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/sushimercury.htm

I was actually warned away from seaweed during my last pregnancy by a Japanese waiter, it was pretty unnerving.  I guess mercury can be present there, too?

[TheDivineMrsM]

Originally Posted by kel 

tropicana - We went out for sushi last night - yummy!  I just got the ones without raw fish.  

That's what I get now. But my favorites are spicy scallop and anything with salmon, and those are both raw. Oh well. 

23ish weeks until real sushi!!

[nhklh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cieloazul 

I have 7+ years of recovery, so that's a "no" for me.

 

Congrats!  My partner has 5+yrs, I think.

[kel]

Sweet potato tempura roll sound delicious!  Fried tofu roll is my current favorite.  And I ate the seaweed salad... can't do everything perfectly!  But, yes!  Every culture has different food and drink taboos it seems.

[travelmumma]

GRRR Mummas!! You are making my cravings go berserk! I may just make a booking tonight at my fav Japanese restaurant an go salmon and saki crazy lol! (I am kidding haha)!

WatchedPot- Great article! It made me chuckle!

And your all right, it depends what "advice" you take on or not. When I was in Thailand and they knew we were trying for a babe all the women said "Don't buy any baby clothes etc, you will curse yourself and the baby will never live!".... Just depends where you come from! :)

[purposefuldoula]

Not a big drinker, so I just go without. Even socially, I'd rather have a raspberry lemonade then a beer. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tropicana74 

AMEN! Here too! I actually can't stop thinking about it. I told DH we probably need to go out for sushi and I can at least have the rolls with no raw fish. I figure maybe just the seaweed, rice and wasabi crunching around in my mouth may help my craving...maybe?!

We have an amazing sushi and hibachi grill restaurant here that deep fries some of their rolls. Not only are they amazing, but then the fish is cooked! SO GOOD! I haven't stopped eating the sushi I love because I almost always get either the cooked rolls or the veggie rolls. You can always ask for cooked stuff as a substitute, too! Oh yum, now I want sushi! Oh, and I think/heard that eel is a pretty safe bet, too. Anyone heard this? 

[Eandko]

I haven't had any alcohol yet this time, but I certainly will. In my first pregnancy I had a total of maybe 3 drinks in half-serving sizes in the third trimester and a lovely Bailey's laced hot chocolate to warm up after a walk in labour. I definitely think our North American society is far to paranoid and judgmental over this. When my mom was pregnant with both my sister and I she was advised to have a half pint of Guiness every day or two as a sort of prenatal vitamin supplement. She did and we are both heathy and intelligent. I absolutely respect the decision of women who choose to abstain completely. I understand the logic of "it's no big deal to give it up so why risk it."

[segolilymama]

I agree with the posters that we are WAY too paranoid about this subject (and a lot of others)! I drink VERY lightly during pregnancy - like not more than a drink a week, and for the last 14 weeks it's been less than that because of the nausea lol. In my first pregnancy, my midwife recommended dark beer to help get my iron levels up (they were so low I was told if they didn't come up drastically I wouldn't be able to give birth at the birth center - I worked HARD to get them up fast!!!!). I had two yummy gluten free beers in the last week. They both felt like what my body actually needed. I'll probably drink half a glass of wine at this wedding tomorrow. And then it will be at least a week before another drink.
 

[chicajones]

Oh man, the only thing I've craved this pregnancy is sushi! Luckily, my favorite roll is Shrimp Tempura, so I've gotten tons of those. I also had a california roll with real crab at a fancy sushi place we went to, and didn't feel bad about it at all. 

I haven't had anything to drink, but we're going to the Keys this weekend and I know the mojitos will be a flowin'. I'll definitely have a sip and then make myself a "mocktail" (ugh, hate that word). 

What about deli meat? I know they go on about it, but we buy quality deli meat from the deli counter and I don't feel bad about having it in wraps (even without heating it).

[GreenTeaGinger61]

I didn't drink at all with my first three pregnancies. It wasn't a big deal. I like to drink a bit but it wasn't hard to give it up. I did have half a beer a couple of times in my third trimester with the last pregnancy. It helped me to get a little sleep. I find that I really really miss beer now because it's summer and I LOVE a cold IPA in the summer.But just smelling dh's beer makes me feel sick:P I think it's about moderation as well. 

[lulubikes]

Interesting, this story was on NPR yesterday: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/18/155297280/a-few-drinks-while-pregnant-may-be-ok

It says a few drinks a week in early pregnancy may be ok. But then goes on to say that we still really don't know.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, my MIL offered me a book that she thought I'd be interested in, called The Broken Cord by Michael Dorris - it is a bit of a memoir and book about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects. I hope my MIL didn't give it to me because she thinks I'm a lush... who knows. But the author adopted a son who had FAS in the early 70's before it was even labeled as such. The book is really old (1990) so the data is out of date. It left a big impact on me reading about his son in a very personal way. Even though I think that what the study above says is probably right that a few drinks are ok, I find that I'm really not interested in alcohol now and I was drinking a few drinks a week pre-preg. It is just not worth the risk to me. However, I do wonder what about other things I'm exposing my baby to that might cause subtle changes in him/her mentally or physically - and I try not to get too focused on it though. As others have said stress is not good on the baby/mama during pregnancy either.

[JudiAU]

I tend to drink a fair amount when not pregnant and find that is actually easier to not drink at all when pregnant. I don't have a problem with what I drink otherwise and I don't worry much when nursing but I just see it as a slippery slope with pregnancy.

I also see a huge difference in my weight gain because it is like an automatic diet. Gives me more room for healthy calories.