Anyone have a drink while pregnant?

[Greenlea]

Its the main thing I miss, especially during the fall and all these cider beers and October Fest and pumpkin ales!

I have the occasional 1/2 glass of wine, but really want a beer. Or half a beer. Or a sip!

What are your thoughts on occasional drinking while pregnant? I'm currently 13 weeks.

[BaileyB]

I will be 13 weeks on Saturday. I have been craving beer this pregnancy, too. I have had 2 sips of DH's beer when we were out to eat. That its so far. I craved wine with my daughter and had 2 - 3 half glasses in the last half of my pregnancy. I guess I don't have any info on it but I have had a drink while pregnant in the past.

[Dahlea]

Yep, I've had some occasionally. I probably wouldn't during the first trimester, but after that, I'm ok with it. Having a couple of beers isn't the same as going out and getting wasted.

[kimble]

DH and I are beer geeks, and I will often take a "toll" from his glass if it is full of something interesting. It's only one very small sip, barely enough to cover my tongue and definitely less than a swig. My thought is it it's not enough to even come close to putting alcohol in my bloodstream, then it's okay. One night DH pulled out a 750mL bottle of a very nice local nanobrew which I had not yet tried, and I couldn't resist. I took a 3oz tasting glass out of the cabinet and poured 2 fingers into it. I probably drank half an ounce over the course of two hours. Again, I don't think this could possibly hurt, given that even among groups of women who binge or drink excessively during pregnancy, the rate of FAS spectrum is still pretty low.

A recent article I saw on WebMD made the point that since there is no established lower limit which is "safe", and Americans as a culture tend to go to extremes, doctors adopted a policy of complete avoidance.

I tried a couple midwife practices, and told them both about my occasional sips. I got two different reactions. One said it was totally fine, the other just said "don;t tell me about that" with a wink that was somehow knowing and scolding at the same time.

It's your choice to make, but those are my two cents.
 

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by Dahlea 

Yep, I've had some occasionally. I probably wouldn't during the first trimester, but after that, I'm ok with it. Having a couple of beers isn't the same as going out and getting wasted.

i agree with this. i will have a beer or a glass of wine here and there later on in the PG. new research says drinking in moderation is actually beneficial 

[kitteh]

I drank in moderation with DD and felt totally comfortable about it. In fact, I was craving salmon sashimi and white wine and indulged in both--in moderation. I have also read that small amounts of beer or wine can actually be beneficial. I read that up to a glass or beer every night is still considered moderate drinking, though I don't think I'd feel comfortable drinking that often while pregnant. I just don't think I'd WANT to. Usually I lose interest after a few sips, half a glass/beer anyhow.

I think I had a little bit of wine some time during the first trimester last time (definitely before I found out, around 6 weeks pregnant) but this time I think I'll wait until after the first tri to have anything more than a sip or two. But I can definitely see myself having a whole beer with Thanksgiving or a glass of red with Christmas dinner.

[JamieCatheryn]

I don't drink anyway, only will take a taste smaller than a real sip of anything - generally our homemade mead. Can't stand the mouth burning and dizziness I get from a real sip. So pregnancy doesn't change anything for me. But I am convinced a half a serving or so of alcohol once in a while won't do baby any harm if you do enjoy it.

[spughy]

I have half a beer a couple times a week.  When I had bad nausea in my first trimester and it was hot out, a really cold beer in the afternoon saved my sanity and let me cook dinner without tossing my cookies.  I would open a bottle, pour half of it into a glass and sip it while I cooked.  DH drank the rest when he got home.  I don't drink to the point where I can feel it, and I have no taste for wine or spirits at the moment.  My body just really wants the bitterness of beer, so I'm okay with that.

Other parts of the world are a lot less uptight about drinking while pregnant, and I don't see them having massive problems because of it.  But it does tend to be part of an overall healthier cultural attitude towards alcohol in general - one where alcohol is a gustatory pleasure and an important adjunct to meals, not a route to getting plastered - and a much greater cultural appreciation of QUALITY in booze over quantity.  (ie, no Budweiser)

[sageowl]

I have a hard time with this too, since I really like wine/beer/sake.  But having taught sooo many kids with FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and seeing how devastating it is, I tend to get real anal about alcohol during pregnancy, so I deal with the occasional craving by having a few sips of my husband's drinks just for the flavor.

[tiqa]

I was very sick during the first trimester. Once or twice a week I would have a very small glass of mead to help settle my stomach enough to let me sleep.  I was also on a lot of medication for most of the pregnancy including Zofran and Unisom and other things like that, and I wasn't thrilled to be taking them either.  But I don't think the maybe 4 small cups of mead I had were any worse.  I didn't feel the effects at all, but the taste helped me relax.

I also have some wine in the pantry now that I'm in the third tri just in case I have contractions, to help settle them down.  Haven't had to use it yet, knock on wood.

When I'm not pregnant I'm not a drinker at all.  Maybe 2-3 times a year I'll buy a cheap bottle of wine and drink it over the course of a couple of nights, or a six pack of one of those hard lemonades and nurse those over the course of a month or so.  Or once in a while I'll buy a cocktail at a restaurant for a special occasion, but I'm usually way too cheap to do that normally, and even if I do order one drink, I've never actually finished it, much less ordered a second.  And I hate beer no matter what.  So... it's not like alcohol is a factor in my life normally anyway.  It's not a struggle for me to give it up.  If I do drink it during pregnancy it's with an actual purpose, along the lines of medicinal purposes.  Ironically.  Heh.

[stacyann21]

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk. Your baby is forming and developing all his/her vital organs for the rest of life. Why not just abstain until after the birth? Frankly, if you're having severe cravings for alcohol it might be a good opportunity to exercise self control anyhow (please don't take that the wrong way). I'm a drinker myself but didn't have a sip during pregnancy.

[kitteh]

Typically that is why I abstain during the first trimester, I feel like the foundations are being built and rapid development is taking place during this time, so I try to limit my caffeine, abstain from alcohol, avoid iffy herbs etc etc. But later in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters I don't feel that a glass of wine here or there is going to have any effect, honestly. I don't think many women who indulge in the occasional sip or even full glass of beer or wine are doing so because of severe cravings. That sounds more like addiction to me. I guess, I have heard of pregnant women craving darker beers, but a little bit of beer is not like an alcoholic going on a bender.

[kparker]

I've been having half glasses of wine here or there since I got into second tri. I just remembered I liked hard ciders about 2 months ago so I've been having one of those every week or two, or when I remember really (I forget I like alcohol apparently lol). Midwife told me this week that at this time, with my prodromal labor going on and on for what feels like eons, a glass of wine or a good beer/cider is just fine if it will help me relax - something I have not been doing well since these cramps began. Just don't drink to feel buzzed and it's not so bad.

[Amor Rays]

I haven't personally but I have been tempted.  I might have a glass of wine in labor.

[nstewart]

On occassion after the first trimester I'll have a small glass of wine or half a beer.  The "no alcohol during pregnancy" is really just a North American thing, driven by a litigeous culture and by the belief that people have no sense of moderation.  For thousands of years women drank during pregnancy (watered down beer or wine) because this was safer than drinking straight water.  I don't believe that a drink is going to cause any detrimental effects and haven't seen anything to make me believe otherwise.

[ananas]

What I've heard is that it's not as safe during the first and third trimesters as during the second, due to the amount of brain growth and development going on at those times. I went wine tasting when I was probably 30ish weeks pregnant. I had a sip or two of 5-6 different kinds of wines, so not really much at all. I didn't drink any more than that, but I don't think a little bit of wine is harmful, and I would imagine the same about beer.

I will say, though, I'm really glad this little one is due just in time for me to get some seasonal cherry beer. I love that stuff.

[loveandgarbage]

I'm personally okay with drinking during pregnancy, in moderation of course. I've been craving beer this time around (I think it's the fizziness) so I let myself have one when I feel like it. I believe in what I call the European pregnancy-- things in moderation are okay (alcohol, caffeine, etc).

[josie423]

This pregnancy I've been having a lot more episodes of regular BHs and pressure, so I've resorted to wine a couple times. It always helps and I'd rather have a couple ounces of wine than possible PTL. That's just me!

[LDoulaSteph]

As a disclaimer I should start this by saying I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING WHAT I DO 

Anyway. I do have the occasional glass of wine, did with my 1st too, and I definitely sip from hub's beer when it's frosty cold. I would say it probably ads up to about a full drink every few weeks but I'm not secretive about it with my care provider so I feel ok with it. For me anyway. This is in no way a recommendation to anyone to drink in pregnancy :)

[sunshine28]

Not all American doctors are against drinking a bit during preg. You don't have to totally abstain, unless it's 95% alcohol!