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Alcohol while pregnant???

  • I have/do drink sometimes while I am pregnant

    Votes: 84 44.7%
  • I have before, but I will never do it again

    Votes: 5 2.7%
  • I have not but its no big deal if it's just a little

    Votes: 45 23.9%
  • I have not, I think you should stay AWAY from alcohol while your pregnant

    Votes: 54 28.7%

Alcohol if you are pregnant???

4K views 100 replies 86 participants last post by  DragonflyBlue 
#1 ·
I have 3 friends that are pregnant, 2 have told me that they drink beer "occasionally" while they are prego...
I think it is a terrible idea, I crave a good drink, but I can wait for the sake of my baby. I push away several meds while I am prego too, these mama's take whatever "if they dont feel good" The other mama is in agreeance with me, we do NOT touch alcohol.

I was wondering if you mama's would disclose whether or not you touch alcohol while prego...

I mean, are you for it or against, did you do it or not do it?
Little background one is almost 5 months, the other is almost 7 months.
 
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#52 ·
Haven't. Wouldn't think of it.

I have a nephew who has four siblings. All born to "mom" by the time she turned 21.

Oldest child is okay.

Second child has FAE.

Third child, my nephew has FAS.

Fourth child, has FAE.

Fifth child has FAS.

All of the kids except for the oldest have and will continue to face lifelong difficulties because their mom thought her desire to drink was more important than her child's need to be born whole and healthy.

These innocents are victims of prenatal child abuse.

Janis
 
#53 ·
I've never drank a drop when I knew that I was pregnant (& I love beer, lemme tell ya!!). But if I manage to conceive by our wedding at the end of this month, I think I will drink a glass if wine.
 
#56 ·
I never have drank very much, or often, and never drank a drop while pg, but I know it was on my instruction sheet that when I felt bh, I should take a bath and have a glass of wine to settle them. I didn't, but it was suggested by 2 different midwives during my 2 pregnancies, and both of my teams of midwives said that occasional drinking other then in those circumstances would be fine. I didn't do it, but would not think it is bad for someone to have a drink on occasion during pregnancy. Not everyday, but occasionally.
 
#57 ·
I think that drinking a glass of wine after the first trimester is ok. During the first trimester, there is no way to tell how much alcohol will cause problems, so it's best to stay away if you can....if you know that your pg anyway.

I drank with dinner with all of my pregnancies. Not every day, but whenever we were in the mood for wine, I had a glass. But not often, since I also had heartburn.

The guidelines that I always went by were "if you're tipsy, your baby is falling over drunk"

Lisa (mom of 3 wonderful children)
 
#58 ·
With my 1st I had a glass of red wine at the end to try to relax (which didnt happen LOL). I think an occasional glass of wine or beer is not a big deal. I personally would avoid during the first trimester but after that I dont think one small glass once a month or something is going to cause FAS.
 
#59 ·
i drink a glass of wine occassionally, christmas eve, our anniversary, etc. but i was at a wedding and not drinking and my friend, the last child of eight, told me that the only thing his mom did when she was pregnant was switch from martinis to vodka gimlets, which always makes me laughs when i think about it.
 
#60 ·
I have/have had the occassional drink. In the pg's where I was old enough to drink anyway. I think I have had 2 beers this pg, and I will probably have 2-3 margaritas at some point. I think that in over all terms, even if I got it into my head that I should drink 3 margaritas and 2 beers in one day and not touch any other alcohol during the course of the pg, that it wouldn't cause the baby to be born with FAS. JMO of course.
 
#61 ·
I choose not to drink alcohol while pregnant, or take in caffeine, etc. I just like to be careful.

Personally, I would be more concerned about many medications, or even food additives (aspartame, MSG) than I would be about alcohol. But- I trust most mamas are able to look into these issues and make their own choices about risks.
 
#62 ·
Quote:
Prenatal child abuse is a new term to me.

I had a few glasses of red wine in my 2nd/3rd trimester. No more babies here, but I'd do it again.

Americans are an uptight bunch, they are.
Drinking enough to scar your fetus for life is child abuse. Plain and simple.

My nephew and his siblings never had a chance. Instead of being allowed to be born healthy and whole, they were given lives of struggle. Their brains are damaged, nothing can undo that. Nothing can fix it.

I'm not referring to an occassional sip of wine. I'm talking about getting drunk, about damaging your fetus.

There's an excellent book called The Broken Cord - a true story about a boy born with FAS and his struggles to function with his disability. It's heartbreaking...

I just believe that if one chooses to continue a pregnancy, one owes that innocent babe a fighting chance at life. Lay of the booze, lay off the drugs. Give the babe a chance.

My nephew and all the other kids whose lives have been forever altered by drugs or alcohol deserved that chance. They deserved to be born undamaged.

Janis
 
#64 ·
I'm confused about the correlation that some are drawing between the occassional glass of wine and alcohol abuse during pregnancy. I totally respect those who are of the opinion that they'd rather not drink any alcohol during pregnancy. But I don't get where the "I know someone who was a drunk during pregnancy and her kids were harmed, therefore no one should be permitted to drink AT ALL."

When we're talking about those who choose to have a glass of wine or a beer on occassion, I don't see why the fearmongering about FAS. I agree with the posters who have said they're more worried about aspartame or food additives than small amounts of alcohol. (The reason I say this is because alcohol has been consumed for thousands of years, while the others are relatively new and the effects are more unknown.)
 
#65 ·
As a mom with a child who faced life threatening developmental illness in early life....I would never even take the chance of drinking while pregnant. The chance that something could go wrong developmentally, just isn't worth it.

My sis drank occasionally while pregnant #2. Her child has some serious health problems. She cannot say that it was or was not an effect of the alcohol.

Not knowing if that was the cause or not, and knowing it may have been prevented by refraining from alcohol for the sake of my child is just not something I would be comfortable living with.
 
#66 ·
Beer tastes sooo good right now. That said, i limit myself to maybe one a week. Wine doesn't taste so good, nor does champagne. But that's my comfort level. I also have half a cup of coffee in the morning. But no soda, no diet soda. That crap to me is more poisionous than a beer.

Not until they put pregnant women in a bubble and control all life factors and ingestion of all food will be know the true effects of alcohol on a fetus. All this hoopla about alcohol I believe is to cover Dr.'s butts, insurance-wise.
 
#67 ·
My husband drinks incredibly good beer, and I will typically get my toung wet for taste. Same with wine. I don't have a desire to drink though, when I'm not pregnant, it gives me such a heavy/tired feeling...I don't want to provoke my already pregnant/heavy/tired feeling to get worse unnecessarily, no enjoyment in that.
 
#68 ·
I try to avoid chemicals, especially while pregnant, so no alcohol for me. That said, I did have preterm labor last pregnancy and drank wine for that. Studies are showing that alcohol is just as effective as labor stopping drugs but without all the nasty side effects.

ETA: When I'm not pregnant I drink maybe once every two months or so. And, it's usually 1 glass of wine or 1 beer. So, it's not that hard for me to give it up while pregnant. I don't think total refrain from alcohol is needed. In Europe pregnant women drink, yet not every European baby has FAS.
 
#70 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by JanisB View Post
Haven't. Wouldn't think of it.

I have a nephew who has four siblings. All born to "mom" by the time she turned 21.

Oldest child is okay.

Second child has FAE.

Third child, my nephew has FAS.

Fourth child, has FAE.

Fifth child has FAS.

All of the kids except for the oldest have and will continue to face lifelong difficulties because their mom thought her desire to drink was more important than her child's need to be born whole and healthy.

These innocents are victims of prenatal child abuse.

Janis
What does that have to do with anything? Tell us how much she drank and this post would almost be relevant.

I had a couple of sips of wine at a Christmas party. I might drink an occasional glass of wine when I'm a bit farther along if I feel like it. I'm with the school of thought that an occasional beer or glass of wine is okay. But I also take OTC and prescription drugs when I need them during pregnancy and drink some soda and eat some less than perfect foods. I think it is the habits that matter, not the occasional indulgences.
 
#71 ·
Quote:
What does that have to do with anything? Tell us how much she drank and this post would almost be relevant.
The poll was asking if you'd drink while pregnant. I said no and then stated my reasons.

How much did she drink? No idea for sure. I know she was more of a social drinker, sometimes drinking too much on weekends. I know she was drunk when she delivered my nephew six weeks early. I was there and you could smell the booze from her breath and from the amnionic fluid.

I said before, taking a sip now and then isn't a problem for me. It's the one's who drink enough to harm their kids that chaps my a$$. Like the woman in this story: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...0?OpenDocument

Uptight? I might be. Again though, no problems with sips here and there. How much clearer can I be on that?
 
#72 ·
While I don't think any of us sees drinking heavily prenatally as okay, I do think American culture in general goes overboard on this issue. I understand why its recommended to abstain from all alcohol, but I still think our culture can get a little too preachy. I'm definately not advocating for a person to drink daily while pregnant or binge drink heavily, but I don't see the harm in an occaisional glass of wine or something like that.

We weren't trying this time around and I had had a few glasses of wine before I found out I was pregnant. So I drank in the first trimester. I was a little concerned but the OB assured me that in order for damage to occur to the fetus one would need to be drinking more than two drinks a day on average. I did end up having a beer on my anniversary and a glass of wine over NY (2nd and 3rd trimesters). I didn't beat myself up about it, but I did do it in the privacy of my own home with my husband and no one else around because I knew so many people would freak out about even one drink kind of thing.
 
#73 ·
I had like half a glass of champaigne on our aniversary (august 12) while pregnant with DD...it was 2 months before her due date (she was born a little under a month later).

I tried to drink wine a few times during my second pregnancy, but just the thought set off my hyperemesis...my midwife was hoping it would help with my irritable uterus since I was off terbutaline by that point...but I just couldn't do it.

I personally see nothing wrong with occasional small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy.
 
#74 ·
I promised myself a glass of wine on Thanksgiving, Christmas, OR New Year's. Turns out I did none of the above. I was really looking forward to it, too! But it turns out I just didn't WANT it, and have kind of pegged myself as the Official Charlotte, NC DD-slash-taxi driver. (It's a boring job, but someone's gotta do it!)

I have no problem with a drink every now and then while pregnant.

Ha! At the New Year's party I went to, people just looked at me like I was flippin' crazy when I said I might have a glass. Honestly, that kind of irritated me. I've quit smoking and don't drink, yet people are afraid of Death To Baby by sushi, wine, and most of all, homebirth.

Like I'd willingly choose to harm myself or my child.
 
#75 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by 2much2luv View Post
What does that have to do with anything? Tell us how much she drank and this post would almost be relevant.

I had a couple of sips of wine at a Christmas party. I might drink an occasional glass of wine when I'm a bit farther along if I feel like it. I'm with the school of thought that an occasional beer or glass of wine is okay. But I also take OTC and prescription drugs when I need them during pregnancy and drink some soda and eat some less than perfect foods. I think it is the habits that matter, not the occasional indulgences.
I just felt like I had to step in here.

This was the poster's second post, and in the first post, she specifically stated that she wasn't talking about small amounts of alcohol, but enough to do damage, and her REASON for choosing not to drink (pardon me if I'm putting words in someone's mouth here, it's just interpretation) is because she has seen first hand the scarring heavy drinking has done on others' children.

I would venture to say that if I were in the same situation, I'd be very, VERY cautious as well. It's like almost drowning- it may be a long time before I went to the pool again.
 
#76 ·
I have had a drink or two during pregnancy and nursing. I have no problem with my clients having a drink or two. That said, I don't tell people it's OK, because who knows if I am giving permission to someone with a drinking problem, kwim?

I understand the damage that alcohol can cause, but remember the amount passed on to the fetus is very, very, very small and with one drink probably not very detectable.

I am much more worried about my clients that are exposed to chemicals (like hairdressers, farmers, etc.), eat lots of stuff with artificial colorings, use diet stuff, etc. That stuff is scary!

There's a big difference between having a drink to celebrate and having an alcohol problem. I don't think the two can be compared.
 
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