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Occasional glass of wine anyone?

3K views 63 replies 40 participants last post by  djinneyah 
#1 ·
Just curious if I am alone in this. I will have an occasional glass of wine in the evening to help me relax. I don't exceed 1-2 per week, and some weeks none at all.

Anyone else?
 
#27 ·
Alcohol is a teratogen. Every moment you are building something on your human inside of you. The baby's brain is forming neurons and making connections every moment, every moment something is being created. What if that one glass of wine effected something? I have a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The damage is irreversible. I have no idea how much her birth mother drank. But why risk it? Could you choose to take a hot bath with candles to calm you?
 
#28 ·
I do not drink alcohol while I'm pregnant. It crosses directly through the placenta, that poison is going directly to the fetus, so I don't get why anyone would want to
. But I don't judge others who do, I'm sure I do things others wouldn't agree with. I was reading a book by a doctor who said that drinking in the 3rd trimester was actually the worst time to drink - specifically, alcohol destroys synapses in the brain and the 3rd tri is when the baby's synapses are being formed.
 
#29 ·
I had wine with my midwife at a party once! I definitely think an occasional glass is no big deal. Same with coffee. IMO.
 
#31 ·
In about 4oz of wine or beer 1xper week or less (small juice glass). As I do appreciate that you are not condemned to death in Europe as you are here for drinking anything (though FAS is on the radar there). US seems so one-wayed--never finding a happy medium.
 
#32 ·
i think that the risks people take during pregnancy are a really personal decision. humans have a 15,000 year history of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and a 40 year history of eating high fructose corn syrup, fast food, etc. personally i think the infinitesimally small KNOWN risk to my baby of a drink once a week, is much better than the known and UNKNOWN risk of an American diet.

but, these are my choices to make. others make other choices and that's great too. i wouldn't presume to accost a pregnant woman (or not pregnant!) on the way into McDonald's. i'm sure she knows the risks she's taking and is comfortable with them. i would hope for the same courtesy.
 
#33 ·
Mcdonalds...glass of wine....hmmmm...I think I would opt for the glass of wine, and I am a migraine sufferer and red wine is forbidden! I don't drink in general for this reason, but during my second and third trimester is the only time I really crave it! Especially the dark beers. I will indulge in these cases and have not had a problems with my migraines at all during this time. Listen to your bodies mamas!
 
#34 ·
I had an occasional glass of wine with my other boys...

This time I haven't really felt like it which is a bit weird for me... but I have felt like Sangria...

My mom used to make Sangria with batches of homemade wine that sometimes didn't taste all that great so I thought of using the not great tasting non-alcoholic wine that you can buy in the store and made myself a large batch... It has been so good...

Wine, orange juice, fresh berries and peach slices and a bit of soda water with loads of ice.

Actually I think I am going to serve myself another glass!
 
#35 ·
The rule in England (where I had my last baby) was 2 glasses a week after the first trimester. I never felt like drinking till the third trimester, and then had an occasional sip or half glass of champagne. Once I ordered a white wine spritzer in a restaurant when I was hugely pregnant and no one batted an eye!

Funny story, while I was living there, they tried to switch to the US-style "nothing at all rule", but it came out that there was no evidence to support that the 2 glasses a week approach did any harm, and the authroties had introduced the "nothing at all" rule just because they thought some women could not stop at 1 glass. The British women freaked out and had the rule changed back to 2 glasses a week!
 
#36 ·
Maybe later in the pregnancy, I'll feel comfortable having a glass, depending on the circumstances. I'm really not wanting it now anyway, even when others around me are drinking. I'm sleepy enough as it is!
 
#37 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Usually Curious View Post
***

I don't really drink when I'm not pregnant so this really isn't much of an issue to me, but I am glad to see y'all aren't quite as paranoid as women in my past DDC!
Does it count if we have a paranoid partner?
I love my DP and while I am comfortable with a glass of wine for dinner, etc., my partner is not. I respect that this child is not only mine and I was willing to make this compromise since it is truly not a big deal for me.

I am going to have a glass of wine in early labor, though.
 
#39 ·
I think maybe Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's I might have a little, but I just personally feel better avoiding it for now while the baby is still really small and a lot of development going on.
 
#40 ·
Oh I am so happy that my body just naturally knows what to avoid. Fast food sounds so awful right now. I don't really feel like drinking either (even though I would have half a glass of wine otherwise) Also for some reason sushi grosses me out right now. Normally it's my favorite food!
So, it's lots of fruit and greek yoghurt, and for some reason burritos. Go figure.
 
#41 ·
I drank on my birthday, when I would have been.. uh... 5 weeks. I had 2 glasses of wine. My logic was that if SIL hadn't FORCED me to POAS, I wouldn't know i was pregnant and would've drank a lot more, so I would've done it anyway. Logic, I know... not always my strong point.

As it is, I drank in extreme moderation last pregnancy- a sip here and there, mostly becsue i didn't start reading up on alcohol and pregnancy and how overblown the FAS article is until my third tri, and I figured, "well, i made it this far!"

So I've had a glass of wine or a beer for special occasions- fathers day, celebrating the first night out to the IL's cottage, etc- and plan to continue as such the rest of the pregnancy.

While it is possible that one drink COULD harm your baby-- well, there's no proof of it. In fact there's lots of studies showing it very very very likely will not. If someone told me ONE spoonful of jam COULD harm my baby, I'd say, "come back with proof." Why is alcohol any different?

My husband has an adopted uncle with FAS. I know what it can do. I also know that his mother was a binge-drinking alcoholic. Which is why I'm not a binge-drinking alcoholic
 
#42 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by marinak1977 View Post
Oh I am so happy that my body just naturally knows what to avoid. Fast food sounds so awful right now. I don't really feel like drinking either (even though I would have half a glass of wine otherwise) Also for some reason sushi grosses me out right now. Normally it's my favorite food!
So, it's lots of fruit and greek yoghurt, and for some reason burritos. Go figure.

Mmmmm, greek yogurt!
 
#43 ·
i do understand that americans are over-zealous about things like raw cheese and fish and liquer when pregnant. But, honestly, I did a paper on fetal alcohol syndrome waaaaay back in college. It is my understanding that even having two glasses of wine... even one... could cause problems. it's the luck of the draw... "is something major maturing/growing with fetus RIGHT THIS MINUTE while alcohol is passing in utero?" it's that easy and why take a chance? I was honored to abstain from drinking (and smoking and caffiene) while pregnant. it's the least i could do for the blessing of bringing a child into the world. as perfectly as I could.
 
#44 ·
The thing is that again there is no proof that a few drinks a week will have any negative effects, and there have even been studies that show that children born of women that have an occasional drink are better behaved and have a better vocabulary. I have even read and heard doctors say that it is best to say to quit altogether then to say that a few drinks is OK because women can't be trusted to moderate themselves.

Common sense is what is needed not alright bans without proof and fear mongering.

Pregnant women are scared of so many unnecessary things (sushi???) but then have no problems when it comes to doing tests or interventions that can be life threatening for the baby and the mom.

I haven't felt like drinking lately, but I may very well enjoy a glass of wine at my birthday, a glass of warm cider this fall, or a flute of champagne on new years... and I honestly won't think twice about it...
 
#46 ·
Well that is it... There are risks to pretty much everything depending on what research you look at, and what information you trust and somethings are done without thought to the risks because they are just not talked about in the mainstream or are just disregarded.

Some people are OK with the risks of vaccines, epidural, inducing labour, ultrasounds, doppler use, nitrates, food colouring, eating tuna, having an OB for a normal pregnancy, homebirth, UC, MJ, alcohol, coffee, honey etc... some people are not.

Most of the women on this thread believe the research that states that the occasional drink in pregnancy causes no harm.
 
#48 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Usually Curious View Post
Sheesh, do you know what the risks are from amnio? And yet most preggos over 35 are clamoring for them!
Driving a car is pretty risky too, but most of us don't think twice about doing that when we're pregnant.

Perhaps that isn't the best comparison, but there are so many other "dangers" we could chose to focus on, but don't.
 
#49 ·
I haven't done much research into vaccines since this is my first and I'm only 12 weeks along, but so far I'm ok with the slight risk of having an ultrasound, eating fish (even sushi, though I haven't eaten any yet, just coincidentally,) and small amounts of alcohol.

I think that worrying too much about every little thing would just stress me out all the time and I doubt that'd be good for the baby either.
 
#50 ·
I have some small amounts of wine now and again, or beer, maybe a half glass. If I feel like it. I think the evidence that those amounts are bad for baby is pretty much non-existent. I feel that way about a lot of the food advice pregnant women get - around here they tell you not to eat soft cheese, even from pasteurized milk.

I think that there is much more evidence that things like pregnancy interventions can cause issues, although they also have a place and purpose. In a way, it seems to me the problem is much the same - taking an idea that has a certain validity and scope of use, and going way beyond that.

FWIW, I find a lot of talk about the dangers of vaccines overblown in the extreme, and I don't have a problem with the principle of vaccination. Perhaps I'm just a careless mom all round.
 
#51 ·
I have to admit to the occasional glass of wine or beer in all my pregnancies. I wait until after the first trimester, but in moderation I don't see how it can possibly cause any problems....I usually can't finish the whole thing anyway! And for the record, my kids are perfectly healthy geniuses!
 
#52 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by paxye View Post
The thing is that again there is no proof that a few drinks a week will have any negative effects, and there have even been studies that show that children born of women that have an occasional drink are better behaved and have a better vocabulary. I have even read and heard doctors say that it is best to say to quit altogether then to say that a few drinks is OK because women can't be trusted to moderate themselves.

Common sense is what is needed not alright bans without proof and fear mongering.

Pregnant women are scared of so many unnecessary things (sushi???) but then have no problems when it comes to doing tests or interventions that can be life threatening for the baby and the mom.

I haven't felt like drinking lately, but I may very well enjoy a glass of wine at my birthday, a glass of warm cider this fall, or a flute of champagne on new years... and I honestly won't think twice about it...
I have to agree with you on this one, and I eat MORE sushi (REAL sushi) when pregnant, than I do otherwise, because it is what I crave....Sushi, and chardonnay. mmmmm...now I'm hungry!
:

And like I said, my kids are healthier than most who do the typical abstain from everything but dry toast and water. Conventional wisdom is no substitute for common sense.
 
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