[OldFashionedGirl]

: Okay, I know I'm probably going to get some very passionate answers both ways, but I'm gonna take my chances

:

I'm craving beer something TERRIBLE. Which is strange, since I don't normally care for beer, much less crave it. Since I've found out I was preg, I haven't touched the "real thing," but I have snuck two Busch NAs with tomato juice (not in a row...about a month apart).

So...am I dooming my baby to a life of FAS? Do you think an occassional NA beer is okay ("occassional" for me being one or two a month)?

Okay....let the pelting of fruits and vegetables begin.

 

[Braann]

Probably a silly question, but what is NA?

 

[fek&fuzz]

If there's no alcohol in the beer, what is your concern? I work with people with Alzhiemers, and one of the nurses recommends Guinness' NA beer, Caliber, for those people with Alz. who want a beer now and then, but can't mix their meds (or their disease) with alcohol.

 

[OldFashionedGirl]

NA is non-alcoholic.

I've tried looking up some answer online, and read several places that even NA still has .05% alcohol and since we don't know how much is too much, even that is "too risky." Which kinda made me feel like the worst person in the world for a little bit.

Guess I was just wondering everyone else's thoughts!

 

[OMama]

I can relate. I've craved beer throughout this whole pregnancy. I have never had a whole one, but often have sips of DH's. He makes really good homebrew.

I had very little in the first part of my pregnancy, but now I am less worried about it and am thoroughly enjoying "big" sips. I would say if you can be satisfied by occasional sips, that would be the way to go, especially in the beginning.

 

[OMama]

Forgot to add . . . definitley don't worry about the very small amount of alcohol in non-alcoholic beer. That is such a miniscule amount. It would be so diluted in your blood stream and then the placenta would work on filtering most of it out too. Really, the stress of worrying about it is most likely greater than any actual impact. If you want to drink a full NA beer (and you like the taste) I say go for it and enjoy it!

 

[snuffles]

I wouldn't give a second thought to drinking the NA beer. In fact, I drink sips of my husband's beer (the real stuff) 2-3 times a week.

 

[OldFashionedGirl]

Whew! From some of the reactions I found on other places on the net, I thought for sure you'd all want to throw me out of the forum! I'm glad that's not the case

 

[Cuau]

I know in other countries drinking beer while breastfeeding is even encouraged, it's supposed to help your milk get down and get better milk. So if you feel a craving for it, I wound say go for it, try to get the most natural beer out there though. I think it depends on the person, I don't usually drink, and last month (I'm 20 wks pg) I drank half a cup of wine OMG I felt so dizzy that I had to stop after the first sip. However if your body is able to tolerate more alcohol, then it might be safe to drink a little every now and then.

 

[mama2toomany]

While I know the risks of fetal alchohol syndrome (my brother has it) I would say there is like hardly any harm in sneaking a n/a beer!

I had these weird feelings when I was pregnant with my dd... I hate beer... but i started feeling like I was going to jump out of my skin all the time... so anxious and restless... my midwife pretty much gave me two choices... get put on a anxity med... or have a (real) beer at night or a glass of wine.

I opted for a glass of wine.

I have heard of alot of pregnant mamas drinking near beer.... i wouldn't stone you for it!!!

 

[mary3mama]

I have an occasional sip from dh's occasional beer, if the mood strikes.

Many, many cultures see it as completely normal for pregnant women to have wine throughout their pregnancies -- a glass or so a day, which is considered moderate.

When I was pg last time, because I couldn't take a specific medication to calm my uterus (after cerclage placement) my ob 'prescribed' a glass of wine a day until everything calmed down. Of course, I don't like wine, so it wasn't good news for me...

 

[Ahappymel]

Mama, I know how you feel...I used to love beer years ago....have not had beer for some time...
But for some reason, a nice cold tall beer has been sounding really good.
I've been thinking about getting an O' Doul's if the craving doesn't go away.

 

[momof3sweeties]

I haven't been pregnant for over 5 years but I had a very occasional small glass of beer or wine.

: My dh also makes awesome homebrew that I'd take a sip of.

My midwife actually encouraged me to have a small glass or beer or wine to relax and do this exercise that would help the baby turn from being breech.

 

[MrsTC]

I crave beer...and I like to chug it. It feels so delicious bubbling down the throat, and the resulting burp...call me a man, but AAAAAHHHHH!!!

I drink NA beer whenever I want to, pregnant or not. And if I want a real beer...most often an amber or dark beer, I'll have half of a real one, but I try to avoid it in the first tri altogether. And I'll do a half glass of wine...I read somewhere once that if you feel it, it's too much for your body/the baby growing inside of you. That's where I start to feel it, at half, so I quit.

My favorite is Busch NA. I go through at least a twelve pack a month.

Cheers,
T

 

[hookahgirl]

I used to crave beer SO bad when I was preg. I would have to have the other servers at my work take it to the tables, for fear I would chug it before I got it to the table!!
I never had any beer while preg., I never even thought of NA beer!

 

[ATruck]

My mw encourages me to have a glass of wine every now and then if I want one. She said to consider it "medicinal". I would feel fine about having a small glass of beer, too. I would worry more about the chemicals in some non-alcoholic beers than the miniscule amt of alcohol. Go for it!

 

[kerikadi]

I wouldn't worry - there's probably more alcohol in your mouthwash even though you don't swallow it.

Keri

 

[mama2toomany]

kerikadi my dh just said the exact same thing about mouthwash!!!

 

[LeosMama]

I think we must be the only culture that is so obsessive about alcohol in pregnancy. Really, it's not that big a deal! Don't get drunk on it, and don't do it very often and you'll be fine.

You're getting stoned on other boards talking about have a near-beer, and yet on those mainstream boards, how many women don't even bother trying to breastfeed? How many feed their kids junk food at 4 months of age? How many get ultrasounds for entertainment without knowing the damage they can do (or whether they're safe?)? How many constantly put their kids in disposable diapers and expose them to the dioxins, etc without doing ANY research about it?

Really, there are a million parenting choices that are going to have real effects on our children, having a near-beer is nowhere in the same league with many of these.

 

[dvons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeosMama I think we must be the only culture that is so obsessive about alcohol in pregnancy. Really, it's not that big a deal! Don't get drunk on it, and don't do it very often and you'll be fine. You're getting stoned on other boards talking about have a near-beer, and yet on those mainstream boards, how many women don't even bother trying to breastfeed? How many feed their kids junk food at 4 months of age? How many get ultrasounds for entertainment without knowing the damage they can do (or whether they're safe?)? How many constantly put their kids in disposable diapers and expose them to the dioxins, etc without doing ANY research about it? Really, there are a million parenting choices that are going to have real effects on our children, having a near-beer is nowhere in the same league with many of these.

:
I've been craving beer which is weird for me since I don't even like it, I'm a red wine drinker. It has to be super dark like black ales though. I've just been buying my DH it then taking 2 -3 sips off the top in the evening before I give it to him

Deb