Drinking Alcohol!

KatieRose09

So I was just wondering who has given up drinking alcohol while TTC?  Cut back?  If so, how much?

My husband and I used to like to enjoy some wine (or a few beers) maybe 3-4 nights a week.  I'll be honest and say at least 1-2 of those nights we would drink too much/get drunk.  I'm not saying we'd be college, keg stand wasted, but definitely a little drunk   Then I went and got all crazy and said we drink too much and its making us infertile (obviously not the case, but I am crazy!). 

So I was just wondering what your thoughts are on drinking while TTC?

Chester84

Honestly, I drink just as much as I did when not TTC.  I already have a baby obsession, I'd rather not add to it by having my entire life revolve around it.  Going out for drinks with friends actually distracts me from my charts/thebump/baby thoughts in general.  

Also one good thing about not being pregnant is that I can still indulge in alcohol.  

katharineb1980

My thoughts are drink until its pink....you still have to live your life. HTH :-)

DebateThis

Drink til it's pink (with the caveat that some fertility docs say no booze during meds or after transfer).

America's paranoia with alcohol and all other foods in relation to pregnancy is annoying.

annatta79

We don't really drink much, but I do enjoy a glass of wine or margarita on occasion. We are benched right now, waiting for AF, so you can bet I'll be having some wine at book club tonight. Once we really get back to TTC, I tend not to drink after I've ovulated, just in case. DH drinks even less, so it isn't an issue for him.

Gatorsgirl731

Drink till it's pink!

ZAngel

I'm a big ole boozer... not giving up my alcohol until I have to.

hollandpandas

I went the same level as crazy as you did, banning alcohol! We are back to a glass of wine maybe three times a week. I am not much of a drinker but my husband loves having that freedom back. 

GavinRonansMom

I fully intend to drink until it's pink. I am planning on going out and having a few tomorrow night at dinner even though I plan on testing this weekend. Whether or not this is right I think about all (most) of our mothers that drank and smoked during pregnancy, and the ones who still do and have healthy babies. Now, I am not promoting drinking/smoking or to do it during pregnancy, but I think a few drinks is fine. I had 3 beers the other night and that was enough to get me tipsy GL!

TKtravels

DebateThis:

Drink til it's pink (with the caveat that some fertility docs say no booze during meds or after transfer).

America's paranoia with alcohol and all other foods in relation to pregnancy is annoying.

 

All of this.   

RunningGal900

I still drink for special occasions or go out with friends, but I'm less inclined to just have a couple of glasses of wine on a random Tuesday night. A lot of that has to do with the fact that with the holidays I've put on a few lbs and I'm just trying to be healthier overall. 

LLPtobe

ZAngel:

I'm a big ole boozer... not giving up my alcohol until I have to.

Same here. Cheers! *clink*

OttersBite

Vodka is the only one who understands me.

Okay, really though, I'll drink until I get pg and change things up at that point.  I've played the flip-flop your life around game way too much already.

KatieRose09

LLPtobe:

ZAngel:

I'm a big ole boozer... not giving up my alcohol until I have to.

Same here. Cheers! *clink*

I'll drink to that! 

Seriously though, I feel like I went to extreme since my last loss.  I wasn't like this with the other losses.  I was always drink til it's pink.  I guess I was just trying to take control of something.  On a side note, it has saved us some money and calories!  My poor DH looked at me last night after working late and said "I think I'll have a beer, is that ok?"  That's when I realized I needed to jump off the crazy train and live life!

CaitNMatt

I agree...drink till it's pink!!!! I love my nightly wine or beer and until I see that positive test I'll continue. Just to add, I am taking my prenatal every day which makes me feel like I'm at least preparing a little bit! haha

Bayberry12

I recently made a lot of lifestyle changes; started working out again, cut out sugar, caffeine and alcohol. So, no drinking for me while ttc although, I have in the past.

katharineb1980

The baby doesn't start sharing a blood stream with you until 6 weeks, so if you do drink and get a BFP your ok.

Mrs.E.07

I don't drink at all for other reasons, so it's not an issue for me. 

I don't judge anyone and I don't want to come across as judgy or anything, but I did want to share something I learned in class yesterday. I'm in medical school and we had a lecture on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the embryo/fetus. There is a common misconception that you don't share a blood supply with the embryo in early pregnancy, and we learned that you actually do. The current recommendation by the people who work with this is that you shouldn't drink at all. Obviously most people will not stop drinking while TTC, I just wanted to share what I learned.  NOT judging or preaching, just sharing new knowledge. 

BootsOrHearts

My naturopath said no alcohol exepct maybe one or two drinks right after AF every month. That being said, I have cut way back but I still have a glass of wine or two when I'm really stressed. It's a balance I guess.

linzeeh80

Drink till its pink!  

I don't drink much but a couple times a month we go to Margaritaville on the beach in Negril. So I'll have a couple margaritas but that's about all. 

edgia

Great question.

I still drink alcohol, although my habits have changed. It has less to do with any concerns about the *maybe* possible negative effects on both my fertility and a hypothetical ball of cells that would turn into my baby, but more to do with me wanting an accurate chart on FF, (what can I say, I want a pretty chart).

Drinking messes with my temps, so I have found that, especially around ovulation, I am less inclined to drink as much.

With that said, even though I should be ovulating any day now, I do have a wine date tonight with my girlfriends, and a double date tomorrow. Both will include drinking a lot of wine.

 

 

amberpro

I do not foresee me giving up alcohol until a couple pink lines.  I consider wine (and beer, and margaritas) to be close friends of mine.  Why would I abandon them before it's necessary???

HopingforChange

TKtravels:

DebateThis:

Drink til it's pink (with the caveat that some fertility docs say no booze during meds or after transfer).

America's paranoia with alcohol and all other foods in relation to pregnancy is annoying.

 

All of this.   

Yep.  After well over a year of TTCAL, I am totally at this point.

ETA: grammar

jenohouston

We aren't huge drinkers but I love my occasional glass of wine or cold beer!  If I was going to go out on the town and have lots of drinks I would do it before my 2WW, and I try to limit alcohol in the 2WW but I do not cut it out completely.  

jenohouston

Mrs.E.07:

I don't drink at all for other reasons, so it's not an issue for me. 

I don't judge anyone and I don't want to come across as judgy or anything, but I did want to share something I learned in class yesterday. I'm in medical school and we had a lecture on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the embryo/fetus. There is a common misconception that you don't share a blood supply with the embryo in early pregnancy, and we learned that you actually do. The current recommendation by the people who work with this is that you shouldn't drink at all. Obviously most people will not stop drinking while TTC, I just wanted to share what I learned.  NOT judging or preaching, just sharing new knowledge. 

I am curious, when do they say you share a blood supply?  

KatieintheCity

We aren't big drinkers, probably 1-2 drinks 2-3 times a week (probably only get legitimately drunk 5-6 times a year), but we haven't changed anything since TTC.

I am firmly in the "drink till it's pink" camp. The only reason I would change would be if I were on a medication/treatment that required me to not drink.

KatieintheCity

DebateThis:

Drink til it's pink (with the caveat that some fertility docs say no booze during meds or after transfer).

America's paranoia with alcohol and all other foods in relation to pregnancy is annoying.

Preach!

(and, cheers! )

KatieintheCity

RosiePeare:

As for me, it's 5 o'clock here, so I'm headed home to crack open a bottle of wine and hang out on Chatzy with the girls!!

Rosie this makes me want to hang out IRL again! Another DC GTG soon??

KatieRose09

Thanks so much for your answers.  The funny thing is...I wasn't even thinking about how alcohol could harm a potential/future fetus.  I'm TTA right now b/c I have surgery coming up.  I think somewhere in my mind I started thinking that drinking was making not as healthy as I could be and, in turn, I miscarry all the time.  Crack heads seem to have no trouble getting pregnant, so clearly the Pinot Grigio I plan on opening in a few minutes won't render me infertile for ever.

THANK YOU FOR SNAPPING ME OUT OF IT!

I also love cider....Magners or Bulmers.  Lived in London for a while and drank it like a fish   Can't seem to find it in the stores around me.

DC girls, I lived there for a few years and miss it.  Plan another night out and have an extra drink for me!

 

km_md

I don't drink very much to begin with, so it is pretty easy for me to not drink if I so choose. I am more worried about it during the 2WW. But we have been trying for a few months with no success yet, and while I know that isn't a very long time, if it takes us a while to get pregnant again I don't want to have to deprive myself of everything for no good reason. And when I do drink, I typically only have a glass (or 2) of wine.

LunaBug924

GavinRonansMom:

I fully intend to drink until it's pink. I am planning on going out and having a few tomorrow night at dinner even though I plan on testing this weekend. Whether or not this is right I think about all (most) of our mothers that drank and smoked during pregnancy, and the ones who still do and have healthy babies. Now, I am not promoting drinking/smoking or to do it during pregnancy, but I think a few drinks is fine. I had 3 beers the other night and that was enough to get me tipsy GL!

I agree. And I recently came across a photo of my mom at her baby shower for me, 8 months pg; martini in one hand, cigarette in the other. I'm with you that I do not promote this at all, but I think its fine while TTC.

OP, you have to do what you feel is right. GL!

OmaCo

For the most part we've cut back pretty drastically, but not necessarily because of TTC. We moved right before starting, so not having the same group of friends cut our drinking down quite a bit. We still here and there get a little crazy, but not near as often as the past few years.

Crunkal

I'm with these girls. Drink girl, drink.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

RunningGal900

jenohouston:

Mrs.E.07:

I don't drink at all for other reasons, so it's not an issue for me. 

I don't judge anyone and I don't want to come across as judgy or anything, but I did want to share something I learned in class yesterday. I'm in medical school and we had a lecture on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the embryo/fetus. There is a common misconception that you don't share a blood supply with the embryo in early pregnancy, and we learned that you actually do. The current recommendation by the people who work with this is that you shouldn't drink at all. Obviously most people will not stop drinking while TTC, I just wanted to share what I learned.  NOT judging or preaching, just sharing new knowledge. 

I am curious, when do they say you share a blood supply?  

It's my understanding that you never share a blood supply with the baby. The placenta acts as a filter between the two blood supplies. If you shared a blood supply and you and the baby have different blood types that would be a problem, no? I'm not saying anything about when alcohol affects a fetus, but I don't believe you ever actually share a blood supply. But what goes into your blood could transfer through the placenta and get into the baby's blood.

MamaWombat

Mrs.E.07:

I don't drink at all for other reasons, so it's not an issue for me. 

I don't judge anyone and I don't want to come across as judgy or anything, but I did want to share something I learned in class yesterday. I'm in medical school and we had a lecture on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the embryo/fetus. There is a common misconception that you don't share a blood supply with the embryo in early pregnancy, and we learned that you actually do. The current recommendation by the people who work with this is that you shouldn't drink at all. Obviously most people will not stop drinking while TTC, I just wanted to share what I learned.  NOT judging or preaching, just sharing new knowledge. 

 Thanks for sharing - I didn't know that. Out of curiosity, how do you share a blood supply prior to implantation? 

 

To answer the original question, I cut way back on alcohol when we started ttc, but will sometimes have beer/cider/wine/champagne/etc. if I'm sure I'm not in the 2ww. 

MamaWombat

KatieRose09:

Thanks so much for your answers.  The funny thing is...I wasn't even thinking about how alcohol could harm a potential/future fetus.  I'm TTA right now b/c I have surgery coming up.  I think somewhere in my mind I started thinking that drinking was making not as healthy as I could be and, in turn, I miscarry all the time.  Crack heads seem to have no trouble getting pregnant, so clearly the Pinot Grigio I plan on opening in a few minutes won't render me infertile for ever.

THANK YOU FOR SNAPPING ME OUT OF IT!

I also love cider....Magners or Bulmers.  Lived in London for a while and drank it like a fish   Can't seem to find it in the stores around me.

DC girls, I lived there for a few years and miss it.  Plan another night out and have an extra drink for me!

 

LOVE cider. Have you tried Crispin Blackthorn or Angry Orchard? Both dry and delicious.

 

Mrs.E.07

RunningGal900:

jenohouston:

Mrs.E.07:

I don't drink at all for other reasons, so it's not an issue for me. 

I don't judge anyone and I don't want to come across as judgy or anything, but I did want to share something I learned in class yesterday. I'm in medical school and we had a lecture on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the embryo/fetus. There is a common misconception that you don't share a blood supply with the embryo in early pregnancy, and we learned that you actually do. The current recommendation by the people who work with this is that you shouldn't drink at all. Obviously most people will not stop drinking while TTC, I just wanted to share what I learned.  NOT judging or preaching, just sharing new knowledge. 

I am curious, when do they say you share a blood supply?  

It's my understanding that you never share a blood supply with the baby. The placenta acts as a filter between the two blood supplies. If you shared a blood supply and you and the baby have different blood types that would be a problem, no? I'm not saying anything about when alcohol affects a fetus, but I don't believe you ever actually share a blood supply. But what goes into your blood could transfer through the placenta and get into the baby's blood.

 

 

Yes, I should've been more clear, I was using the phrase I usually hear. You don't share any blood contact until after implantation, but after that your blood does pass through, although it is filtered. Even before the placenta develops there's a more primitive filter basically. So after implantation, your filtered blood reaches the embryo.  According to my professor, alcohol can pass through this filter and reach the stem cells. Although there's no organ development to disrupt at this point, it does pass through to the stem cells, and we don't know exactly what the effect is yet. Hope that answers your question, I'm not an expert by any means!