CP: alcohol while pregnant ?

amber31288 · December 2012

So, I was just on my BMB for #2 and there is a post about drinking while pregnant. Most women were referring to a glass of wine on special occasions, but up to once a week. A few women brought up the occasional beer or glass of champagne. I was quite surprised that basically everyone that responded was completely fine with this. This got me thinking about how many of us had a drink while pregnant and figured since it's CPW, I'd ask!

Oh, and I am not trying to be judgmental, and didn't mean to sound that way when I said I was surprised that everyone in this post was fine with having a drink. It just surprised me that no one disagreed. I personally am not comfortable with it, and when pregnant, alcohol doesn't even sound good to me. I'd rather have my daily allowance of caffeine. But, I do understand that a lot of doctors are recommending red wine to aid in preventing pre-term delivery now. It's just not something I plan on doing or need to do.

[Poll]

kayladay · December 2012

I didn't take (or want to take) any kind of medicine other than my prenatal vitamins much less have a drink!! So I would disagree with drinking while pregnant.

MrsLindinger0905 · December 2012

My favorite beer, yuengling, wasn't soldin Ohio until October. DH got a pack and I had a few sips of one, I felt so guilty though!

allisons1014 · December 2012

By the way, it is crazy that you only have 95 days left in your pregnancy. That seems so soon! How are you feeling?

poobear2015 · December 2012

I said no and not ever - but considering I didn't know I was pregnant during my bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner (cried the night before my wedding - thanks MIL - downed quite a few glasses of wine that night!), and my wedding - I find I may have answered incorrectly.

O and I had a few drinks during the honeymoon - including 1 beer the day before I got my BFP...That was my last drink the whole 9 months though! I would never done that had I known!

hmhiggin · December 2012

After the first tri I had the occasional drink. It probably wasnt one a week, but it was more frequent then just special occasions. Probably closer to twice a month.

lancyjo · December 2012

I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::

mkarns · December 2012

I did not and would not. I try not to judge people who do.

mamatobe2012 · December 2012

I did on special occasions after the first trimester was over. Once I was half way into my third trimester (baby had been formed) my midwife said it was good to have a glass of wine and relax so I probably did once a week until DS came (2 weeks late - sheesh maybe I was too relaxed). I don't think it's a big deal once the baby has formed but understand if other's think it's risky.

DS is on the mark if not ahead for milestones, and extremely happy and inquisitive. He's large for his age and I don't think it affected him negatively at all.

MollySm · December 2012

lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::

I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone!

I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

redheadscu · December 2012

MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant. Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about. ::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone! I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

Molly brings up a good point. I, personally, did not drink when pregnant with LO and wouldn't in future pregnancies. However, besides my own worries of it not being safe, my reservation about how I would be perceived by others definitely played a key role in my choice not to have a "few sips" or drink "on occassion".

I figured it was much less likely that a stranger in a restaurant would be like, Surprise "OMG! You're eating/drinking a tuna sandwhich / peanut butter / diet coke? But you're pregnant!" than it was for them to be like, "OMG! You're drinking while pregnant?!"

So, yeah, peer pressure, fear of being judged.....I also think we should bring back public shaming. Stick out tongue

Amberrrr · December 2012

I drank before I realized I was pregnant.
I stopped drinking when I became suspicious.
Am I judge worthy for drinking when I didn't know?

jldubb0626 · December 2012

I had a sip my mom's mulled wine (Oh God, how I'm missing it this year!!) on Christmas Eve and a sip of champagne on New Year's Eve, but that was it.

MrsLindinger0905 · December 2012

Amberrrr:
I drank before I realized I was pregnant.
I stopped drinking when I became suspicious.
Am I judge worthy for drinking when I didn't know?

Nope! I had a few drinks at a memorial day party the week before I found out. I don't count those!

lancyjo · December 2012

MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone!

I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

I was willing to stay away from anything not approved by my OB... and I did. He was pretty laid back about most things, but alcohol wasn't one of them.

To each their own, but I won't tell anyone that I think alcohol is ok during pregnancy.

amber31288 · December 2012

redheadscu:
MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant. Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about. ::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone! I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

Molly brings up a good point. I, personally, did not drink when pregnant with LO and wouldn't in future pregnancies. However, besides my own worries of it not being safe, my reservation about how I would be perceived by others definitely played a key role in my choice not to have a "few sips" or drink "on occassion".

I figured it was much less likely that a stranger in a restaurant would be like, "OMG! You're eating/drinking a tuna sandwhich / peanut butter / diet coke? But you're pregnant!" than it was for them to be like, "OMG! You're drinking while pregnant?!"

So, yeah, peer pressure, fear of being judged.....I also think we should bring back public shaming.

I tend to lean toward agreeing with Lancy, yet what Molly said makes sense. To me, alcohol is not important enough to risk it. And, I worry that if something did go wrong with my pregnancy, I would blame myself and blame that one glass of wine, whether that had anything to do with it or not. The guilt is not worth it to me. It's true, it is not proven the effects that alcohol, caffeine or PB have on pregnancy, but we all know how alcohol can make us feel and I don't want to do that to my baby!

Along the lines of what redhead said, I try not to judge when I see a pregnant woman drinking, but it is kind of hard. Now that I am aware that some doctors are recommending it, I like to think that is why that woman is drinking. But, to be honest, I think it would make me uncomfortable to go out to dinner with a pregnant friend and have her down a glass of wine in front of me. Similarly, I am sure people around me would be uncomfortable if I did the same right now. Also, when I was serving, it made me VERY uncomfortable to serve a pregnant woman alcohol, even though it is not illegal to do so. Since being pregnant, I have thought to myself that I would probably personally deny service (which servers have a right to deny service to anyone for any, or no, reason at all) if another pregnant woman were to order alcohol from me. I just do not want to be the person serving it to her, even if I cannot stop her from doing it. She can get it from another server.

amber31288 · December 2012

allisons1014:
By the way, it is crazy that you only have 95 days left in your pregnancy. That seems so soon! How are you feeling?

I know! I have days where I feel like I've got awhile and have time to get things in order, then some days I'm like "OMG! 95 days!!!!" And start running around like a maniac trying to accomplish something. I am feeling pretty good, rather giant, but good. My only complaint is how tired I am, but to be honest, I don't think I can blame it completely on this baby. I am getting excited to have my two girls together. And see if DD1 even bats an eye at the baby or not, lol. Thank you for asking!

MollySm · December 2012

lancyjo:
MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone!

I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

I was willing to stay away from anything not approved by my OB... and I did. He was pretty laid back about most things, but alcohol wasn't one of them.

To each their own, but I won't tell anyone that I think alcohol is ok during pregnancy.

I can understand with going with what your OB says. My midwife was much more concerned with the quantity of Snickers I was eating during the Halloween season!

footnotegirl · December 2012

I am not a big drinker at all. Maybe one drink every other month?

I didn't find out I was pregnant until much later in my pregnancy, so I had the equivalent of one mixed drink before finding out I was pregnant, and during my third trimester was Christmas and New Years, and I had one glass of wine at Christmas dinner and about a half flute of champagne at New Years.

Interestingly, when I first found out I was pregnant, I downloaded a copy of "Pregnancy and childbirth for dummies" on my iPad from my library. But the copy they had was a UK edition. And it stated outright that it was okay to have the equivalent of one drink a week. They were much stricter on caffeine than the US books though.

I understand why there's such a strong warning against it (not because there's any evidence that a single drink can or will hurt a fetus in the womb, but because they know there is some amount that will do so, and no way to ethically test what that amount is). Also, there's a lot of numbskull people who will hear "one drink every once in a while is okay" and will think "drinking is okay" and will get completely black out drunk on the regular. But I think that the downside of the strength of the warnings is that there's a lot of policing of women that goes on, and that always gets me squint eyed.

pennyandandy · December 2012

MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant. Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about. ::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone! I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.

I have worked with several students with FAS and it is so not worth it, IMO. I avoided most of the above things, but I think I am missing something-what is wrong with peanut butter?

Jen0204 · December 2012

I had a sip of my sister's beer at the Big E (a fair) and a sip of champagne at a toast at a wedding. Literally just a sip each time and H acted like it was the worst thing ever. There is no way I would ever have felt comfortable drinking a full glass of wine or beer. If H was the type to have a drink each night I wouldn't have even felt comfortable having one sip each night, but I'm fine with my two sips over the course of the pregnancy. I'm not a big drinker at all so not drinking wasn't an issue for me, but I just don't think having a drink is worth the potential risk. I definitely judge when I see a pregnant woman drinking, though I would never say anything.

amber31288 · December 2012

pennyandandy:
MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant. Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about. ::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone! I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.
I have worked with several students with FAS and it is so not worth it, IMO. I avoided most of the above things, but I think I am missing something-what is wrong with peanut butter?

Not sure if this is what Molly was referring to, but I have been told that too much exposure to peanut butter in the womb could lead to allergies to peanuts for the baby. My old boss (when I worked at a daycare and studied stuff like this) told me this could have contributed to the rise in peanut allergies seen over the last decade or so. I read somewhere that you shouldn't have PB everyday when you're pregnant, but every other day is fine. I am not sure how valid that is.

cheese.fiend · December 2012

My OB was cool with the occasional drink after the first trimester. And honestly, I received way more judgmental looks ordering a latte than I did drinking half a glass of red at my birthday dinner.

MollySm · December 2012

amber31288:
pennyandandy:
MollySm:
lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::
I think that's a fine attitude to take if you are also willing to stay away from all the other things that aren't proven to be 100 safe during pregnancy. Like caffeine, junk food, fast food, lunch meat, smoked salmon, peanut butter, etc. Just my opinion...insert smily because I'm not on my phone!

I'm more of an everything in moderation kind of girl.
I have worked with several students with FAS and it is so not worth it, IMO. I avoided most of the above things, but I think I am missing something-what is wrong with peanut butter? 
Not sure if this is what Molly was referring to, but I have been told that too much exposure to peanut butter in the womb could lead to allergies to peanuts for the baby. My old boss (when I worked at a daycare and studied stuff like this) told me this could have contributed to the rise in peanut allergies seen over the last decade or so. I read somewhere that you shouldn't have PB everyday when you're pregnant, but every other day is fine. I am not sure how valid that is.

I was just referring to the 100 safe thing because there is some talk that it might lead to allergies. I ate PB and wasn't saying people shouldn't eat it! Again, I am a fan of moderation, not telling anyone they shouldn't eat anything!!

JuliaJAG · December 2012

I would've answered "no," but now I'm considering having a tiny amount of red wine each day for the rest of my pregnancy.

Why? because I am at high risk of developing pre-eclampsia again (I had to have our first baby 11 weeks early because of it), and 2 ounces/day of red wine can help prevent it (and, more importantly in my case right now, naturally keep blood pressure down). I'm 25 weeks now and 2 ounces/day is not remotely enough to cause any problems for the baby like FAS, and if it can help keep baby tucked away in there until close to full-term, then it will be worth it.

Mistifier · December 2012

lancyjo:
I don't drink much anyway, but I did not have even one sip while I was pregnant.

Until they can conclusively prove to me that it's 100 percent safe, I will be 100 percent against any drinking while pregnant. Why take that chance? Is alcohol really so important that you'd risk your child's health for it? This is one subject I feel very strongly about.

::backs out of post before getting too comfortable on soapbox::

This is how I feel about it too.

danac2010 · December 2012

I drank in the later part of my 2nd and my 3rd. I was going to school full time, working full time and we had SD at the house more. I was very very stressed and my OB was worried about my blood pressure and stress level so I would drink 1 glass of wine every other day or every 2 days. It really did help and I was able to finally calm down enough to get sleep. I also ate PBJ's every day for about a month because anything else gave me heartburn. My OB never said a word. Caroline is has hit every milestone on or before so I'm not too worried. I think if you listen to your OB and use moderation it's ok. I also got really drunk the night before I got my BFP because I had taken 3 test before and gotten BFN so didn't think anything of it.

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