A glass of wine???

McKim88 · September 2013

Everyone is telling me it is safe to drink a glass of wine a day...is this true? I don't really drink wine anyway I'm mostly just curious...is there a specific type that is safe? Or a specific time period in the pregnancy?

VABride2008 · September 2013

This seems to be a new-ish thing around here. I don't remember there being so much wine acceptance with my other two pregnancies. Personally, I don't see the point in risking it, I couldn't forgive myself if something went wrong and my inability to abstain from alcohol could have been the cause. I would definitely say no during the first trimester.

I would honestly ask your doctor.

boozer729 · September 2013

I've heard the same thing but I just don't know if I'd be willing to risk it. Better safe than sorry, I guess

SeattleMomma · September 2013

I had a glass of red wine only during my third Tri. Christmas and New Years

it's really not that big of a deal, everyone is different though. Some mommas look judge you, some will agree in later pregnancy it's ok.

boozer729 · September 2013

Boozer is my last name by the way, not an indication of my social life :P

McKim88 · September 2013

@Boozer Lol I was honestly kind if wondering lmao

Rogue237 · September 2013

My doctor has said it's ok to have a glass of wine a couple times per week later on in pregnancy (not in first trimester). They've done it for years and years in other countries and they are fine, but it's really a personal choice. I might have a small glass are two when i'm towards the end and struggling to relax, but I don't know for sure until I get there. I definitely (personally) wouldn't during first trimester (plus it doesn't sound appetizing at all right now lol).

kali55 · September 2013

I had a couple of glasses of wine when pregnant with DS and plan on doing it again this pregnancy. I always had a glass with a meal and when I say "glass", I really mean half of what I would normally consider a glass. It's more just for the taste on a special occasion.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

I say no in the first trimester, an occasional glass in second or third trimester is probably ok, but a glass a day seems like too much. Personally, even though I "knew" it was ok in my first pregnancy, I couldn't enjoy it.

michaelad3 · September 2013

Because I have personal experience working with children with fetal alcohol syndrome, and I have attended trainings for FAS, I just can't justify it. It's one lifelong disability that is 100% preventable. I don't need alcohol, so I'm willing to wait it out for 34 more weeks

AcaAwkward · September 2013

I'm down with a small glass of wine on occasion in 2nd and 3rd Tri (so is my OB), but I refrain in the 1st...and I wouldn't feel comfortable drinking every day. I'd discuss it with your doctor...

lilmama412 · September 2013

I work with kids and had to take a multi-day conference on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Here is what I learned...they say that there is no "safe" amount. There are some women who can get wasted all throughout their pregnancy and their child is just fine. Then there are some women who can have only a few glasses of wine throughout their entire pregnancy and their kid has full blown Fetal Alcohol. So really, there is no safe amount, and there is no way of knowing. This conference was bashing big time on OB's who tell women its okay to drink. A lot of new research is coming out saying that minor cases of Fetal Alcohol are actually showing up as ADHD/ADD, ODD and Aspergers. This is partly why we have a growing number of children with these disorders.

With DS I drank a glass of wine occasionally. However, after going to that conference, which by the way was lead by some of the biggest people in Fetal Alcohol Research, I will be completely abstaining this pregnancy.

The motto of that conference was "Not Even a Drop".

I do feel that they may be a bit extreme and were trying to scare people. However there is a lot of truth behind what they were saying.I am not willing to risk my child having this horrible disease and knowing every day that it is because of something I did.

ckred27 · September 2013

I had a half glass to glass here and there with DS1 and 2 and no problems. My doc said it was fine and even recommended it in my 3rd tri when I was on bedrest to calm myself down if I got to stressed out. So on special occasions or if I had a crazy hard day I would have a little. Wouldnt go out and party or anything but as I said, half glass to a glass.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

It's true that there's a lot unknown about fas and there's not a proven safe threshold, but I don't think there are many, if any, instances of women ony having a couple of drinks throughout their pregnancy and ending up with kids with fas. I think that's a scare tactic. Otherwise fas would be rampant in other countries.

boxerbabylove · September 2013

How do you all feel about sips of wine or beer? I'm not talking like a 1oz tasting portion. I'm taking a small sip of the newest wine my parents picked up in Spain just so I can see what the fuss is about and be part of the evening conversation. My parents are oenophiles (wine enthusiasts if you will) and have an extensive cellar so some wines that friends bring over are wines I'd never see on my own or get a chance to try ever again due to rarity or cost (some are upwards of $2K?!?)

ZebNMichelle · September 2013

I wont be drinking any wine, I'm such a lightweight ... A glass of wine would probley get me tipsy ... Would it make the baby tipsy?

ksulli · September 2013

My OB brought it up & said a glass with dinner once or twice a week is fine. A glass is 4oz. One glass, not three or four.

i'm waiting out 1st tri, but then will probably have a mini-glass with thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years dinners.

RayRay007 · September 2013

lilmama412 said:

I work with kids and had to take a multi-day conference on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Here is what I learned...they say that there is no "safe" amount. There are some women who can get wasted all throughout their pregnancy and their child is just fine. Then there are some women who can have only a few glasses of wine throughout their entire pregnancy and their kid has full blown Fetal Alcohol. So really, there is no safe amount, and there is no way of knowing. This conference was bashing big time on OB's who tell women its okay to drink. A lot of new research is coming out saying that minor cases of Fetal Alcohol are actually showing up as ADHD/ADD, ODD and Aspergers. This is partly why we have a growing number of children with these disorders.

With DS I drank a glass of wine occasionally. However, after going to that conference, which by the way was lead by some of the biggest people in Fetal Alcohol Research, I will be completely abstaining this pregnancy.

The motto of that conference was "Not Even a Drop".

I do feel that they may be a bit extreme and were trying to scare people. However there is a lot of truth behind what they were saying.I am not willing to risk my child having this horrible disease and knowing every day that it is because of something I did.

I'd like them to show me one of these women.

I enjoyed a small glass every week or two in my later pg last time and will again if I feel like it. I really enjoy fine wine and dining though. If you don't care for wine, what's the point?

AcaAwkward · September 2013

poru said:

lilmama412 said:

I work with kids and had to take a multi-day conference on Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome. Here is what I learned...they say that there is no "safe"
amount. There are some women who can get wasted all throughout their
pregnancy and their child is just fine. Then there are some women who
can have only a few glasses of wine throughout their entire pregnancy
and their kid has full blown Fetal Alcohol. So really, there is no safe
amount, and there is no way of knowing. This conference was bashing big
time on OB's who tell women its okay to drink. A lot of new research is
coming out saying that minor cases of Fetal Alcohol are actually showing
up as ADHD/ADD, ODD and Aspergers. This is partly why we have a growing
number of children with these disorders.

This surprises me. I admit to having done no research on the subject, but I thought it was common knowledge that there was an increase in ADHD/ADD and ASD being diagnosed. I also thought it was common knowledge that women are drinking far less in pregnancy then they ever were. I know the last generation had very little restrictions on drinking during their pregnancies, but this generation avoids it for most of the pregnancy. So I would assume that means those two things didn't correlate at all.

Ditto... If drinking during pregnancy causes ADHD, et al, then nearly the entirety of the baby boomer generation would be affected -- our grandparents drank vodka. I'd be super curious to know how many kids in Western European countries have hyperactivity / spectrum disorders, or, hell, even FSA. Spoiler Alert: pretty sure both of those numbers are much lower than the US's.

McKim88 · September 2013

"I'd like them to show me one of these women.

I enjoyed a small glass every week or two in my later pg last time and will again if I feel like it. I really enjoy fine wine and dining though. If you don't care for wine, what's the point?

"

The point is just as I stated, I'm curious.

lilmama412 · September 2013

https://www.nofas.org/ This website has a ton of great resources, they are the people who led the conference. They actually had a girl there who brought her son. She said that she only had a few glasses of wine her whole pregnancy because her OB said it was okay. She was bawling her eyes out the whole time talking about it.

I work with a lot of moms who did drink during their pregnancy, and I can back up that research and say that I see a strong correlation between substance use while pregnant and learning disorders. Almost every single one of my children who have come from moms who drank during pregnancy are diagnosed on the Autisim Spectrum, have ADHD or ODD and sometimes all 3.

nikki912 · September 2013

Last time I waited until the second half of my pregnancy and thats probably what I'll do this time. Then I would have a 4oz glass of red wine a couple times a week or a beer that isn't high gravity maybe once.

There is plenty of research that says its absolutely fine in very small amounts. I don't agree that it has anything to do with PDDs. PP are right, they would have shown up a long long time ago.

I also disagree that a woman who has a 4oz glass of wine a week could give birth to a child with FAS. Unless her liver is seriously diseased or she is lying about her consumption.

lilmama412 · September 2013

https://www.nofas.org/video/ I don't know if this is the link to it. But if you go to their vidoes, watch the one that says Melissa-Birth Mother of a Child with FASD

ETA- Wrong use of "their" grr

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

Anecdote.

boxerbabylove · September 2013

My mom didn't drink during her pregnancy with me or my brother, not even a little. She actually didn't start drinking alcohol until about 5 years ago. Anyway, my brother has severe OCD, ADHD and is on the autism spectrum but I guess would now be considered DMDD (formerly Asperger's). FAS syndrome is one thing but I think it is farfetched to say these kinds developed other disorders because of drinking. Who's to say if they didn't drink the kids wouldn't still have these problems? And NEVER have a seen FAS in anyone that didn't drink regularly and/or significantly throughout pregnancy and I've seen quite a few cases.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

"A large study examined 400,000 women in the U.S., all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of fetal alcohol syndrome occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week." https://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html Like I said, drinking during pregnancy isn't for me, but there are a loooot of scare tactics out there. The mentality is women can't be trusted to use their judgement, so we have to scare them out of drinking at all.

lilmama412 · September 2013

I also don't think that these disorders haven't showed up before, it's just that we are diagnosing it more. Before we dealt with these kids in other ways. Also, in European Countries they don't diagnose ADHD and ADD the same way. They think of it as more of a home issue and they only diagnose severe cases.

nikki912 · September 2013

playingonadream said:
How do you all feel about sips of wine or beer? I'm not talking like a 1oz tasting portion. I'm taking a small sip of the newest wine my parents picked up in Spain just so I can see what the fuss is about and be part of the evening conversation. My parents are oenophiles (wine enthusiasts if you will) and have an extensive cellar so some wines that friends bring over are wines I'd never see on my own or get a chance to try ever again due to rarity or cost (some are upwards of $2K?!?)

Hell I'd probably have half a glass. A sip IMO would do absolutely nothing.

lilmama412 · September 2013

Common Myths

Myth: My doctor said its fine to have a glass of wine or two while pregnant.
Your doctor is misinformed. Unfortunately, many doctors are not properly educated about this issue. ACOG, The American College of OB/GYNs, advises women to not consume any alcohol while pregnant. Some doctors tell women that it’s OK to drink a little wine because they would prefer to avoid causing a potentially uncomfortable social interaction.

Myth: My friends or family members drank a bit and their kids are fine.
Every pregnancy is different. Not everyone who drinks while pregnant will have a child with measurable damage, just like not every heavy smoker will develop lung cancer. The fact remains that alcohol is toxic to the developing baby. Why take the risk?

Also, these children may have subtle damage from being exposed to alcohol that you are not aware of, such as problems with learning and behavior. According to Dr. Susan Astley Ph.D. and Dr. Therese Grant Ph.D., “Children exposed to and damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure look deceptively good in the preschool years. The full impact of their alcohol exposure will not be evident until their adolescent years.”

Myth: There is no evidence of any effects from just one drink.
Dr. Michael Charness of Harvard Medical School gives just one example: “We’ve been able to show very striking effects of alcohol on the L1 cell adhesion molecule, a critical molecule for development, at concentrations of alcohol that a woman would have in her blood after just one drink.”

Myth: A little bit of wine helps to reduce stress and can be healthy while pregnant.
The scientific and medical research is very clear: Out of hundreds of research papers, none have shown conclusive evidence that alcohol use by pregnant women is beneficial for the child. Hundreds of papers have proved that alcohol use, even in relatively small amounts, causes damage to the baby. Alcohol is not an effective way to relieve stress. Try meditation, yoga, and exercise instead.

Myth: On a holiday or special occasion, it’s perfectly fine to at least have a few celebratory sips.
The human body functions the same, whether it’s a holiday or not. Alcohol does not somehow lose it’s toxicity because it happens to be New Year’s Eve. There is no safe time to drink while pregnant. A few celebratory drinks can cause lifelong brain damage.

Myth: One glass of wine is not enough for the baby to even be exposed to the alcohol.
Any alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman gets passed to the baby, even if it’s a small amount such as a few sips. There is no threshold of alcohol below which the baby is not exposed.

Myth: Drinking wine is better than using heroin or cocaine during pregnant.
Alcohol, including wine, causes far more damage to the developing baby than any other drug. The Institute of Medicine says, “Of all the substances of abuse (including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana), alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus.”

Myth: You have to be an alcoholic to drink enough to cause real damage
The medical research is clear: Drinking at a level BELOW the threshold for alcoholism can still cause damage to the baby. There are many women who are not alcoholic who have children with measurable effects of alcohol exposure. This is the result of a lack of education and awareness about the risks, not a result of alcoholism.

Myth: The only damage alcohol can cause to a baby is physical deformaties. If the baby looks normal, it must be fine.
The vast majority (over 90%) of people with damage from pre-natal alcohol exposure have NO physical damage, only mental and/or behavioral damage. There is a wide range of effects including subtle behavioral problems that most often are never diagnosed as alcohol-related.

McKim88 · September 2013

I was wondering too because I know quite a few women who didn't know the were expecting until 7-8 weeks and in those first weeks of not knowing they partied like crazy! I mean getting wasted! Hard liquor, beer, smoking...all of it. Once they found out they all stopped of course. But the point is, they gave birth to PERFECTLY healthy babies. So to say that "a few glasses" will give your child FAS is way over the top. IMPO.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

Those claims are not supported by the body of scientific evidence.

LittleLady77 · September 2013

lilmama412 I find this very interesting. I'm not a big drinker anyways so I don't mind holding off. I wasn't planning on it but I might now just to be sure. Either way, I would love to hear the source of this content.

knotty-girl · September 2013

I had heard that wine was ok too, but I never asked my doctor about it because quite frankly I'll take candy over a cocktail and bread over beer any day, lol.

AcaAwkward · September 2013

So, I read just a few of the articles / studies listed on the FAS website and the conclusions drawn by NOFAS from these are articles is a COMPLETE stretch.

First, all of the articles I saw spent at least half the time CYAing...basically saying the methodology could be completely skewed because participants in the studies were self-reporters and self-reporters chronically under-report when asked about a taboo subject. The participants were also much more likely than the average woman to carry other risk factors (such as smoking throughout pregnancy).

Second, all the negative side effects in these studies were attributed to heavy or moderate drinking. Moderate was defined as 5+ drinks a week (which, personally, seems pretty heavy for a pregnant woman). I have yet to read ONE LEGIT study that shows negative effects of drinking a small drink on occasion.

I understand that FSA is a real thing - I just think this organization is rather alarmist and extreme...which happens to fit nicely into American culture.

lilmama412 · September 2013

LittleLady77 said:

lilmama412 I find this very interesting. I'm not a big drinker anyways so I don't mind holding off. I wasn't planning on it but I might now just to be sure. Either way, I would love to hear the source of this content.

@LittleLady77 It's off the nofas.org website, they are the ones that led the conference I went to. I don't know if I believe all of it. And yes, some people can get WASTED there whole pregnancy and have healthy babies, but some women can't. I don't want to find out the hard way if I am one of those women.

I AM a big drinker. When I'm not pregnant, I have a beer almost every night. But I could never live with myself if something happened to my child, because I couldn't wait 9 months to have a drink.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

But what's their source? They don't link to any primary sources.

lilmama412 · September 2013

AcaAwkward said:

So, I read just a few of the articles / studies listed on the FAS website and the conclusions drawn by NOFAS from these are articles is a COMPLETE stretch. First, all of the articles I saw spent at least half the time CYAing...basically saying the methodology could be completely skewed because participants in the studies were self-reporters and self-reporters chronically under-report when asked about a taboo subject. The participants were also much more likely than the average woman to carry other risk factors (such as smoking throughout pregnancy). Second, all the negative side effects in these studies were attributed to heavy or moderate drinking. Moderate was defined as 5+ drinks a week (which, personally, seems pretty heavy for a pregnant woman). I have yet to read ONE LEGIT study that shows negative effects of drinking a small drink on occasion. I understand that FSA is a real thing - I just think this organization is rather alarmist and extreme...which happens to fit nicely into American culture.

@AcaAwkward I 100% agree that they are extremest. I said in my previous post that I think a lot of it is scare tactics. However, the bottom line is we just don't know how much is okay, and where to draw the line. 5 drinks a week, isn't even a glass a day. Or if you have 2 glasses of wine 3 times a week, you're already over that 5 drinks, that's not that much.

I am a big drinker. So this was hard for me to hear! And no, I don't believe everything on that website, but I'm not willing to take that chance with my baby. I would rather just wait the 9 months, than risk it. I work with kids and their parents everyday who have FAS. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Serenla · September 2013

Rrrrrachel said:
But what's their source? They don't link to any primary sources.

This, it is best to know where a study was done and who funded it.

BeeBee08 · September 2013

I had half a glass (if that) of wine on the weekend, because a very expensive bottle was opened and I wanted some too. I don't feel guilty.

Rrrrrachel · September 2013

There are tons of studies that show a few drinks a week aren't harmful.

snappyK · September 2013

A sip? You're fine. You'll probably get more alcohol in your system by using mouthwash every day.

A glass? You're probably fine too. There's been some longer term studies recently that have shown that mild to moderate drinking (1-4 drinks per week and 5-8 drinks per week) have no statistically significant impact on any developmental issues up to age 5 (which is how long the study went, I believe.) You can see some info on it here: https://www.bjog.org/details/news/2085661/Danish_studies_suggest_low_and_moderate_drinking_in_early_pregnancy_has_no_adver.html

on the site for the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A good rule I've seen is "Drink like a European, not like a frat brother." So, a glass of wine or a beer with dinner some to most days per week, and you should be fine. Jaeger bombs on an empty stomach? Maybe less so. (Though the studies didn't find statistically significant correlation with binge drinking either.)

Personally, I haven't been drinking much at all, because I've found that I'm a little weird and wooby already with all this weird eating habits and extra blood, and the alcohol makes me feel weirder. I've also stopped drinking coffee for the same reason. But I'm not ruling either out for the long term.

There are just so many things pregnant women are supposed to do or not do, even conflicting ones at times. (Ginger is great for morning sickness! But ginger is not ok because herbal stuff has not been tested!!!!) It's driving me nuts.

I'd also suggest people read this for one woman's story about taking control and making decisions about what she wants to do with her body during her pregnancy based on her own research on the primary sources - https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323514404578652091268307904?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y

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